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Weeknight dinners, need ideas

I’m stressing about returning to work from maternity leave. Evenings are going to be crazy. I have a 45 minute commute and won’t get home until almost 6pm, and bedtime routine for my 4 year old and a 3 month old starts at 7:15. Any advice for meal planning and dinners? Recipes to share? Should I get an Instant Pot? I grocery shop every Sunday based on the meals I plan one week at a time, but I need a plan for meals that can be ready easier/faster. My husband will get home with the kids around 5 and can start something or preheat the oven, but he’ll have his hands full until I get home. Thanks for your advice, moms!
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I do a turkey, or beef lasagne. Takes 45 minutes to prepare and cook and lasts 3 days covered up in the fridge. A chilli, shove everything in one pan and cook for 20 minutes, add jacket potatoes. Chicken and chorizo traybake, everything goes on one tray, in the oven for 30 minutes. Do you have a slow cooker? You could put a beef stew and dumplings on in the morning, if you had the time and serve it straight away, when you get home.

Yes get an instant pot, you can make anything. So versatile and faster than crockpot. There are so many recipes with very little prep which is great.

Taco Soup! Mostly canned ingredients so it makes it easy! 1 can- pinto beans (drained) 1 can- kidney beans (drained) 1 can- black beans (drained) 1 can-Rotel 1 can- corn (drained) 2 cups- beef or chicken broth You have a few options for meat, I’ve found ground turkey is the best for us, but you can do ground beef or shredded chicken too. I will brown the meat, add a package of taco seasoning mix, add all the canned ingredients & broth then let cook for awhile on the stove 30-45 minutes, longer the better. We eat over tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream sprinkle some cheese on top. Add cilantro if we have it. It’s easy and taste even better the next day!

Get an instant pot. I repeat. Get an instant pot 😂 I work full time as well and that’s the only thing that makes cooking possible during the week. I also try to cook some basics in bulk like chicken and rice on sundays so all I have to do is reheat. And I keep plenty of frozen veggie steamers in the freezer to make healthy sides really quick and easy. Sometimes I’ll even do a casserole on Sunday. Also get a couple of bags of salad so all you have to do is add dressing. You got this!

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This all sounds so familiar. Cheers to you, working mom! Instant Pot it is!

The rotisserie chickens are a life saver. We get one every two weeks or so for an easy way to make tacos, chicken salad, chicken alone, soups... really anything where you don’t have time to cook a chicken

I’m in same boat. I do a bunch of meal prep ahead Sunday night and my husband just puts in the oven when he gets home. Can share my best recipes that my toddler loves- dm me I have lots. Also use the slow cooker weekly. Instant pot less, I find it’s not that instant lol.

Actually follow me on Instagram @macmanor_mama there’s a bunch in my highlights & I keep adding new ones each week.

Definitely get an insta pot! We use ours a lot and the slow cooker setting is great. We have been using this recipe at least every other week..it’s delicious, hearty and super easy. Our 2 year old loves it and we also have a hectic household with a 3 month old. I just went back to work this week and we also are working on quick easy meals.

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Spray the crockpot with non stick cooking spray Place the defrosted chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot as your first bottom layer. Next tear open two boxes of stuffing mix (we used the Stove Top Chicken flavor), pour the dry mix over the raw chicken. In a separate bowl, mix together the soup and sour cream. Top this mixture over the dry stuffing mix. The last layer will be the frozen green beans. Now add about 1 cup of water to the top of this mix. Cook on high for 4 hours or cook on low for about 7 to 8 hours. Tip: About 1/2 way between the cooking time use a fork to fluff the stuffing mix. This will allow the water to drop through the soup mix and create a steam to cook the stuffing. Add less water if you prefer a dry stuffing or add more water if you like it really moist.

