Is there anything you make weekly to stay ahead?

[Johns_Gal]

I have dropped into super busy mode. It's nuts. Dh is rarely home and awake simultaneously, except for weekends which are three days long for us. But he works nights, so he's all kinds of upside down and it's just .

I am trying to feed us healthy foods. Dh and I both are trying to lose some weight, so I can't go nuts with muffins and pasta salads like I have in the past.

However, I have taken to making some sort of quick bread roughly weekly, for quick kid food when we are headed out. Veggie soup, but they all got tired of it. I'm still doing a big crockpot meal and a big soup every week, but people stop eating it. :grumpfacegoeshere

Dh is a serious carnivore. I couldn't care less about meat,except that I don't life well without lots of protein.

Help?

[Mother of Sons]

I like to cook up a few pounds of chicken breast, some whole, some shredded, a roast for shredding and a steak for slicing. I keep it in the fridge and then it can be used for whatever. Quick quesadillas, sautéed with vegetables, tossed into soup, salads etc.

[Johns_Gal]

Originally Posted by Mother of Sons

I like to cook up a few pounds of chicken breast, some whole, some shredded, a roast for shredding and a steak for slicing. I keep it in the fridge and then it can be used for whatever. Quick quesadillas, sautéed with vegetables, tossed into soup, salads etc.

All I ever do is chicken.

Why has it never occurred to me... My husband is such a carnivore... Oh my gosh.

You have probably just saved me a stupid amount of cash that Dh keep spending on dinners, because he wants meat and I'm feeding him chicken, fish, and beans.

[greengirl19]

There are lots and lots of blog posts out there with inspiring pictures of a prep ahead session. Something like this: http://backtoherroots.com/2013/03/21...-for-the-week/

I want to do this, but so far have not been too successful. Hardboiled eggs are always a hit with me and DH, and you can make them into egg salad. Big batches of veggies for dinner than I can then add to eggs in the morning. Salad dressing, veggie dips, etc.

[Aerynne]

Freezing sauces is good. I freeze them in quart or gallon-sized ziplocs. Spaghetti sauce, stroganoff, vegetable curry (either Indian or Thai curry), etc. Then you just have to cook rice or pasta and warm up the sauce.

[mamacat]

hard boiled eggs. Meat loaf either full sized or minis and can be eaten in sandwiches.

[esperanza]

Are you interested in crock pot meals? I started a thread on that and got some good ideas. I also just recently purchased a couple e-books ($2 each) with 5 recipes each and a plan for how to prep the meals in an hour. I love the idea of a bag of ingredients that I just throw into the crock pot!

[ViolaMum]

Every time I make tacos I double the beef and freeze half. That way I have the bulk of a meal I can simply defrost. We have "tacos" (really nachos) almost every week. I buy grated cheese, a bag of tortilla chips, and grate or chop a few veggies and we've got dinner in a few minutes.

Same goes for Asian lettuce wraps. Brown some ground beef/turkey/chicken with ginger, garlic, scallion, finish it with soy sauce and sesame oil, maybe a little black bean sauce or sambal oelek (for spice) wrap up with veggies (carrots, celery, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, whatever!) in a lettuce leaf and eat. Either meal can be rounded out with rice if you want it.

[Victorious]

I have intentions of making a big batch of muffins so that my big girls can take them in their lunches and my 4 year old who is in daycare can take them in the car for breakfast (the big girls get free breakfast at school).

Dh always says he wants to smoke meat on the weekend for the week-a whole chicken, brisket etc...but that hasn't happened yet-maybe this weekend.

[Anne Ofalamo]

I love a big pork roast. Braise it in frying pan and then pop in crock pot. I shred the pork. I separate into three bags. First day, we have with soft taco shells, and beans (made in other pot). Next day, the meat has shredded potatos added, and the beans too. Pan fried burritos with green enchilada sauce.
The next day BBQ sauce is added, for BBQ pork sands with potato salad or coleslaw.
I usually have enough each night for a lunch for my carnivorous husband.

I do the same with chicken too...shred like a mad woman! lol

If there is any left, toss into a pot and add water and make a thick soup!

[schmamy]

I cook ground beef 5-6 lbs at a time. That makes for several meals you can do relatively easily/quickly, especially tacos.

Big ol' Boston butt with a BBQ rub (for regular pulled pork) or a Mexican rub (for carnitas) makes bags and bags of extra for the freezer.

Pioneer Woman's Italian drip beef is phenomenal; a good-sized roast makes plenty extra for the freezer. If you freeze meat flat, spread out in a quart or gallon Ziploc bag that's not filled too full, it breaks apart and thaws quickly.

Meatballs? Those freeze well.