https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 09 May 2026 04:19:59 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1/page/2#post-2795483 Sun, 07 Jan 2018 19:05:30 +0000 threeplusme 2795483@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just made one if my quick dinners tonight so i thought I'd post it. I have a handful of quick dinners I'll use when short on time. Tonight was tortellini primavera, a take on pioneer woman's recipe but i use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables instead of the fresh and i only had light cream. <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/tortellini-primavera/" rel="nofollow">http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/tortellini-primavera/</a><br /> A ham steak or pork tenderloin with roasted cubed sweet potatoes or squash plus salad is another quick meal.<br /> A big batch of chili goes a long way. Well eat it as chili one night, over mac and cheese another night and over a baked potato or sweet potato another night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1/page/2#post-2795258 Fri, 05 Jan 2018 13:23:06 +0000 periwinklebee 2795258@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Yeah, our kitchen is small as well and I'm super picky about what comes into it. I got my mom the food processor one year for Christmas and loved it so much that I decided it was worth losing some precious counter space to buy one for myself:-) I hope that you enjoy yours! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795256 Fri, 05 Jan 2018 13:18:44 +0000 meganmp 2795256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We usually have 1.5-2 hours before the kids have lights out, but on gym days we have less than an hour. We make it work by choosing easy prep meals that the kids will actually eat. For example, last night was salad and an English muffin with cheese on it. Home at 6:35, kids in bed with lights out at 7:30. Veggie sandwiches with hummus are another good one! Find the meals that are quick for you, and keep those in heavy rotation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795252 Fri, 05 Jan 2018 13:09:27 +0000 Anagram 2795252@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I finally just got a food processor for christmas! We have a tiny, tiny, tiny kitchen so I really have to be careful about what I buy. When we moved here from Texas, I got rid of 95% of my kitchen appliances. I got rid of my mandolin, crock pock, counter top toaster oven, stand mixer. I just don't have space. So I've been making do with just my pots/pans/knives and hand mixer. And my husband's bullet.</p> <p>There's still a lot of "shapes" the food processor won't do, but it's a start! I have been spending a lot of time hand grating things like carrot/sweet potato and hand mincing garlic and onion, so I will definitely save time doing all that now. I think because I am not naturally a veggie lover, I really have to dress up my vegetables to really like them, and all the washing and dicing and seasons takes so much effort compared to opening a package of ground turkey and browning it, which even my 4 year old can do. LOL. I guess I'm content with simple, easy meats but not content with simple, bare veggies in most cases. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795214 Fri, 05 Jan 2018 10:04:40 +0000 Mrs D 2795214@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I agree...the meats are the easy part for me... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795166 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 23:08:29 +0000 periwinklebee 2795166@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: A Breville food processor is a god send for this kind of thing, can cut veggies anyway you want (including a fries attachment) and be cleaned in a couple of minutes tops. It's an investment, but I hated spending forever chopping veggies and cringed at what some of the pre-chopped veggies cost... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795165 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 23:03:53 +0000 missyoori 2795165@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with @jennlin821, meal prep and and batch cooking are life-changing if you can do it! We were able to do it twice, and it was soooooo nice to just reheat during the week.</p> <p>Sadly it never lasts for us. There's always "too much going on" and we quickly get off track. But my husband gifted me an Instant Pot a couple months ago, and like @youboots I absolutely love it! I can cook so many of our favorite meals in about 30-40 minutes from prep to finish. I use it 3-4 times per week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795155 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 21:32:10 +0000 Mama Bird 2795155@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids go to bed much later - we don't even start bedtime until 8 or 8:30, so we're not quite so pressed for time. </p> <p>We try to get the older kid to eat a small bowl of soup (the younger one eats soup in day care). We make it on the weekend to last all week, and it's got veggies but somehow doesn't cause the same "eww, veggies!" reaction. Other than that we don't really fight what they eat - sometimes it's nothing, or a bowl of berries, or yogurt. </p> <p>The prep time is next to nothing. We do have a problem lately with getting everyone to put aside what they're doing and sit down... