Meal Planning for an On-the-Go Dad & his Family (ideas, parents, wife)

[Hoosier]

I am the chef in our house. When dinnertime rolls around it's always "Dad, what's for dinner?" or "Hon, what are we having tonight?" And now with my new job creating such a long commute, it's even tougher. I have an hour to hour and a half commute each way (due to drop off and pick up of kids).

I need to begin to meal plan and it's just been so difficult to do. Does anyone have ideas on how to meal plan? My kids usually eat different food than my wife and I, which I don't like, but it gets them to actually eat the food. My kids are ages 4 and 8. The four year old boy is puh-icky! The 8 year old is a bit better, but to get veggies in them is beyond difficult. I do not want them growing up on chips and cereal.

Also, my wife is NOT a cook. She will readily admit it. More times than not when I get home there will be fast food waiting for the kids. Huge pet peeve of mine.

Can anyone recommend what types of foods and recipes freeze well and heat up easily and are good for kids...and adults? I feel like a complete idiot asking these questions, but I'm at a loss and I really have no help here at home in this department.

[irishmom]

Originally Posted by Hoosier_guy

I am the chef in our house. When dinnertime rolls around it's always "Dad, what's for dinner?" or "Hon, what are we having tonight?" And now with my new job creating such a long commute, it's even tougher. I have an hour to hour and a half commute each way (due to drop off and pick up of kids).

I need to begin to meal plan and it's just been so difficult to do. Does anyone have ideas on how to meal plan? My kids usually eat different food than my wife and I, which I don't like, but it gets them to actually eat the food. My kids are ages 4 and 8. The four year old boy is puh-icky! The 8 year old is a bit better, but to get veggies in them is beyond difficult. I do not want them growing up on chips and cereal.

Also, my wife is NOT a cook. She will readily admit it. More times than not when I get home there will be fast food waiting for the kids. Huge pet peeve of mine.

Can anyone recommend what types of foods and recipes freeze well and heat up easily and are good for kids...and adults? I feel like a complete idiot asking these questions, but I'm at a loss and I really have no help here at home in this department.

First question...can I trade you for my husband? or at least hire you to train him?...LOL

Seriously though I love my crockpot you can put almost anything in it...and it's ready when you come home. When I was working full time I would set it up the night before and put the crock in the refridgerator and then turn it on in the morning. I've done whole turkey breasts, chickens, roasts to more traditional crocked stuff like soups and stews.

As for you kids being picky...I've been there and done that also. My oldest was so picky he wouldn't eat anything that wasn't "nuggetized" or "french fry" formed. I just stopped it by telling him if he didn't eat what I cooked that he wasn't going to eat (my pediatrician swore this would not scar him for life. ). He said things like, "You hate me so much you are trying to starve me!" and "Why are you so mean to me, you're not that mean to Matthew!" (who was 6 months old at the time). It was ugly, REALLY UGLY, at dinnertime for a few nights, but you know what? He now eats a wide variety of everything and broccoli has become one of his favorite vegetables. So again it's not the kids fault they are picky...again it's us, the parents. *sigh*

[christina0001]

Pot pies and lasagna are 2 of my favorite things to make and freeze. They are relatively easy and healthy, if you make them healthy. I have a relatively quick and simple chicken pot pie recipe; pm me if you would like it.

I would also do:
frozen burgers (turkey burgers are fairly healthy)
pasta (any kind is quick and easy; buy stuff for a salad over the weekend and make the salad w/ the pasta on Monday)
tacos are pretty quick and easy, shop for the veggies to go with it during the weekend

For a veggie tip, I know a couple of people that let their kids snack on frozen peas. The kids love it!

[sapphire]

One solution is to try one of the Supper Solutions, Super Suppers, or Dream Dinners, if they have any of those in your area. You go in and make your meals for a whole month (or less, depends on what you want). You put them in these containers that go from freezer to oven and you have a nice hot meal every night. It's a little too pricey for our family to do very often--it's just a nice treat when everybody has had "one of those days" and no one feels like making anything. You can also pay a bit more and they will assemble the meals for you.

I was going to ditto the crock pot idea too. It is so wonderful to come home to the aroma of a nice dinner! I don't use mine as much in the summer, but come winter when it's dark when I leave and dark when I come home, I use mine at least 2-3 times a week.

You can also get a Seal-A-Meal, but you need to be committed before you spend the money on one. Otherwise, you will be trying to unload it at a yard sale in a few years.

Anyway, I think it's cool that you cook!

[CityGirl72]

That was what I was going to suggest

We have a Diner's Ready over by us - and I LOVE it! It's good investment for the money

[Hoosier]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

That was what I was going to suggest

We have a Diner's Ready over by us - and I LOVE it! It's good investment for the money

That is great to know! I am going with a few people from work soon to a place like that called "Let's Dish". Good to know the food is good. For the price I sure hope so! Thank you to all for the super ideas! I'm storing them in the brain, and hard drive too.

[mainebrokerman]

you can download tons of meal ideas on the internet, and how to cook them.
when my son was younger, i realized, if they helped prepare the meal,,and were proud of it,,they'd like it,,,wouldnt complain. so, we bought some pizza kits and made our own pizzas, this was easy and fun,,,we had about 20 different variations of pizza,
i also let them fry a few items,,,id be right there of course,,,but ,,my son liked fried hot dogs,,with a bit of butter in the pan, also cheeseburgers.
we use to make some "kiddie" kabobs, take some wooden skewers and put on some pieces of hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and meatballs,,alternate them,, we made some healthy fruit smoothies,,,also fruit deserts, blueberries/strawberries with whipped cream,,,or puddings with whipped cream,
garlic bread, was a staple too, went with just about every meal.
there are many many newer items in the grocery store meatcase,,just for convenience,,,hormel pre-cooked dinners are great!

[PLS3775]

I've been going to allrecipes.com a lot, and they have ratings and comments on how to change the recipe, which really helps.

A favorite of mine....take a chuck roast (or similar of beef); mix 1 can beef broth, one can cream of mushroom soup, 1 pkg french onion soup mix; mix together and pour over roast! place on low for 8-10 hours.

We just moved to PA, and my new schedule allows me to easily make dinner 3-4 nights a week, but my old schedule did not...and I became the queen of pre-made or ready to throw in the oven recipes!!

[mainebrokerman]

pls,,,good and tasty recipe,,great for crock pots

pot roast sandwiches are good too (with a slice of cheese)

[jhlcomp]

I didn't read the other posts, but here are some ideas that should b helpful.

1. Use your crockpot - there are some really excellent recipes out on the web.
2. Prepare in advance and freeze foods:
a. stews
b. meats sauces for pasta, sloppy joes, chicken, etc.
c. Casseroles

A great dish - I got this from one off of a cooking show. When in a pinch - buy a roasted chicken in the grocery store, prepare your pasta (shells, rigatoni) at home, tear up the chicken with your fingers (might still be a bit hot), mix with pasta - season to taste. Prepare a salad and you are set to go within 30 minutes of your arrival at home.