The other day I picked up my son from a playdate, and the mom had an apron on and it totally freaked me out. It sounds weird but it just really made me feel like a failure. Here was this mom, wearing an apron at 3:30 p.m. preparing her dinner for that evening, and I wasn’t, nor would I be a couple of hours later. Plus, I don’t even own a damn apron.
You see, I have a problem.
I need your help a.s.a.p.
I used to be super organized, always at the ready, never ran out of things without having its replacement ready. That was a LONG time ago. Now, it seems that I just can’t get it together most nights. Its usually 5pm before I even begin thinking about dinner, and by then the scramble begins. If I think of something I want to make, I usually don’t have the ingredients, or I have ingredients that I don’t know what to do with. Let’s just say I’m Martha Stewarts’ worst nightmare.
The irony here is that I own many, MANY cookbooks, at least a hundred. Add to that, two very picky eaters who only truly eat a handful of things, plus a husband who will eat anything, although feels the need to cover anything you make with globs of condiments, and Mommy runs screaming to the crappy convenience foods or takeout. (I don’t have a problem with takeout or convenience foods in moderation, but it really seems that they are appearing more and more and the proof is in the pudding (ie. the size of my badonkadonk).
So, here’s where you come in. Help me, guide me, share with me. How do you handle dinner times? Do you cook on the fly or are you a planner? Do you cook in large batches, or do you rely on foods that you can make quickly each night? Do you have your staple meals that you return to weekly? Any ideas, suggestions and experiences are appreciated.
P.S. If you have a personal chef – 1. GO AWAY. 2. I HATE YOU (not necessarily in that order)
P.S.S. If you are a personal chef, and would like a challenge and can work for free, email me because I have the job for you (also known as the challenge of your LIFE).
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
“What’s for Dinner?”
I swear, I lay awake thinking about it. I HATE planning what’s for dinner, which is silly because I don’t really HATE cooking and i definitely don’t HATE eating!
I fall into the same old-same old category. I have my rotation and I rarely fall from it. Burgers, chicken, tacos, spaghetti (maybe I’ll get a little funky and use a different shape noodle or use sausage instead of ground beef), chili, turkey, pork loin, roast beef. BO-RING!
Before kids, I cooked pretty gourmet meals. Now I have less time and pickier eaters, so I got lazy.
This reminds me, though… When I started my blog, I was going to have a “What’s for Dinner” list on there with all sorts of ideas that I (and others) could refer to when they were stuck for ideas. Maybe I’ll get on that…
I hear you! At least, about the owning scads of cookbooks and then always picking-up takeout. I’ve begun to write a new blog as a self-challenge: http://www.wellcookbooked.blogspot.com ; I’m planning to cook at least 5 dishes from each and every cookbook I own. So far it’s prompted me to cook at least one new item a week. And I hope that eventually I’ll be running into dishes that work well into our regular rotation, or that, at least, I’m learning some new cooking skills and saving us from boredom.
I am not a planner when it comes to meals however the freezer always has chicken, beef and pork. Although I prefer fresh veggies there are also frozen ones this time of year. in the cupboard potatoes rice and pasta. Friday nights is our order out night.
As for the covering things in condiments- let your kids try this as well maybe they’ll eat more things. Also I think if you want you’re kids to not be picky eaters you need to eat more things- I seen your list from those previous blogs
Good luck.
CL
ps- look at it this way- if you have a big badonkadonk you have food in your house and aren’t going hungry.
I do a combination of things, and sometimes it is working and sometimes I end up getting takeout anyway. I usually plan a week of meals at a time and shop for those meals. However, I also try to always have some staples on hand for quick, no-thought meals (spaghetti, baked chicken, etc). If I find myself with ingredients but no recipe, I turn to the internet. Recipezaar.com is my current favorite recipe site, it is easy to navigate and filter the recipes (they have categories like five ingredients or less, short cooking time, etc).
