Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Feel free to share your tips!

Cooking is becoming impossible for me since I don't get home until just before 7pm and only have 1 hour to spend with DS before he goes to sleep.

I'm starting to experiment with cooking 2 meals on Sunday, and doing takeout for the rest of the week. Usually when I order lunch for myself, I would place an extra lunch order (usually under $10) and supplement it at home with some pasta or rice so it feeds 2.5 people.

So far I haven't had to do much cooking beside making extra rice/pasta and/or heating up some leftovers. It sure does save time!

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

So far, I've been sticking to meals that cook quickly or don't need to be constantly watched. We also did a lot of BBQ in the summer, so that's DH's department.
I am going to start cooking some more meals on the weekend..soups, crockpot receipes, etc.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Best time saver for me in our house is that DH does the cooking

When I do attempt to help, I do a couple of meals.

Yesterday, I got a double nap out of the boys and did meatballs and a baked ziti. Not the healthiest - but pretty quick and easy.

Crock pot is def. great for saving time and you can do a big piece of meat and get 2 meals out of it.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I love my crock pot - I set it up in the am and when I get home at night, all I have to do is prep a side.

Also, I make things like pork chops with Shake and Bake or Stove Top Bruschetta chicken (from the side of the box) that don't take a lot of time. Sometimes I'll pick up a rotisserie chicken.

Luckily, if DH isn't working, he cooks which is nice as well.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I make things that will be enough for 2 nights. so that is 2 out of 5 nights covered.

I'll even try to squeeze a lunch for me out of that meal too..
for example :
Make a large roast beef, mashed potatoes, veggie.
Roast beef sandwich for lunch
Left over Dinner


Or make something you can use the previous night's meal in. If I roast a chicken, the next night I will make a chicken pot pie out of it.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I'm in a similar situation as you and I've realized that its nearly impossible for me to cook during the week unless I start cooking after DS goes to bed.

What I am trying to do is make 2 meals on the weekend that will give us leftovers for at least 2 days during the week. Usually 1-2 days we will just have a sandwich or something quick. I also am going to try to get the crock pot going during the week too.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

DH cooks... . Honestly we do quick meals like chicken breast. I'll sometimes make rice the night before after DS goes to sleep.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Cook several meals on the weekend that freeze well..ala ziti, sausage and peppers, lasagna and freeze. Defrost the night before and just heat up.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Oh, and simple things - breakfast for dinner. Or chicken fajitas with the Trader Joes frozen peppers, ravolis are just boiling water!
If DH grills I have him do a few packages of things so we have them for the week.

Message edited 10/12/2010 1:51:36 PM.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I am not back at work yet, but this is already something I am worried about! When I do go back, I am going to try to cook a few meals during the weekend, so they just have to be heated up during the week.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I usually make, tacos, leftovers from Sundays Italian meal, make chicken cutlets on the weekend and just heat them up, bbq chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs. just boil up some pasta with sauce that I have in the freezer, throw in some texas toast and voila! I do ALL easy stuff, I always either have a salad before or french onion soup(frozen from BJ's).

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Not the healthiest option, but we do a lot of box cooking- Shake and Bake, taco or fajita kits, etc... And I will also do frozen meals in the bag that you just have to heat up in the skillet. We usually do take out or a rottiserie chicken every week too. Then I will do either a salad or steeming bag of veggies and rice or microwave "baked" potatoes.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

My goal is to do as little cooking as possible between Monday - Friday.

1. I cook in bulk most of the time. Anything I make, I always make extra to throw into the deep freeze. This comes in handy when I don't want to cook mid-week. For example, when I made meatloaf recently, I made 2 loaves. One was portioned and tossed into the freezer and the other we're eating this week.

2. Three-day rule. Sometimes, whatever I cook on Friday we'll eat that night and have the leftovers on Monday. Whatever I cook on Saturday, we'll eat the leftovers on Tuesday. And on Sunday, we'll eat it on Wednesday. To switch it up, sometimes we morph the meals. One night it's straight up meatloaf with a side of veggies. A few nights later it's in a sandwich accompanied by a side salad.

3. The slow cooker is my best friend. I like throwing everything into the crockpot and letting it cook by itself all day!

Usually we'll order takeout once a week if I don't feel like cooking or DH doesn't want to eat out of the deep freeze. That's my sushi night!

Definitely visit the Food and Recipes board. There's lots of great ideas there and inspiration for meal planning!

Message edited 10/12/2010 2:01:58 PM.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I rarely cook anything that has me standing at the stove for large periods of time or require a lot of prep.

I am a big fan of roasting, both meats and veggies.

soups/stews and one pot meals are also great...you spend a small amount of prep time, get it cooking and can walk away.

and sometimes it is breakfast for dinner.

I am generally home by 6:30 and Luce's bedtime is anywhere between 8 and 9 depending on how he napped.

it's hard.

I also let him play around me though as I work. the only exception is when the stove is on (b/c ours gets hot gotta love apt living)

put he has some plastic and metal bowls that he clanks around and plays with while I work, so we can still be near each other.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Not that I do this.. but I am trying ..but planning your weekly meals seems to help. So im not standing in the kitchen wondering what Im going to make.. It's done.. on paper...I know what I need to defrost the night before and it just gets done quicker. Less hassle.

Im trying to do this more often!!

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I get home around 6:30 and its tough. I have a few recipes that are on a 2 week rotation:

Chicken Tacos
Pasta with my grandma's forzen sauce and meatballs
Risotto with mushrooms and turkey sausage

I find that the usually the most time consuming part of the recipes is the prep work. I try to do some of this in the morning before I leave for work or at night after the kids got o bed for the next day.

I "try" to cook 4 out of the 7 days. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.

Tonight is taco night!

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Message edited 10/12/2010 2:45:25 PM.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

I cook ahead and then just heat up during the week.

I freeze a lot-I have a bunch of stuff in the freezer now.

When I cook during the week, I cook things that are quick-tacos, chicken cutlets, stuff like that.

I want to start using my crock pot more during the week-though I still get nervous leaving it on if I am gone all day at work.

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

Posted by SweetCaroline

Best time saver for me in our house is that DH does the cooking

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?

CROCK POT!

Re: Working Moms, What's Your Time-Saving Cooking Tips?