quick meal ideas

looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a
timer on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also
have a big freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and
Lasagna!

Anne

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
. ..
looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a timer
on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also have a big
freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and Lasagna!

Anne
I'd do jacket potatoes in that case. You can put them in the oven low (gas
2-3) and leave them for 3+hours. Give them grated cheese/cold meat with it.
My pair would have either baked beans or raw veg with that and think it was
a treat. Funny children!
Baked beans on toast with an egg on top is quick and easy.
Stew/Lancashire hotpot/Shepherd's pie are all things you can put in the oven
on a timer and expect them to cook easily.
Cheese, onion and potato can be left on timer too.
Debbie

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
. ..
looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a timer
on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also have a big
freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and Lasagna!

Anne

I use my George Forman Grill quite a bit. I can make several chicken
breasts (cooked from frozen) in 8 min. Veggie burgers, pork chops, turkey
burgers, hamburgers, etc in very little time.
Many times I double batch cooking the chicken so I can chunk it up for
chicken salad, chicken in a salad or chicken soup later. (It can be frozen
again after it is cooked.) The GF grill very easy to clean up.
I also cook rice in large batches so I can scoop out as much as I need
through the week. Cooked rice can be frozen in family sized packs and nuked
when needed.
You can make single serving meat loaf and freeze. Single serving sized meat
loaf can be baked from frozen. A whole meat loaf shouldn't be.
You can cut up peppers, onion, other veggies a few days before needed ... I
can make a stir fry (w/ my frozen rice, cut up veggies and already cooked
chicken and seasonings in less than 10 min.

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
. ..
looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a timer
on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also have a big
freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and Lasagna!


Does this have to be the old meat/potato/starch type of meal? Probably not,
as long as it meets basic nutrition needs and everyone gets enough to eat.
So, how about things like burritos where you cut up the veggies before you
leave for your day and just brown the meat and warm up the beans and, voila!
Or perhaps grilled cheese sandwiches and a great soup that's been simmering
in the crock pot? Maybe chef salads, heaped high with sufficient meat to
fill any child's demanding belly. And then there is DS' current fav:
wraps. Yup, wraps. Endless potentials there, quick prep, mainly done
before you left for the day/outing, and combined in minutes while the
shorter folks set the table. Meals in minutes.

Aula

Spagetti
Pot pie (on the back of the bisquick mix)
Meatloaf
Macaroni and cheese
Homemade chicken strips prepared before hand and then freeze and use when
needed.
Cook bacon ahead of time and have bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches or
some kind of breakfast meal at dinner.
Breast of chicken with broccoli and cheese rice (bake it together)

Most the meals above (aside from the breakfast meal) can be made ahead of
time and frozen.

Crock meals such as stews, soups, pot roast, corned beef. HTH.
--
Sue

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
. ..
looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a timer
on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also have a big
freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and Lasagna!

Anne

Anne Rogers wrote:

looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a
timer on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also
have a big freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and
Lasagna!

I used to coach swimming where practice was from 4:30 to 6, and the
pool was half an hour from home. DH wanted to eat at six which of
course was impossible. He got me a microwave.

And I also used Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook Book" for some things.

Some things I used to do

Brown meat balls, put onion soup mix, minute rice and water in with
the meat balls, cover and simmer until the rice is done.

Have a roast, and then slice the meat up and have bbq sandwiches
(recipe in the above book - she called it Pot Roast Buns)

Also sometimes my husband would fry chicken (because he got home way
before me)

Anne Rogers wrote:
looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a
timer on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also
have a big freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and
Lasagna!

You could make some pasta sauce in advance, and heat it up while
some pasta cooks.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three

Anne Rogers wrote:
looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a
timer on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also
have a big freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and
Lasagna!

Anne


Now that DH is working till seven we are having difficulties with dinner
too. We do things like red beans and rice or beef fried rice. I also
do a lot of freezer cooking like Salisbury steak and chicken parmesan.
That and the crock pot is your friend. While I don't have time at the
moment to post recipes let me know if you want them and I will post later.

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
. ..
looks like we're going to have 2 nights where we won't be getting in the
house until after 6, I'm planning to give a late snack and have dinner
when we get home, rather than doing packed dinner for the kids, but I'm
struggling for ideas to what to cook FAST. We have a crock pot and a timer
on the oven and both days we're home in the afternoon. We also have a big
freezer to store stuff. So far I can only think of Pizza and Lasagna!

Anne


I do a lot of make aheads. DISCLAIMER: According to the cookbooks, what I am
about to suggest is considered unsafe. I do it anyway and have never had
anything even remotely resembling a problem. I do have a chest freezer set
to very cold.

I make a crockpot stew recipe in advance, doubling or tripling. I make the
recipe up to the point it goes into the crock pot. I put them in freezer
bags and freeze.

If I make a casserole, I make two and freeze one.


For easy. Breakfast for dinner. Pancakes with fruit. Veggie and turkey
sausage scramble. Spaghetti and prepackaged meatballs (if we are
particularly flush that day to have prepackaged meatballs on hand). Pasta
with whatever veggie remnants we have on hand tossed with olive oil and
garlic and pass parm cheese.

Good luck!

I'd do jacket potatoes in that case.

silly me, where did I put my brain!

Baked beans on toast with an egg on top is quick and easy.

unfortunately American baked beans are quite different from English ones
and they are fattier and we don't like the taste, I can get English
ones if I want to spend four times the price! shame as they are a good
quick meal.

Cheers
Anne