I don’t usually cook a lot at one time, but we do have an electric smoker, so we smoke two chickens at a time and freeze one in smaller portions for other meals. Also, I’ll have Husband grill a bunch of chicken and freeze the extra.
As for picky kids, I try to serve at least one thing they will eat each night, but I don’t plan my menu specifically around their tastes. I have several dishes that they all love, and I make one or two of those a week, and then the other meals are things they don’t always love, but they know they aren’t getting anything else. I’m doing the cooking, so I want to make meals that I am looking forward to eating.
But sometimes there is food in the pantry and a recipe ready to go and I just don’t want it, and that is when we end up eating pizza or something.
We try to plan for the week ahead. We do our groceries on Sunday and we plan a minimum of 3 proper meals for that week. The other days we do what we call the “provisional” (e.g. omelets, soup, some frozen boxed thing if we’re desperate).
So on sunday we purchase fish, chicken, pork or some combo like that so we have 3 proper protein meals. In the winter we’re likely to also buy the ingredients to make a batch of soup for lunches, for our Sunday night dinner, and then freeze the extra if there is any… although I must admit we are notoriously forgetful when it comes to freezing the food before its too late (science experiments are our specialty). In the summer we buy more fruit & veggies than normal and spend sunday nights cutting everything up and popping it into containers to make a quick snack or easy grab for lunches.
Some weeks are a total fail and we end up doing take out or eating cereal for dinner.
I must add a disclaimer though… our first kid is due in Jan so all our planning may be a complete bust in the very near future.
In the mean time I’m freezing all sorts of food in the hopes that we won’t starve to death!
Nikita~
(@RantingRaving)
I personally am usually figuring out dinner that morning! I check the freezer and decide what I’m going to make. I do a lot of crackpot meals because I have four kids and what seems to be zero time with a job and a husband over the road.
On January first, we’re (mostly myself) are starting Marylou Henner’s 30 day total health makeover. I actually don’t agree with the diet totally. For example, she cuts all meats and dairy out totally. At this point, I’ll still be eating chicken and cheese etc. But what the plan does tech you to do is shop weekly and plan meals weekly.
I was raised by a single father who had it down better than any mother I’ve ever seen! He knew what we would eat Monday on Friday. He managed to work a 9-5 and still cook homemade not frozen meals. He’s my hero, and my idol. Just no matter how much *I* try, I slip up!
I am the one you hate because I have a personal chef – my husband. Works fir us & he gets home from work earlier than I do.
However, he does do things that I notice that help with that nightly scramble.
1. We shop 1x per week and try to keep that week’s meals in mind
2. We always have frozen veggies available in the freezer.
3. We do have family favorites weekly… Tacos, spaghetti, meatloaf… Etc.
4. He thaws meat out for 2 days ahead so it is ready when he’s ready.
5. We have a picky eater, but don’t cater to her pickiness all of the rime. She is offered what we are eating and if she decides not eat, she’ll just eat really well for breakfast.
6. We always are eating leftovers, so I guess he cooks in big portions.
And yes, I DO cook, sometimes. We do eat out 1-2 nights a week.
So, I think it is about pre-planning & pre-buying
good luck!
Well, now I feel like crap now, thank you…. And here I thought that since I endured a total of 34 hours of labor between both kids, a c-section and a natural birth with tearing and all, letting go of my professional life for quite a while, having to change diapers all day long, deal with the crying of 2 colicky babies in a row, and thinking about how to raise them properly in general (that includes what they eat, how they sleep etc), that I would be somewhat entitled NOT to think about dinner on top of that!
So I call hubby at work everyday and say: “What are we eating tonight?” and he gives me a few choices and goes to the supermarket on his way home from work. Most of the time he brings home something already cooked….
I just think not everyone is cut out to be Martha freakin’ Stewart mixed with super nanny! But that’s just me… ;-P
Like a lot of people, I rotate through the same basic staples of dinner time: spaghetti, tacos, chili, etc. These are easy to make and can be made in batches and reheated.
