Now the boys have returned to school it's time for me to get organised. One thing I find hard is dinner time. I don't know about you, but making meals from scratch after school is hard work. There I am peeling a carrot and world war three erupts in the living room over some Duplo. I need to start meal planning and bulk cooking, rather than getting to 5 o'clock and thinking about what we are going to eat.
With winter coming up, I think casseroles and pulled pork will be on the menu. These take little preparation and can be left to cook, combined with some Birds Eye vegetables they make a lovely comforting meal.
I am also intending on buying larger joints on offer in the supermarket and using it in a couple of meals. Last week I cooked a ham. First night we had this as ham, egg and chips and then the rest went into a chicken and ham pie. I also made a large cottage pie which we ate and then froze so two meals there.
I think every household needs to have some staples in for last minute cooking too. I am hoping that I'm not the only disorganised Mum in the world? For me, I like to have eggs, jacket potatoes, baked beans, Birds Eye frozen vegetables and some Birds Eye fish fingers and nuggets. Sometimes meals need to be quick and easy so it's good to have them covered.
How do you plan your after school dinners? Are you as organised as I long to be? Have you any tips you can share?
This post is an entry for #Afterschoolchefs Linky Challenge, sponsored by Birds Eye. Learn more on the Birds Eye Facebook page.
20 comments:
Oh love the sound of the pulled pork on jackets!
I enjoyed reading your post. Commenting for myself and on behalf of BritMums and thanking you for taking part
It's good - makes a change to in a roll x
Your pulled pork looks good! I tend to cook in advance and have things ready in the freezer or fridge.
It's good!
I hope that organising myself will help lower my stress levels x
Wow the pulled pork looks good, I will have a look.
Oh using the ham in chicken and ham pie is a lovely idea. Every xmas everyone now knows the lftover turkey will be put in a turkey pie for boxing day and as many days after as it will stretch lol - it is now a running joke every xmas! I tried pulled pork for the 1st time a few wks ago in the slow cooker and my other half jusst didnt think it would work as he has tried before in the oven to no avail. To my surprise it did work and was without doubt the best thing Ive ever cooked and went down a treat - next time I would do a bigger joint so it lasted longer than the 2 days it did. I am a fan of bulk buying / freezing - if ever theres enough for a meal left over from anything I freeze it... if anything it does for those nights the kids have something easy like fish fingers and chips (although rare) because it means I can give the other half something more substantial after work as he just isn't a fan of these kids meals at all and likes a home-cooked meal! I have some pork in (I bought a huge joint for nearly £8 and split it to freeze as there's enough for 2 evenings). Pulled pork is now on my menu :0)
I cook in bulk and freeze as saves lots of time during week. I have some quick meals can just bung in oven - chips and nuggets in freezer as well
The pulled pork looks amazing, yum yum.
Cottage pie looks good :) We often buy a gammon joint and slow cook it, then pull it and use it for Carbonara, gammon and chicken pie and then sandwiches.
The pulled pork looks amazing xx
Love cottage pie nice on wet miserable day eat something warm n tasty xx
Love your post. Always planned a big bulk cook on my day off from work but never get around to it. More often than not I am always cooking 2 meals as my son wants to eat earlier. Always have the staples like fish fingers, jacket potatoes, baked beans and vegetables stored.
I use my slow cooker a lot - stick some meat, veggies & stock in. Simple and they all eat it x
Another one for using the sc, so simple to make delicious home cooked meals with them x
I have pasta on swimming night, a ready meal or two and I cook from scratch the other times, but I tend to keep it simple for the children. They don't get jackets on work days - they are a weekend treat when I have a bit longer to cook!
Our freezer looks like it's sponsored by Birdseye! We have fish fingers, dippers etc. but try to balance it our with frozen veg (steam packs) and frozen mash. I have found though that my LO is asking for cold food/sandwiches when she comes home since the introduction of hot school dinners, but I have discovered that I can get round this by giving her fish finger butties or chopped dippers in a wrap with salad...just feels a bit more substantial than wafer thin ham!
My son and daughter-in-law prepare meals from scratch so when the three children arrive from school they have to be very organised. They start by having the children do their homework at the kitchen table and when they have finished the tv in the kitchen is allowed to be put on until the food is ready. When the meal is over they can play until bath and bedtime.
We have this problem. Well kind of. My daughter is at pre-school. So we come back and then it's lunch time. But trying to sort lunch when she is a bit wound up from pre-school and with a baby can sometime be a bit manic. So I think I shall be organising and meal planning lunch more than dinner. x
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