Help please...need to spend less time cooking after work!!

IWannabedebtfree · 12 August 2009 at 9:10AM

Any corner cutting/timesaving ideas please?- I only work term time, and have got myself into a great 'cooking from scratch' routine in these summer hols, with loads of time to plan healthy meals and cook them.However, I'm sure that unless I am extremely careful, when I get back to school in 2 and a bit weeks, it'll all go to pot, because of lack of time, plus I'm tired after work. I don't want us to go back to eating at 7pm, then the kids going to bed later than they should, then the evening disappears and me and my hband have hardly any time together. I do use the slow cooker sometimes, but don't fancy it everyday.
Btw, sadly don't have a timer on my cooker. Thank you if you can help.

bluestarrz · 12 August 2009 at 9:13AM

How about batch cooking during the weekend then storing your 'ready meals' in the freezer - handy for when you have no time and fancy a home cooked meal. Either that or quick meals like pasta and stir fys?

misskool · 12 August 2009 at 9:16AM

Batch cooking, meal planning and getting others to help?

If you don't fancy eating the same meals day in and day out, batch cook 2/3/4 meals and do them alternately.

thriftlady_2 · 12 August 2009 at 9:25AM

I find my 'freezer veg hash' to be a huge timesaver. Every few weeks I get my food processor out and chop finely these veg;

onions -a lot about 6-8
a head of celery
several carrots
a couple of red peppers
a bulb of garlic
2-3 leeks

Make sure at least half the total amount is onions.
I mix it all in a large bowl as I chop each veg, then I portion it up in freezer boxes or little bags. About 2 handfuls per portion. Then bung them all in the freezer.

When I want to make any dish that is 'wet' like chilli, curries, bolognese sauce, tomato sauce, bean stew, meat casseroles, soups, pizza sauce, I pull out one of my tubs of veg hash, microwave it on high for 2 mins and then add it to the oil in the pan. Cook gently until soft and then add your other ingredients.

This saves chopping oinion and garlic and other veg when you start cooking a meal such as the above. The combination of veg actually adds heaps of flavour and I think improves these sort of dishes tremendously. It makes them much less of a chore to make.

You could also use the chopped veg before freezing to make a huge quantitiy of tomato sauce which can be frozen and used as a component for many family type meals.

Another tactic is simply to fill your freezer (if you have the space) starting now by cooking double or triple quantities of as many meals as possible. Freeze the extras and pretty soon you'll have a stock of home cooked ready meals.

nitr02007 · 12 August 2009 at 9:46AM

You can do a similar thing with a meat based base.

Take chopped onions, minced beef, 1 or 2 tins of tomatoes, seasoning.
Cook until meat is brown and onions are soft.

Do a big batch then portion up and keep in fridge or freezer.

Then you can whip up a quick meal using this as a starting point..

Chilli - add cumin, chilli, peppers and red kidney beans.
Bolognaise - add italian herbs, mushrooms, garlic.
etc..

(The idea was on Economy Gastronomy the other day)

Also, instead of snacking on crisps or chocolate - I do a big batch of Macaroni Cheese. Its great comfort food and better for you than all that salt from the crisps or sugar from the choc.

LittleMissAspie · 12 August 2009 at 9:50AM

I'd like to know too, we end up getting a takeaway too often when we get home at 7pm and can't face chopping and cooking and washing up.

I can't think of any meals to freeze though. We usually eat fresh vegetables with protein like quorn burgers/sausages/fillets, or my boyfriend might have fishcakes. We don't eat dishes with sauces. Sometimes we might have quorn and veg with Mexican type spices. But no sauce, I don't really like "wet" meals.

What would be nice, is something we can put in the oven and just relax (aka do the tidying :rolleyes: ) while it cooks, instead of having to stand over the hob cooking it. Is it possible to chop veg to roast (like onion, pepper, carrot etc), mix the oil and herbs in and then put it into oven bags in the freezer? Or will oven bags no longer work in the oven once they've been frozen? I can imagine them going brittle or something.

Also, is it necessary to cook the veg before you freeze it? I can't be doing with cooking things twice, waste of time.

Edit: While I'm here, has anybody tried roasting broccoli or cauliflower? Those are our veg staples but I'm not if roasting them would work?

kippers · 12 August 2009 at 9:57AM

One thing my mum taught me (though i rarely do it now...but i should) was to peel all the potatoes i would need for the week and put them in water in the fridge. They last like this for approx 1 week, so you could do it at the weekend. You need to change the water every 2-3 days to keep them fresh.

It's a good timesaving tip

newlywed · 12 August 2009 at 10:02AM

Slow cooker!!! Bung it in first thing in the morning, eat it at 5 or 6pm when you get home

Or cook double and freeze one lot.

Personally, during the week, we have things like chicken breasts, sausages, fish etc that only take about 20 minutes too cook (unless I use the slow cooker of course but I struggle with spare time in the mornings so don't use that more than a couple of times a week).

In the slow cooker I will do a double batch of sausage casserole, chilli, bolognaise, joint of gammon, curry etc and eat one lot that day and then freeze one lot.

At the weekends I cook longer meals - eg roast, lasagna, etc and then try and freeze extra for one night in the week.

Meal planning is brilliant for this

Also.... I don't sit down when I get home from work or I wouldn't want to get up again and dinner would be about 9pm. As soon I get home, I go straight to the kitchen to start cooking. Makes life easier in the long run.

sunshinejoclaire · 12 August 2009 at 10:04AM

I use frozen chopped onions from Asda and Gia garlic puree. I find it makes no difference to by food bills, but i spend less time preparing food as a general rule!

One of my quickest healthy meals I make - and we have this at least once a week - is my own tomato sauce and pasta. (This is for 2 people)

Put kettle on to boil

Put small pan on hob - add tin of tomatoes, some garlic and onions, balsamic vingear and seasoning. Bring to boil

Pour hot water into other pan and add enough pasta, bring back to boil and cook. I never slowly simmer pasta.

While pasta is cooking, simmer sauce, stirrng every minute or 2.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and serve, the sauce will be ready too at that point. Yum

tessie_bear · 12 August 2009 at 10:05AM

have u considered buying a slow cooker ? i saw them in asda for £6 last night....i cut up veg say for a chilli...put in fridge the night before and then spend 5 mins in the morning chucking it in the sc

Rowan9 · 12 August 2009 at 10:40AM

Great advice given!
I make meals and freeze them, menu plan for the week and when term begins, put the list on the fridge door to remind me what to take out for tea that night. Also plan a mid week 'easy' like bought pizza (not take away though!) and salad. I also make loads of soup and freeze. Menu planning is the way to go with this because that is one less thing your brain will have to think about when you get home! You could prep a load of chicken breasts by marinating them and then freezing them individually - that way they'd be ready to grill (defrosted) without the faffing about to get flavour on them.
w

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Help please...need to spend less time cooking after work!!

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