For “emergencies” I also keep on hand what we elegantly call “finger foods” (ha ha) which consist of things like frozen chicken nuggets, tater tots, mini pizzas, egg rolls, etc. These are fast and mindless, and SLIGHTLY better than fast food.
I really like Severine’s comment – I wish my hub would do that – I ask him and he says “whatever” – well, no, not whatever – I retort with “I’m tired of figuring out what’s for dinner” inevitably we end up with pasta of some sort!
I have tried the “planning” thing and it doesn’t work.. for me anyways..
When I do get my act together – especially in the winter – my slow cooker is my ultimate yummy weapon! Buy super cheap cuts of meat and make a stew – I throw in cubed beef, cubed potatoes (reg or sweet), 1 can of stewed tomatoes and baby carrots – at 9am – by the time dinner rolls around – It’s done.. You can even make it the night before.. Hope that helps
A
An APRON! I’m going to get myself an apron! Maybe that’ll make me feel like making more than one dinner per week. I’m the exact same as you. I need some help. I make scrambled eggs every other night, I wish I was kidding. I need some cheap fast ideas suitable for a picky toddler who is apparently a vegetarian. I tell her everything is french fries because she won’t stop yelling FRENCH FRIES until I put something in front of her and say here look french fries (even if it’s bread).
It’s just the two of us at home, so it’s pretty easy to fall into getting take out every night, or just eating junk food – chips, cookies, snack cakes – and telling ourselves it’ll be okay. But, I gained almost 30 pounds a year over the past two years, and that has got to stop.
Anyways, a friend told me that she uses a tool on Kraft Kitchens that gives her a grocery list to go with the recipes she has chosen for the week. I checked it out and found the 1 bag 5 meals tool – I’m not 100% sure of the name. It gives me 4 recipes (each makes 4 servings) and all the groceries I’ll need to make them – the Friday meal is usually a frozen pizza or something. Since there are only two of us, we end up with 8 dinners, and neither of us minds eating the same thing on Friday that we had on Tuesday.
I so hear you. I’m finding myself making quick & easy meals rather than fancy, healthy ones. I must say in the winter/cooler months I rely heavily on my crock pot. I prep at least 2-3 times a week meals during my little guy’s nap so they are ready for dinner time. Makes for a calmer evening.
Do you have a crock pot? msg me – I can send you some yummy recipes.
Tara
Dude, you have Greek parents. Just go visit them at 5 p.m. everyday.
Seriously, don’t look at ME to help you out here. I pick up my kids from work at 5 p.m. from either my parents house or my inlaws house and of course they always have dinner ready. I feel terrible that I hardly cook for my kids, but that’s the situation I’m in right now. Weekends and maybe once a week I’ll cook for them, and hubby cooks a lot too, when the kids stay home during the week, instead of being at my parents/inlaws house.
I have had much success with a ginormous dry erase board, I have 2 weeks blocked out on it- just written by hand. I printed off our “stock” of go-to meals and cut them out ( ie mac and cheese, roast chicken, ravoli etc etc)
the kids and husband { and me} can “pick-and-stick” meal labels on the days they want to eat said meal, and then I can check available ingredients
( like, ok we have spag sauce already) and also have an idea of what to write up for a shopping list ( but we need ravoli…)
Yes, I am an over-organized weirdo, with 3 boys…but honestly it is so much worse for me to deal with chaos { then I freak out}
that it is worth it to me to be all menu-ed up!
Also helps ’cause then you can look and say, “oh today is ravoli, only need 15 min. to make” or “oh, roasting chicken today, set alarm on cell phone to shove it in the oven at 3pm”
{ I also swap some meals/days if I know there’s no freaking way I’m gonna roast a chicken on tuesday or whatever….}
also helps to plan “leftovers” days…like make chili monday, and plan to eat leftovers wednesday…..
also eliminates “Maaahh-ummmm, what’s for dinner?”….actually, doesn’t eliminate that, but at least I can yell “read the damn board!”
