We are a busy working family with a toddler and school age child. By the time we get home each night it’s 6:30 and it’s a mad rush trying to think of something quick n easy to make for dinner. We have fallen into the rut of takeaway up to three times a week and not only is it costly, I’m starting to feel yuck from eating shit so much.
What is your go to meal? Inspire me please!
Dinner ideas
Dinner ideas
Posted in:
Food
5 Replies
Whatever I cook, I usually make in bulk to last us all two dinners.
The last couple of Sunday’s I have been making up two meals, for example chow mein for Monday and Wednesday and then chicken curry for Tuesday and Thursday, so that’s four nights taken care of.
Easy dinners that I can make up in bulk are usually anything with mince. Chow mein, spag bol or meat balls, tacos mince, chilly con carne, cottage pie, lasagne, meat loaf.
Or slow cooked meals dishes with rice or pasta or couscous. (You can even chuck it on of a morning before work if you have time to chuck it together).
I tend to leave meat and veg meals for the weekend so that I’ve got time to make them.
- Chicken Kievs (quick cook ones from the deli @ safeway) with some steamed veggies (can use packet ones even)
- Stir fry with microwave packet rice
- Buffalo chicken wings and hot chips (wings take 15 mins in oven, pick up chips on way home), bit of a fakeaway for us
- Sausages and mash
- Curry
Tacos are quick and easy. If you double the mince, roll up the other half in some wraps with tomato and 4 beans, put them in an alfoil oven dish, top with some taco sauce and cheese and freeze. Pull them out in the morning to defrost, 20 mins in the oven that night.
Slow cookers are the best invention ever for busy nights. I cook in the slow cooker at least twice in a week as we don’t get home til 6:30 due to training / dance classes etc. so this way there is only preparation in the morning and put on low setting all day.
Slow cooker meals that my family love are- beef vegetable casserole
Chicken curry
Lasagne
Meatballs
Soups
I make double or triple batches of stuff on weekends, easy freezable stuff like curries, lasagnes, soups etc. When I get home I prep rice, to go with the curries, or grab bags of the frozen steam fresh veggies to use as sides to lasagne. I can normally knock over dinner in around 15-20 mins as long as I take the frozen food from the freezer in the morning or night before and have it in the fridge.