Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

How do you make dinner every night? I just can't make it work time-wise. I don't get home until 5:45pm, and by 7:00pm DD wants her bottle & then to be in bed, plus she needs a bath before bedtime and of course snuggle time. How the heck do you find time to cook and not eat at 8 or 9pm?

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

My DH usually gets dinner ready. Otherwise, I don't know how we would do it.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

We're late eaters, so we used to put Alex to sleep and then eat. I would give her a bath and put her to sleep around 7pm while DH cooked dinner.

Now, we all eat together at around 7:30pm. Usually DH cooks dinner while I play with Alex. Otherwise, if it's just me, I'll sit her on the countertop with me and she'll help while I prepare dinner.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

For the first year we DID eat at 8 or 9PM. Now we eat around 7:30 and I'm trying to move dinner earlier now that Ryan can stay up later after daycare. I don't want to waste time cooking when I could be playing w/him, so I usually heat him up some leftovers - something I made ahead on the weekend for him and then we eat after he's in bed.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Its really hard. I get home between 6:00-6:30 every day. I try to find things that are super easy to make. Lately Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals cookbook has been my best friend.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

I try to make stuff over the weekend, that way we can have leftovers til wednesday. and then thursday is a free for all. Fridays is always pizza.
I do not have the energy to come home and cook after work.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

We get home around 6 and try to do either 15 minute meals or something easy..its really hard..we do take out a lot too LOL

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

I get home around 6pm - DH and I help each other cook, we eat around 6:30/7pm. DS goes straight into the bath after dinner, bottle at 7:45 in bed by 8pm.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Well on my days off I sometimes will cook/ prep 2 or three meals so that I just have to heat things up when I get home.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Ummm -- I don't work - and I never make dinner. VERY bad wife here!

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Posted by Diana1215

Ummm -- I don't work - and I never make dinner. VERY bad wife here!

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Thank God I don't cook, which is horrible I know (I don't know how my husband married me ) but my husband does...occassionally...since I came back to work and my husband picks up our son from either my mom's or SIL's house we either order in or grab something on our way back home...there is NO time to cook and my husband does not eat left overs...It kind of makes more sense for us to order in or eat out since when we do go shopping for food, we don't have time to cook and everything goes to waste anyway.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

DH makes dinner while I feed DS dinner. Sometimes I put DS to bed and then we eat, or sometimes, if DS isn't TOO cranky and tired, he sits in his high chair while we eat, playing with a sippy cup or eating puffs usually keeps him occupied.

I should cook on the weekends so we can reheat during the week, but who has time???

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

DC usually eat at 5 and either the babysitter will feed them or I will make something quick for them.

Then DH and I either eat earlier if we want to microwave something and feed the kids their second dinner because they need to eat everything we are eating, or we wait to they go to bed and make a quick dinner - usually pasta or something like that. We try to do that at least once a week so we can catch up with each other. It's amazing how nice it can be to sit down and just talk for 30 minutes.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

I dont cook dinner. I get hoem to late and DH usually eats dinner at work b/c his job pays for it since he has long hours. I only cook on the weekends.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

I try to make things over the weekend but more and more I seem to not be able to do that.

Lately we've been eating cereal or sandwiches

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

It gets easier as they're older.

DH cooks since he's home 5pm ish.

To change the times around, we had daycare give a bottle at 4-4:30pm.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Posted by MST9106

Thank God I don't cook, which is horrible I know (I don't know how my husband married me ) but my husband does...occassionally...since I came back to work and my husband picks up our son from either my mom's or SIL's house we either order in or grab something on our way back home...there is NO time to cook and my husband does not eat left overs...It kind of makes more sense for us to order in or eat out since when we do go shopping for food, we don't have time to cook and everything goes to waste anyway.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

i try to do quick meals, like stir fry using frozen veggies and already-cooked rotisserie chicken. or tacos using ground turkey and one of those boxes with the mix and shells in it. or sometimes i'll cook a couples of big meals on the weekend and use leftovers during the week. or sometimes we just have breakfast food (eggs, cereal, or oatmeal )

i find it SO hard to juggle it all

ETA: DH can barely boil a pot of water

Message edited 1/29/2008 11:43:12 AM.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

I do not want to waste any quality time with DDs after work. So I cook 2-3 meals on Sunday while they nap and we have that till about Wed. Then we sometimes have frozen stirfrys or take out.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

I do not cook every night, it is impossible to do everything that needs to get done after work

On the days we do cook, we eat at around 7:30-8pm

It ***** and that is the one thing that I am still not used to

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

We try to do stuff that is easy- like pork roasts, semi-homemade stuff like ravioli from Trader Joes with my sauce, etc. Sometimes we eat with DD early at 5:30 which is great since then I feel like I have the whole night free after.

But DH does work from home when he is in town so he plays with DD while I cook. OR she will come in the kitchen and I let her play in the tupperware cabinet- she loves that!

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

It does get easier as they get older. When DS was little, DH would give DS dinner (bottle, jars, etc.) while I cooked dinner. We would eat between 7 - 7:30 pm and then I would give him a bath and DH would put him to sleep.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Me and DD get home about 5:30 and DH gets home at 7:30. So I give DD dinner first and I start dinner at 8pm after DD goes to bed. It's hard and I don't like eating so late, but I have no choice.

Re: Moms who work outside home-- dinner?

Im a SAHM right now but I have an idea for you to eat healthier...and prepare quick simple meals...

When I need a dinner for really quickly I usually just hit broil on the oven, while its preheating I throw a package of those Birds Eye Steam Fresh Veggies in the Microwave (they take 5 minutes), once the oven is preheated I'll throw in say a london broil, 7 minutes one side 5 minutes the other for medium rare. While the steak is resting I'll put on some water to boil for either some quick couscous or instant mashed potatoes...in under 20 minutes I have dinner that was really quick and simple and I was able to say play with the baby or help an older child with homework etc.

Those Birds Eye Vegetables are fantastic and no fuss. There is also a brand of Steamed Microwavable Ravioli that I cant wait to try.