And no, I don’t own an apron…. I have seen some very very cute ones that I secretly long to own,
but a) I’d never remember to put it on until after I spilled on myself
and b) none of my clothes are worth protecting with the $40 that said cute apron costs! I’d have to put something over the apron since it’s pricier than my wal-mart digs….
you rock! don’t let June Cleaver get you down….we all just do the best we can…
Diana
Well, this is going to make me sound like a total freak, but I do use a meal plan. My husband forced me into it a couple of years ago — until then, due to my son’s allergies and a couple other picky eaters, I had literally three dinners and cycled between them.
It was very painful in the beginning — at first my goal was just to come up with a lunch and dinner for every day of the week. After a while of trying new recipes from time to time I built up to two weeks’ worth of meals. Now I cycle through them, with a take-out day on Saturdays and a leftover day on Sundays.
I love being able to look at the calendar in the morning and know exactly what is for dinner. The worst part of my day was always the deciding part, and trying to get something thrown together while everyone is at my feet crying for food. Now I know if I need to do some prep in the morning while the kids are at school, or even just how early I need to get going to make the meal.
I also use my weekly meal plan to shop for the groceries — there’s less waste that way, and I always have everything I need on hand. As I said, it was so painful in the beginning, but after a few months I really fell in love with it and it has taken a lot of the stress out of the end of our day.
I had all kinds of stress before I started menu planning. I honestly don’t remember what I cooked or how often when I was working full-time. Now, I do a weekly plan (dinners only, lunches are left-overs or sandwiches) based on what I have and what’s on sale. I don’t feel the stress because I took 30 minutes during the weekend to make a plan.
I suggest doing an inventory of your favorite meals plus what you have in your cupboard and fridge/freezer. Make a plan for the week, then compare what’s on the plan vs. what’s on hand. There’s your shopping list.
I started keeping a recipe blog so that I can track my menu plans plus keep my fave recipes handy. Nothing fancy, mostly for my own use.
Good luck!
1. Designate one or two days to a certain meal- Ours is “Taco Tuesday” they kids look forward to it and it is super easy. I have Wednesday Spaghetti too- which usually involves some kind of pasta dish- two meals done for the week.
2. I grocery shop by meals instead of stuff. Some weeks it is a pain the the butt but it makes my life easier. IF I go on an extra run to the store it is only for milk and bread.
3. Cream soups in the cupboard at ALL times. You can take leftover chicken and veggies and make a casserole. I usually make my own cream soup to reduce salt. 2 tbs butter, stalk of celery, 1/2 cup onion cook till celery (probably not for you:)) is crisp tender add 2 tbs flour stir till veggies are coated then add 2 cup of milk. You can also add cheese to this to make it yummier. I have this on standby for emergencies- noodles or rice dinner is done.
Hope that helps
I plan what we are going to have at the beginning of the week, make a list and the go shopping for it. Some nights the boys eat something different if I know I’m making something for Tim and I that they won’t touch so I always have some kid favored food on hand (chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, noodles & marinara sauce). It’s not a fancy system but it works for us.
Oh and we still do take out or go out most Fridays…
I have learned the hard way, after way too many years of stress: that preplanning is the way to go.
I use a weekly rotation of meals. Every Monday is spaghetti, every Tuesday is BLT casserole, blah blah blah. Never changes.
The awesome thing is I know what to make, I have the shopping list preprinted up to include the ingredients for the week’s meals. Voila! Less stress. I cook the meal in the afternoon. I figure, there never really is the “right time” to cook. Anytime is busy time, so I just start it while I”m home. And then we just heat it up when we are ready to eat.
Awesome.