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795151 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 21:23:26 +0000 skipra 2795151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: well I am mostly vegetarian so maybe all meat doesn't take that long but it's been my experience when my husband does it that from fridge to plate it takes forever. Funny you think sweet potatoes take so long. I cook the several times a week and it's like 2 minutes to prep and 15 to cook. Mine would be burnt to a crisp if I baked them for 45 minutes! I skip soaking them. I do think it makes a big difference for regular potatoes (and they often do take 30-40 min to cook so we skip them) but my LO prefers them just baked. Also there are some great frozen veggie burgers out there or they are something easy to prep on the weekends and quick to heat during the week.<br /> Has anyone mentioned cous cous as a grain? Trader Joe's has a whole wheat version. Cous cous, a frozen veggie, and canned chick peas would take like 5 minutes to make. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795144 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 21:00:43 +0000 alphagam84 2795144@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Meal planning and prepping. Pasta with meat sauce is a quick and easy meal that kids love. Anything done in the crockpot. Grilled cheese sammies with soup. Pan roasted chicken and veggies. Pizza once a week. Make a large portion of rice and have that as a side during the week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2795119 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 17:23:55 +0000 Anagram 2795119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skipra: really? I find it just the opposite. Any meat is super easy to make--throw it in the oven or sautee and done. But good veggie sides take me forever. Sweet potato fries---wash the potatoes, peel the potatoes, cut the super hard sweet potatoes into fry shapes, soak the fries in ice water (they bake better), dry the potatoes, add all the spices and flour--then bake for 45 minutes. That's a long time and then you just have a side. And then veggie burgers. I've only made them homemade once and those took forever, too. Or do you mean the bought frozen kind?</p> <p>I end up buying a lot of expensive veggie items that are prewashed and precut, just because doing all that is such a time suck on a weeknight. But it doesn't escape my attention that buying spiralized zucchini noodles are 4x the price of just buying zucchini and spiralizing it myself. But again, a time suck. :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794948 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 19:50:59 +0000 skipra 2794948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't seen this mentioned but I didn't read through thoroughly. We don't eat meat for dinner and meals generally don't take long to prep. We do lots of beans or breakfast for dinner (pancakes with pea protein and veggies, eggs, etc.), veggie burgers with baked sweet potato fries. Once you remove meat from the equation, meal prep is quick and easy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794798 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 10:53:50 +0000 hilary 2794798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a firm believer in big batch everything....so a huge pork roast in the crock pot over the weekend allows you to have 2 meals plus maybe 2 more worth of shredded pork in freezer. So maybe pulled pork one night, pork tacos another, or rice/pork/hot veg with soy sauce next time. Or we do a whole chicken in the crockpot and shred on the weekend so already cooked chicken is in the fridge to add to salads, sauces, inside tacos, enchiladas, etc. I also do big batches of rice and pasta on weekends so just have to reheat portion sizes on the day of. When I ate dairy, I'd prep a double batch casserole on the weekend (one for that week, another for the freezer) that is slightly undercooked so reheating just finishes it off without drying it out. (lasagna, baked ziti, chicken parm casserole, enchiladas, taco burger pizza, etc). So between the meat/starch, new casserole, a frozen soup or casserole from a previous week and leftovers there's that week's weeknight menu. Hot veg or salad is prepped day of always. Never found a good early prep method as I tend to like that really fresh. It took some fine tuning for this to become habit though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794774 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 10:10:26 +0000 Anagram 2794774@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I was doing Paleo for 4 months and really making every little thing from scratch, including things like mayonnaise or sauces--my habit was to get 24 hours ahead of any meal I was serving. So on Sunday, I would make at least 2 large meals to get us through Sunday dinner, Monday lunches, and Monday dinner. Then Monday night after the kids were asleep, I would go ahead and cook for Tuesday. </p> <p>I used to love cooking before kids, but after kids it's really turned into a disagreeable task for me, because if my attention is on cooking, then the kids are fighting or trashing the house. Or they want to "help" me, which slows me down when I need to rush and they also fight while helping--like who gets to stir, how many times they stir, who gets to pour. But cooking at night after they are in bed for the next day actually ended up being kind of meditative and enjoyable again. I think I need to start doing that again. </p> <p>I don't mind shredding carrots by hand or julienning peppers if I have uninterrupted time to do it. I thought it would be one more stress and that I wouldn't have time to relax after the girls were asleep, but in the end it was actually more relaxing to cook than to just sit on the couch watching tv, which is our usual MO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794769 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 10:04:11 +0000 Anagram 2794769@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't do family dinners!