4 chicken breasts defrosted 1 large can or Cream of Chicken Soup or two small cans 2 boxes of Stuffing mix 1 cup Sour Cream we used light 1 small package of frozen green beans Crockpot Non stick cooking spray

Chicken breasts in the crock pot (or instant pot) with salsa (mild for the little ones) makes the beer shredded chicken tacos! And you can leave it on all day. Throw it in a tortilla, on a salad, or make a burrito bowl

Slow cookers are a life saver and you can make so many things in them. Google recipes I’ve even cooked a whole chicken in mine xx

I'm in the same boat! I do the crockpot, but I also put together things like lasagna or baked spaghetti that my husband can pop in the oven before I get home. The only things he can cook on his own are things that go on the grill, so he'll do things like steak and pork chops when I work late. I confess that Uber Eats has made a lot of money off of me too...You'll get the hang of it!

I do freezer meals I can thaw out the night before, pop in the crockpot (they make instant pot/crockpot combos!), and it’s ready when I need. The crockpot I have has a timer and when it’s done it switches to warming so I don’t overlook or have to manipulate the time on the recipe.

Yes definitely get an instant pot. I’ve had mine for a week and it’s been a lifesaver. I mean seriously. I just made spaghetti in 7 min 🍝🙏🏼. I usually make different things I know I’ll eat thru out the week and then throw them together as different meals. Last week I made white rice, black beans, chicken, bunch of random veggies, & like 6 boiled eggs I made rice and beans in the instant pot & baked veggies and chicken in oven while boiled eggs were going on a Sunday took me like 2 hours all together & I didn’t cook anything except breakfast all week. I bought greens and made salad for lunch. Made veggie rice bowls made chicken tacos.

Sometimes we have cooked a meal like lasagna the night before when our LO is in bed then you can just heat up. Gives us the chance to have meals that would take longer x

Slow cooker soups, stews, Chile and meats. I find lots of good recipes on pinterest. Set it up in the morning and it’s ready when your husband gets home to set it to warm.

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I love the instant pot and the slow cooker. We can do a whole chicken in under 45 minutes in the instant pot! Also, we cook on our days off and make extra to freeze so that the hubs or I can throw it in the oven and just let it go. We love to do eggplant lasagna in a bread tin to freeze, also meatloaf, taco meat, you name it. We will put plastic wrap in the tin, put in the eggplant lasagna or what have you, freeze it in the tin, then use the plastic wrap to pull it out and store it in a ziplock freezer bag. Then, when you're ready to cook what you've frozen, just remove the plastic wrap and put it back in the tin to cook! That way we can use the tin to freeze other things or to actually cook until we need it for the things we have stored.

I use my crock pot but I also search 20 minute meals

Insta pot 100000% I dont get home til 6 most nights and I will let the lids play while I cook and then while my husband gets them ready for bed I'm able to feed the animals and meet him in the bedroom to help

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Sounds like you’ve got a great routine. I hate spending my evening in the kitchen when it’s the only time I have to play with my kids on weekdays. Definitely getting a pressure cooker. Have a favorite recipe? I’m already pinning a ton.

definitely instant pot. i have a similar schedule and insta pot has helped me so much. it even works great for baby food.

The Bob Evans microwaveable sides have been a LIFE SAVER for me. Let meat thaw during the day, make the meat and throw in a side for 3 minutes.

Crockpot is my go too. Also looking for ideas myself.

Not there yet, but between being 32 weeks pregnant, working and my boyfriend working, there isn't much time or energy to cook... I prep things on a day off like chili or other big dishes (sauce for spaghetti, homemade meatballs) and and split them off and freeze. It takes all of 20 min to reheat and boil some noodles or to reheat the chili or other dishes. Some nights I do something quick and easy, like a salad or steamed veggies with like pesto gnocchi. Takes 5 min for the gnocchi. Pick up a pre-made chicken or I get sliced turkey from the fresh deli and just reheat it in a pan...

I pre-marinate and freeze chicken. Just take it out to thaw the night before and cook with rice/ potatoes/ veggies/ pasta...30 minutes tops and so tasty!

We cooked everything in a crockpot the first year! And lots of leftovers. We chopped veggies on Sunday or bought everything pre-chopped to save time. Websites: skinny tastes, once a month meals, Pinterest (obviously). Costco has great pre-made dinners and you can have it delivered through one of the grocery delivery services if you don’t have a membership.

If you can, invest in a pressure cooker! I can do a beef stew in 40 mins from prep to plate!

