Need help!!! Seriously!!!

trixychic

Ok guys hoping yous can help me out. So my other half got a job (after quite a long drought on the job front). It's fantastic news. Only problem is the home stuff. Mainly dinners!!!

So quick run down. Me, OH and 2 sons up at 6. Drive 1hr round trip to his work. Get home by half 7, get boys ready for school and drop them. Go do shopping, bills, whatever. Collect youngest at 12, eldest at 3 and daddy anywhere between 6-8pm.

Now I can get the boys dinner done in that time. (They are very plain basic eaters. 2 dinners done per day). But mine and daddy's dinner is the problem. By the time he gets showered and kids are in bed it's about 8/9/10pm. Neither of us are in the mood for cooking. But I've only ever done fresh dinners. Pan to plate things.


So. I need your help. I need dinners that can be made at 1 or 2 in the day and that can be heated up at 8pm and still taste decent. Ie not soggy (croquettes), dry (roasties or pasta) or limpy (green beans). Any ideas??

Ps hoping to get slow cooker for Xmas but for now I'm on basic everything. Thanks.

StripedBoxers

Stews, soups, cottage pies, pastas, bolognese etc stuff that can be made in advance and reheated, you'd need to cook the pasta fresh which should only take a few mins.

Stews/soups can be throw into a pot for a few minutes and heated up quickly.

Cold meat wraps, could make early in the day and keep in the fridge?

Lady Haywire

trixychic whereabouts in the country are you? I've a 6l slow cooker that's pretty much just taking up space in the press, think I've used it maybe ten times in three years! I just use our solid fuel cooker for cooking on these days and would gladly give it to you if you're anywhere close!

Speedwell

A tip from someone who used to work in an Italian restaurant... go ahead and undercook your pasta just a bit and throw it into the refrigerator in a covered container. At dinnertime, boil a pot of water and dunk your precooked pasta in for just a minute to refresh it while you're reheating the sauce you made earlier, or while you're making a quick fresh sauce out of prepped ingredients, or just opening a jar of pesto.

I also grew up on frozen veggies, and they are actually quite good when you use a minimum of water and just barely cook them. Rinse them briefly under a stream of cold water to get rid of clinging ice and make them cook a bit faster. Five to seven minutes in a covered pot with a splash of boiling water from the kettle should do most.

trixychic

Guys I can't thank yous enough. This should all be second nature to me but I'm drawing a blank. Thanks all.

trixychic

Lady Haywire wrote: »

trixychic whereabouts in the country are you? I've a 6l slow cooker that's pretty much just taking up space in the press, think I've used it maybe ten times in three years! I just use our solid fuel cooker for cooking on these days and would gladly give it to you if you're anywhere close!

I'm in Carlow. But I have family in Wicklow, wexford, Dublin and leitrim... we're spread out a bit. Ha.

Lady Haywire

trixychic wrote: »

I'm in Carlow. But I have family in Wicklow, wexford, Dublin and leitrim... we're spread out a bit. Ha.

Perfect, I'm in Leitrim! If that suits for me to give it to them in order to get it to you just shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can get it to them next week

Kristopherus

Aldi have ready to cook dinners for €3.99. Cracking value.

trixychic

Kristopherus wrote: »

Aldi have ready to cook dinners for €3.99. Cracking value.

Yes but I would question the nutrional value of them. Preservatives and what not. I prefer to start from scratch. I'm very sceptical of pre packed stuff.... unless it's sweets and treats... then I'm fine.

huskerdu

Most dinners in our house are prepared the night before or can be prepared and cooked in the time it takes pasta or rice to cook. Once you are in the routine of doing it, you'll find lots more recipes

If your oven has a timer, baked spuds can be timed to be ready when its time to eat.

Pasta with bolognese sauce
Pasta with tomato sauce
Curry
cottage pie
Shepherds pie
Chicken casserole ( lots of variations)
Beef casserole

Have a look at the cookery club . There are quite a few suitable recipes

Chicken and chorizo rice bake http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055822034

CJhaughey

Might be worth doing once a month cooking as well OAMC, there are plenty of dishes that can be made as a large amount and portioned up and frozen.
Things like Moussaka, Pasta Bakes and the like work really well.
You set aside a day on a weekend and make a decent amount to last for a few weeks.
There is a good few recipes on US websites for this kind of thing.

trixychic

CJhaughey wrote: »

Might be worth doing once a month cooking as well OAMC, there are plenty of dishes that can be made as a large amount and portioned up and frozen.
Things like Moussaka, Pasta Bakes and the like work really well.
You set aside a day on a weekend and make a decent amount to last for a few weeks.
There is a good few recipes on US websites for this kind of thing.

Id love to do that but my freezer is tiny!!!!! Barely have enough room to fit in a pizza and chips. And no room in the budgt for a bigger one yet.

SB_Part2

What about a chest freezer?

Birdsong

Hi OP, I was told a tip which works for me. When you are cooking today's dinner be prepping for tomorrow. Did example, if you have a stir fry today, while you are chopping all the veg, be doing enough for the stew or curry for tomorrow. You can cook your stew in the oven this evening while eating. By the time the washing up is done, tomorrow dinner is ready. All you have to its reheat and cook potato or rice. Tomorrow evening while that's reheating, prep for the next day.

Really works when you get into the routine and do a plan for the week, then you don't have to think about it. Always be one step ahead!!

trixychic

SB_Part2 wrote: »

What about a chest freezer?

No money in the budget for the next while. Tryin to focus more on gettin a second car.

trixychic

Birdsong wrote: »

Really works when you get into the routine and do a plan for the week, then you don't have to think about it. Always be one step ahead!!

That's a fantastic idea. Thanks.

chuckles30

not directly related, but might be worth your while keeping an eye on the local 'free to a good home' pages or jumbletown to see if any freezers are knocking about - sometimes you could be lucky

trixychic

chuckles30 wrote: »

not directly related, but might be worth your while keeping an eye on the local 'free to a good home' pages or jumbletown to see if any freezers are knocking about - sometimes you could be lucky

Oooh another one I didn't think of. Thanks.

reddevilfan

Stay well clear of Jumbletown..... You will be lucky to get anything and the day you want to be charitable and donate something you will find someone more well of than you collecting it....

the beer revolu

reddevilfan wrote: »

Stay well clear of Jumbletown..... You will be lucky to get anything and the day you want to be charitable and donate something you will find someone more well of than you collecting it....

I've found jumbletown great for getting rid of unwanted stuff.
I didn't means test the people collecting the stuff. Nor did I care.

reddevilfan

[mod snip] Let's try and keep this food related.....

Loire

Just noted someone posted previously about undercooking pasta and storing it in the fridge. Well a few weeks ago I started buying fresh pasta from Aldi and Tesco and I would never go back. It's only an extra 50c or so more to feed the family but it's done in 2-3 mins and tastes so much better.