I’ll admit I have a meal plan. I try to do it monthly but that only happens one month out of twelve. But I do do a weekly meal plan, that way I only buy what I need at the store and have a plan to keep me on track. That said, my meal plan isn’t always full of wholesome, apronesk meals. I try to balance between easy & what my 3yo will eat and a few more elaborate good ones for the adults and to try and pique his interest. Mostly he doesn’t eat them. I love cookbooks too, but these days the best cookbook is the Kraft one. Quick, easy & cheap!
yikes. I’m so with you on this one. I really need to start planning meals out more in advance. I hate cooking and I hate grocery shopping. Those 2 combined are a big issue. Some great tips from people here though! Now I just need to find the extra time….hmmm..
There are some nights I have to wing it. You can’t plan for the nights that both kids are overtired, or attached to your leg etc.
I don’t keep a lot of frozen items, and try to plan a few meals when grocery shopping. Some meals depend on what’s on sale (if chicken breasts are on sale this week and pork tenderloin the next, that will dictate my decision making)
I will say, one of the things I’m good at is making something out of nothing. I have a few go to recipes/ideas that I can always rely on, as long as I have most of these items always in stock:
-pasta
-pasta sauce
-rice
-dijon mustard
-orange juice or canned madarins
-frozen veggies
-soy sauce
-cheese
so, if I have those in stock, then I can add either meat or fish (fresh, frozen, canned) or canned beans and make a quick meal or pasta dish.
Planning is probably the best way to avoid the last minute rush. On weeks that I plan I find I’m less stressed then when I wing it
Also, at least 1 night we have left overs or something as simple as grilled cheese sandwiches, and 1 night we do take out.
And, a crock pot is my best winter friend
I used to do a menu plan every Sunday. Yep, for real. These days I fly by the seat of my pants more, but I remember those days of planned meals wistfully.
It usually took me an hour or so of flipping through cookbooks. I would plan a new meal for Monday and Tuesday nights, planned on left-overs for Wednesday (a combination of the two first nights), a new meal for Thursday, eat-out on Friday (because by then I was done cooking and cleaning), a new meal for Saturday night, and a big casserole-type meal for Sunday, which could carry me over till Monday night, if need be.
Basically, what I found was that I only needed to make about 3 fresh meals because the left-overs carried over the rest of the week. Making a casserole or a roast Sunday night also took a lot of pressure off. And I went grocery shopping Monday afternoon, and again later in the week if I’d forgotten anything or if I was making fish in the latter half of the week.
Lastly, I found a couple of recipes that cascaded down into 4 different meals each. For example: a pork tenderloin one night, pork tacos the next, pork sandwhich the next and pork wraps the next. I wish I could find more like that (Rachel Ray does that kind of thing occasionally).
Anyway – that’s what this ol’ girl does. I have menu plans on my blog, if you wanna see what I’m talking about
I try to come up with some ideas in the beginning of the week, but that never works because our schedule is so nuts! Thank God my husband likes to cook because he helps out a lot! I hate that “what are we having for dinner?” It makes me stress out@
I would totally freak you out, then. I have a super cute apron that I got from Anthropologie for Christmas last year and I wear it all the time. And around Christmas time, I wear a red one. Yes, I own (and wear) two aprons.
However, I’m struggling with meal time lately. Summer was easy — lots of grilling, stuff out of the garden — YUM. But now? I don’t know where my motivation has gone. Right now we’re having lots of pasta, tacos, pizza, etc. and I’m planning a baked potato dinner for later this week. I’m not even CrockPotting much, which is so unlike me. I’m trying to give myself a break until after the holidays. I know I’ll get back on track after that. Right now, I’m just wingin’ it too. Good luck, lady…
Hahaha. I own an apron not because I wear it often but because it looked so cute at the store and was on sale. My hubby wears the apron in the house. He loves to cook and bake but he also works. So yeah, everyday I ask … What the hell am I doing for dinner? I don’t have any helpful advice that hasn’t been written already. My apologies. But I’m glad I found you through the Canadian Blog Awards. Great blog. Good luck on the contest.