This past has convinced me to start using the crockpot!!!

Love the instapot especially for soups, and I have crazy cookout days. I make all the meat dishes on the weekends in huge quantities and freeze it. That way on weekdays I only need to make the side (pasta/rice/potatoes....) and some salad or just sliced veggies. I try to incorporate as many veggies into the meat/grain as I can to increase chance of consumption 😄 Also, chicken thighs, legs, wings... I pre-marinade before freezing. Takeout night before and your hubby can pop it in the oven for 45-60 minutes since it's all ready to go. Add a few veggies to the tray and it's all ready together.

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Love my instapot but also I read that you can actually use frozen meats, just have to increase the time. Seriously, love the instapot!

Whatthecrock.com This service has SAVED me!! Crock pot liners make clean up as easy as pulling the bag out and throwing it away. The meals are delicious!!!

A crock pots great! You can just throw in everything in the morning and let it cook all day and it’ll be ready to serve when you get home! Pinterest has a lot of recipes to make in the crock pot!

Get a slow cooker, those things are amazing and a life saver for busy moms! Plus the food comes out AMAZING!!

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They have a lot of easy cooking dishes in Costco. You / your husband can just put it in the oven and wait.

I get alot of recipes from yummly... it's a great app.

I’m sure someone said it above, but an instant pot will be your best friend! Frozen chicken breasts, your favorite seasoning, and 1 cup of liquid on manual for 12 minutes and you have cooked chicken to do whatever you need with it! 🙂

Me hc

Crockpot meals are the best! And meal prep on sundays before the work week help too!

One pan meals, put chicken (breasts, tenders, etc) and broccoli (or other veg) on foil lined pan, add olive oil, salt and pepper and any other seasoning, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Make some 5 minute cous cous on the stove top (the boxed Near east brand) and you are all set. Works for pork chops as well. There are other ways to mix it up to, adding Mediterranean style vegs. Google one sheet pan meals. It’s quick and easy to make and clean and has been a godsend for weekday meals at our house.

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Agree! I have a ton of one pan meals pinned, I need to start doing that again.

I’d definitely prep Sunday’s, too. I double/quadruple anything I can freeze and portion it into family sized packages. Then you can pull one or two bags out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the fridge and heat up at supper time. Examples: 1. Make 2 pans of enchiladas or shepherds pie-one pan for the freezer and one to bake and eat now. 2. Make a ton of bbq pork and portion it into baggies to pull out whenever. Cut up chicken and put into bags with marinade to stir fry later-freeze bags of blanched veggies to go with. This can be done with so many things.

I grocery shop twice a month (besides running for small things we use constantly like milk) I plan weeks ahead, and make lists off that. I love freezer, crockpot, one pan, one pot meals. Prep ahead and easy, and meals I can make under 20/30 minutes. I have tons of recipes and ideas. I’m a SAHM of 2 busy boys who’s husband travels a lot for work. We don’t have family or friends nearby. There are times where he is gone for weeks on end and I’ve learned a lot at planning and even having extra meals on hand for those crazy “oh snap I forgot” days or easy ones my husband can do by just tossing it in and setting a timer. Message me if you like some ideas or tips!

Instant pots are seriously amazing. Especially when you still have a small babe and more than one kid! There are so many recipes online that are quick and nutritious with only a few ingredients. Your husband probably would be able to toss something in when he gets home (stick baby in a chest carrier and have older kid help get out ingredients) and it would be ready by the time you get home.

Usually we go grocery shopping Sundays and I start prepping meals for the week. https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/recipe-index/ This online website has a lot of recipes you can prepare ahead of time and freeze or put in the fridge. They have from baby purees (for when your baby is old enough ) to toddler foods.Let me know how it goes!

Meal prep for the week so everyone can just reheat and eat , look at Ree Drummond freezer dishes on food network.com , prep some stuff the night before for the next nights dinner if not meal prepping, make enough of 1 dish for another meal that week , do that with multiple dishes.

Instant pots are great! I also find it easiest to make a large batch of chicken and dumplings or lasagna or something like that that will last a while. Much easier than cooking a different dinner every day

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