When the Whole Family Can't Eat Dinner Together...

[barbszy]

Because of my kids' sports schedules and DH's work hours, there are two nights a week when my family won't be able to all eat dinner at the same time.

Everyone has to eat, but we can't eat all at once.

I'm looking for some good dinner ideas that I can have in my "bag of tricks" for those nights. I don't want to rely on take-out as it's expensive AND not always very nutritious.

Two ideas that come to mind are chili and sloppy Joes, as I can keep them hot in the slow cooker until everyone has eaten. I want to cook ONE meal per day. Any other good ideas for days like these?

[sweetnell3]

How about homemade soup or stew kepted in the slow cooker? We have the same problem here as it seems like when dh gets home ds is going to work and I'm off taking with dd to one of her many actives. So I am happy to see how others handle this also.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I like Nell's idea of using the slow cooker. Also, what about making ahead casseroles and keeping them in the freezer for those busy days? That is what I do and have done when I am not living here in the RV. I just double or triple the recipe and make an extra casserole or two. Then, on busy nights, I just pull one out and stick it in the oven. Anyone in the family can do that too. My DH's fave is poppy seed chicken, but you could also make lasagne, or anything else that freezes well.

[barbszy]

I definitely want to use the slow cooker for this. As far as make-ahead casseroles, it's not that I'm very busy that I can't get dinner prepared--it's that we can't all eat at the same time. So unless I made it ahead in separate dishes, it wouldn't work out. :confused:

[cat lover]

What about preparing your normal meals ahead of time; packaging up in the refrigerator and everyone put on their plates and reheat in the microwave their servings. We used to do that all the time when everyone got tired of the slow cooker meals and etc. Like has been mentioned above soups, and sandwich items work a while. You can also do goulash, stroganoff, pulled pork or chicken; all done in the crockpot. Having big bowls of potato salad, raw veggies and dip, and coleslaw in the refrigerator works with sandwich fixins. So in a week you could have sandwich night, soup night, goulash night, stroganoff night, chili night, jambalaya night and on and on! Good Luck!

[sweetnell3]

Using the slow cooker give everyone a chance to help their self with the food still hot and then the last person can put away the leftovers. My dh likes to keep sandwich makings handy also. Dd is on the go 4 days a week and ds works 4 nights a week , so right now it hard to have a meal togather, the only day we have here is Sunday other than that we all go our differ ways. Also with me having to be gone sometime at my mom that also makes it hard as its not always plan for me to be away from my family.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Barb, have you thought about making homemade TV dinners? I do that for my DH for work. He likes hot lunches, so I make them in those plastic plates with lids. I double meals (double the meat, double the side dishes, etc...) and make him plates and freeze. Then, he just grabs one out of the freezer and microwaves it.

[barbszy]

Yikes, cat lover, if I had to do this every night I'd be wiped out! :eek: Luckily, it's 2 nights per week, so I can plan ahead. I love all these great ideas that are here--thanks!

[cau]

All the mentioned dishes I've used & liked , I also freeze leftovers & extra cassaroles in single serve container and them make a big salad or coleslaw & have empty the freezer night. It's like we went out as everyone eats their favorite one. Sandwiches are big here also especially the pulled pork, beef or chicken ones.

[Bilby]

If we can't eat together I still try t make 1 meal and put the others covered in plastic wrap for them to reheat.
I try to make it so that no one person eats alone. They still eat at the table.

Spaghetti bologaniase, lasagne they can be heated in individual serves with a bowl of tossed salad. They can be made anytime during the day.
Drumsticks cooked, when cooking a roast meat get a slightly bigger one and keep leftovers so slices can be used. We are big on salad so as long as we have a meat salad anything can be added.
Rice can be cooked beforehand and kept in the fridge to be reheated and have crockpot put over it.
When I buy a bulk lot of drumsticks I cook them all and put in meal sizes into the freezer, so if I know i"m short on time I can defrost cooked meat.
It really depends on the day and your time constraintes.

[Barb]

It hard for us to eat all together too, with John going off to work as early as he does, the girls are not ready to eat. So we gather around John and have family time anywaYs and then the girls helps me to fix his lunch and help me to get him ready for work.
Maybe something like this will help you too.
On two nights of the week we do sit at the table as a family to eat, those are the days he is off.

Sometimes I allow the girls to eat thier snack at the time John eats his dinner too... but the main thing we are together as a family which we all love.

Hope that helps.

[cau]

we are now in the same boat, with 2 or 3 nights when we can't sit down together. One of my family's favorite Slow cooked meals is Cliff's Chicken
I piece of bonless chicken per person( I use breasts but thights would also work.
2 cans of cheese soup( I use 1 regular & 1 festa)
1 cancream of chicken soup
pepper to taste
Pour soup over chicken and cook in SC for 3 to 4 on high or 6to 8 hours on low. Depending on how you like it my family likes it falling apart. I also sometimes add broccoli.

serve over noodles or rice

[OnTheMenu]

Hey everybody, I'm fairly new at posting. I hope this is helpful. At my house what we do since we all live on different schedules is plan out the meals the weekend prior and for the days we're not all together, we prepare it in advance, make portions, stuff it in the 'fridge and everyone can take it as they please. It works really well with soups and pastas I have found. As your kids get older of course, priorities will change though and they will hopefully be able to cook for themselves. Here's hoping, right?

[Bilby]

Hi Onthemenu :)
oh yeah as they get older things change and they eat more and more and more, my lot have hollow legs!