baby bunching challenge: all around the dinner table: part II (getting there)

Yesterday we covered how to get everyone around the table, but sometimes the hardest part is getting the food there in the first place. Rushing put dinner on the table with a screaming hungry infant and a toddler underfoot is no fun at all. Over the years, we've learned that the key to dinner time sanity is simplification and pre-prep. 

No matter how much you may love to cook (and we both do), your culinary skills are lost on your toddler. Again, that's not to say that you have to eat garbage all the time, but cut yourself some slack and save the fancier dishes or experimentation for the weekend when your hubby is around to entertain the kids.

Regarding pre-prep, there are are a few ways to get ahead of yourself so the witching dinner hour isn't such a mess.

• Cara's personal favorite (on days she doesn't work) is to start dinner at naptime--even if that's morning naptime. It may seem strange weird, but getting this done without the wee ones underfoot will save you later on. Start crockpot meals in the morning with chopping and dicing done the night before.
• Menu planning is key.  Sit down on the weekend, plan out what you're going to eat and when, and stick it on your fridge for daily reference.  As a bonus, planning ahead means that if you are REALLY organized, you can cross-reference with the grocery circular to plan around what's on sale and maybe save some money too!
• Cook double meals on the weekends. Things such as meatloaf, meatballs, casseroles, chili, soup and pasta sauces double and freeze well. It's no extra work to make twice as much at once and then you can pull something yummy and homemade out of the freezer on a busy night instead of driving thru!
• Cook a bunch of meat (ground beef, chicken, etc.) at once, divide into meal-sized portions and freeze.  You can then easily defrost later and make spaghetti, tacos, chicken soup, etc.
• Keep cooked pasta in the fridge to toss quickly with shrimp (sold ready-to-eat – peeled and de-veined)/chicken/beef and fresh veggies such as baby spinach, tomatoes, onions and peppers.
• Buy packaged, pre-washed, read-to-eat vegetables. They cost a bit more but will save you time in the end.
• Always keep spaghetti sauce on hand.
• Especially in the summer time when it's too hot for the oven, throw the entire meal (meat/fish, vegetable, potato) on the grill.  Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil or put on a skewer and cook directly on the grill. Foil packets can also be baked in the oven…easy cleanup is a bonus!

And of course, if you’re not a fan of cooking, there are numerous meal assembly services to help you pre-make weeks worth of meals at a time (A Dinner A’Fare, Super Suppers, My Girlfriend’s Kitchen, Let's Dish, etc.)  These are actually reasonably priced if you do them in bulk or split an order with a friend.  One caveat – they are delicious for grownups, but sometimes not the most toddler-friendly foods, so choose your entrees carefully.  Also know up front that most of them involve only the main dish and a cooking time of at least 20 minutes, so you will still need to allow time for them to cook and plan for side dishes. But, hey – that beats slaving over the whole meal for hours of prep, cooking, and cleanup, right?

What have we missed - we're always looking for ways to simplify, so do share your tips and tricks!

Comments

[Mamameah]

Great post! Especially when restaurants become "stresstaurants" and you are stuck eating at home day in day out!

I have picky eaters and stupidly (word?) chose to battle it this past week (minor mommy control issues that day...lol). Anyway, this link http://daycaredaze.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/picky-eaters/ was passed on to me and it was a great reminder of things we knew worked but fell out of practice on (some we didn't know) and has us back on track with stress-free..ish meals :)

[Lindsey]

I ditto all your suggestions. My bunch has allergies (milk, grapes) so I buy pre-cooked frozen fajita chicken to keep on hand when I can't fire up the stove. It's a bit more expensive, but saves a ton of time and fussiness, when in a pinch. Same with frozen veggies, I just pop a cup full in the microwave and my bunch goes to town.

My husband isn't home til after the kids' bedtime (6:30pm) most days a week, so I generally cook dinner for us after they go to bed, then serve the leftovers to the kids the next day for lunch. Our staples are chili, tacos, spaghetti, pot roast, chicken & veggies, stirfry & rice, beef stroganof, and veggie soup.

[Cara Fox]

HA! I love it - "stresstaurants" - so true! Thanks for the link to more tips!

Lindsey - your staples sound remarkably similar to ours. I always wondered why my mom had the same rotation of meals when I was a kid, but now I know - these are apparently the only things kids will ever eat, generation after generation. : )

[SandyCalico]

Hi there, GeekyMummy sent me over as I have two children born within a year of each other. I'm going to look back through your posts and get some tips. At just 2 and just 1 they are running rings round me!
I blog at Baby Baby - http://sandycalico.blogspot.com
Sandy.

[Natalie @ Naddy's Blog]

I love making a big pot of rice for one meal... then when I have leftover chicken/pork/beef/beans, I can generally work leftover magic with very little prep time. I also chop and freeze onions and peppers to simplify meal making and decrease the chances of them being forgotten and going bad in the fridge!

[Jeanette]

Thanks for the post, I finally got to read it! There is hope for us!
BTW, I'd love to see some favorite recipes posted too. :)