As I began to work on my two week menu ideas, I decided to call upon my mom cohorts to see if they had any favorite meals or ideas I could incorporate. I was pleasantly surprised with some ideas of pure genius. One busy mom would plan ahead when she knew she had a busy day ahead with work, sports, etc. She would make tomorrow's meal tonight so that her family had a home cooked meal ready to be warmed either when they got home from activities or before they headed out.
Many moms use investment cooking to their advantage. This can be as simple as baking a few extra chicken breasts tonight to be used in chicken tacos or on a salad later in the week. If you have the freezer space, investment cooking can give you a night off every now and then! When you make a casserole type dish such as baked ziti, it doesn't take extra time to double it and freeze one. Double a batch of soup or chili made in the crock pot and freeze it in individual portions or family size portions. You can even make a batch of cornbread or biscuits and freeze them individually, pulling out a few to accompany your meal.
Keep a well stocked pantry and freezer. Most mealtimes for me are not stressful because we always have meat of all types in the freezer, frozen vegetables bought on sale or frozen when in season, and a variety of quick side ideas such as pasta or rice. I make sure each family member has one thing on the plate that they like. When staples are on sale, buy extra. If you use chicken broth a lot, buy a few boxes when on sale. Then, when I am stuck for a meal, I can play with my allrecipes.com app for my phone and look for recipes that incorporate ingredients I have on hand.
One mom had a plan where each night of the week was planned so that she really only had to cook on Sundays. On Sunday, she would always cook double and freeze half so that on Freezer Surprise Tuesday, there was always something to choose. Monday was a reinvention of the leftovers in the fridge. You can plan for this day by finding recipes that use your cooked leftover chicken or beef (quesadillas, salads, casseroles, chili dogs with leftover chili, etc). Wednesday was a pasta night. I always keep meatballs and sausage in the freezer for easy additions to pasta dishes. Thursday was her day to shop so she would find something at the store to go with an easy dinner. Fish is best fresh, so this would be a good night for baked or broiled fish. Friday night, her husband always made paninis, and Saturday was a night to go out or grill. Using her framework, you can come up with your own adaptation as I have below. Adapt days to fit your family's schedule.
Sunday:
Investment cooking day:
Crock pot chili, soup, lasagna, baked ziti, stews, meatloaf (shape two loaves and parbake one to be frozen), casseroles found while searching allrecipes.com.
Double your main dish for freezing. When chopping veggies, chop extra today so you don't have to do it later in the week. Prepare some raw veggies for your kids to snack on or to pack in lunches. Cook extra rice for a quick fried rice dish later in the week.
Monday:
Breakfast for dinner day:
Waffles and chicken, omelets, pancakes and sausage, french toast and applesauce, etc.
Tuesday:
Leftovers day:
Chicken tacos, big salad, quesadillas, pizza, chili dogs, stir fry, fried rice
Wednesday:
Pasta Night:
Spaghetti and meatballs, pasta with meat sauce, shells and cheese with ham
Thursday:
Grocery store finds
Baked or broiled fish, rotisserie chicken, unbaked pizza topped with your own toppings, etc.
Friday:
Soup and Sandwich night
Grilled cheese and tomato soup (mix canned soup with half and half for creamy soup that doesn't separate when refrigerated), chicken noodle soup and wrap sandwiches, taco soup and quesadillas, cheeseburger soup and apple and cheese sandwiches
Saturday:
Your choice, or, ideally, Take Mom Out or Cook for Mom Night
With this framework, you can adapt the daily themes to your weekly schedule. If your child participates in a sport on Tuesday evenings, make that the night you have the easiest meal. If you don't get home till late and need to get dinner ready in a hurry, make sure you do the prepwork earlier in the week when you have the time. With a little planning, you can make a simple, balanced meal every night of the week without having to stop for fast food even if you work full time.
Ellen Deebel has a BS in Early Childhood Education from Bucknell University and over 15 years of experience in the field, both as a teacher and administrator. She focuses her time now as a mom to her two young children, alternately packing lunches and chauferring them to various activities.
