Help with meal planning

Scared1980

Hi everyone...

Right... I need to start meal planning...

My situation is this....

I work Tues to Friday until 5pm, which means I don't walk through my front door with my 2 DDs until 5:30pm... I like them to be sat eating by 6pm! I would also like to be able to cook something that I can eat with them and that can be warmed through for DP when he gets home (usually 7:30pm)

Any ideas???

Sat/Sun/Mon I have time to spend cooking meals, but still struggle :rolleyes:

I have a slow cooker, which hasn't been used at all :rolleyes:

My girls like most foods and we all eat meat....

Really hoping you can give me a slap and ideas too

Thanks

Lyns
x

newlywed

We like to eat within about half hour of getting home from work.
So I do:-

Chilli in the slow cooker (make a batch and freeze then just reheat on other days in microwave and serve in wraps/on jackets etc) it can be left in the slow cooker for OH to get home or else reheated in microwave.

Shep pie (mince mix) in the slow cooker and then when we get home top with mash (previously prepared - or smash ) and then bung in oven for 20 minutes while frozen veg cooks.

Sausage casserole in slow cooker - and kept warm in slow cooker.

Grilled pork chops/sausages/chicken breasts/gammon steaks (one at a time obviously ) and frozen veg

Stir fry - really quick especially if you chop the meat small Doesn't reheat well though.

Fish fillets (grilled or roasted in oven) take about 20 minutes (usually do sweet potatoes chopped small with red peppers and red onions all drizzled with oil and roasted).

Hope that gives you a few ideas

Scared1980

Thanks for the great ideas... will put some on my meal plan for next weekkk
I like the idea of sausage casserole... have never made casserole in my life:eek:

Any recipes would be greatfully recieved.

L
x

wifeforlife

Hi there!

You sound like me, I work 8-5 Mon-Friday and it's definately a struggle to make dinner, clean up, get homeworks done and get kids to bed in time for a good nights sleep

I've became very dependant on my slowcooker and as there is just myself and a 4yr old so I batch cook alot .

I'm also trying to do weightwatchers which makes meal planning hard (I've only started the meal plan this week lol)

I tend to make a huge batch of bolognese sauce, which I then batch into portion sizes of bolognese to have with pasta or baked potato, and I make lasagnes and portion them off too for the freezer. Doing this once lasts me 2-3 weeks and I use the portions for my lunch at work too

I also make a big batch of Potato & Leek soup, it's so filling and my dd loves it, we have it as a snack if we're really hungry but mostly have a soup night with petit pains

I'm trying the sausage casserole tonight and I've got the links here to the slowcooker versions people have kindly shared, Here and here

I've only done week 1 so far but am working on week 2 today whilst I'm off work so will be online today probably doing the same as you

HTH & goodluck
Cate

newlywed

Scared1980 wrote: »

Thanks for the great ideas... will put some on my meal plan for next weekkk
I like the idea of sausage casserole... have never made casserole in my life:eek:

Any recipes would be greatfully recieved.

L
x

This is how I do mine - fry onion, brown sausages in a pan (not to cook through just to give the outside some colour or they stay pinky in the slow cooker). Chop sausages into 5 or 6 pieces each.

Sprinkle red lentils in bottom of slow cooker, add carrots (parsnip, swede, whatever other root veg you fancy or have lurking in the fridge - or even a pack of ready chopped swede and carrots if you can't be bothered ) chopped into small pieces, add sausages and onion to pot. sprinkle over whatever herbs you fancy (I usually use basil or thyme). Add frozen peas or sweetcorn if you want extra colour/veg. Pour over a tub of passata (seived tomatoes) to cover (sometimes I add some stock to cover it better or extra passata).

Add splash of worcester sauce if you feel like it/have it already.

Put lid on. Switch on slow cooker to LOW. Cook for about 8 hours (it's sometimes 10 hours by the time we get home).