</p> <p>My husband doesn't get home till about 7 on an average night, sometimes later or a bit earlier. The kids can only wait till about 6pm for dinner, so they are typically done or almost done eating when he arrives. *however*, I do try to cook most nights, or more realistically, I try to pair any processed pre-made foods with something not processed--that's just my own personal rule. I'm a working parent and I get home around 4:30 on an average day. So I have the time theoretically, but I also have other tasks during that 4:30-6 pm time slot (unpacking school backpacks, cleaning out lunch containers, repacking lunch containers, taking out trash, and you know, playing with my kids!), so I really minimize the time spent cooking during the week. </p> <p>To save time, I buy a lot of pre-cut/washed veggies from my grocery store like sweet potatoes cut into fry shapes (to make unprocessed sweet potato fries), already spiralized veggies or already-riced cauliflower or other veggies. Then I mix these into whatever pre-made elements of dinner I use.</p> <p>So I might make pasta--I brown ground italian sausage then mix butternut or pumpkin puree with a jarred (no sugar) pasta sauce, for a semi-homemade slightly healthier pasta dish. Or I might buy a rotisserie chicken to shred rather than cooking the chicken myself for enchiladas or shredded chicken tacos. That kind of thing.</p> <p>Any convenience food that I can buy that isn't processed is utilized often in our house.</p> <p>I've also made it a habit to always include some veggies into an otherwise unhealthy dinner. Like if I don't feel like cooking and I do a package of Trader Joe's orange chicken, I made sure to do half steamed rice/half riced cauliflower so we aren't all loading up on the processed orange chicken, and then I throw a side of broccoli in that as well. Anything I make that has a tomato paste/sauce base always gets a squash puree as well. I add squash puree to taco soup, to pasta sauce, and pizza sauce, and to red curry sauces (both indian and thai). Little health hacks make me feel better about using a lot of fast, premade dinners. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794766 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 09:53:05 +0000 snowjewelz 2794766@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We love Trader Joe's frozen stuff! A lot of it is delicious and healthy so we don't feel guilty eating that. For us the saving grace is that DH's schedule is flexible, so he picks up DD1 around 4:30-4:45 and they're back before 5 (school is like a 2 minute drive). My mom's usually already there w/ DD2, so he has an hour to cook and when I get home at 6, my mom leaves and we start dinner. I have to say that DH is a very fast cook (he grew up in a family restaurant). The downside to letting him cook 100% is that he doesn't meal plan, doesn't cook ahead, and spends way too much on groceries but for now, I'll take it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794751 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 09:24:49 +0000 MrsADS 2794751@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love following these threads because this is an ongoing struggle for me, too. I get home about 5pm. We have to take our 2 year old upstairs for bath and bedtime by 6 at the latest, 5:50 is better. He refuses to nap at daycare which means he needs to go to bed at 6:30. And he's a WRECK in the evenings when he gets home, which means I definitely don't have 30 minutes to cook because he's usually clingy and crying and super needy. And I want to give him attention when I get home. </p> <p>So I try to cook some on the weekends during naptime - like this weekend I made a turkey breast in the crockpot, cooked 2 lbs of ground beef - one for tacos, one for spaghetti. And I "pre-cook" the night before sometimes, like I will cook pasta and put it in the fridge, so the following evening I just heat up the servings of pasta and sauce. That is about all the cooking I have time for on weeknights (i.e., using the microwave). I could do a lot more with 30 minutes. </p> <p>I also use a lot of convenience foods as others have said - we love Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, steamer bags of veggies, etc. My 2 year old likes the Birdseye steamable veggie pasta, so I make him that like once a week. Sometimes dinner is turkey deli meat, cheese, toast, fruit. Whatever! That's the best I can do. I will often feed that to the 2yo and my husband and I might eat frozen TJ's burritos or something. I figure it's better than McDonald's.</p> <p>It's just survival. Give yourself grace. Some weeks I do better about meal prepping on the weekends. Some weeks I am just exhausted and I know we're going to be eating chicken nuggets from the freezer. Baby #2 is coming in May so I know it's going to get worse. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794720 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 00:32:09 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2794720@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don’t do a lot of complicated meals. Usually just cook some type of meat, add a side of frozen veggies and rice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794715 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 00:09:09 +0000 ALV91711 2794715@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a list of meals that we all like that are about 30 min. (Sadly I list my list). On the weekend I'd pick 5 meals and shop fir what was needed. I'd try and pick items that could be turned into something else the next night. For example cook extra chicken breast and the next night have chicken fried rice. Some nights I'd just plan soup &amp; sandwich. </p> <p>I've never been into meal prepping on the weekend. I have to get back into this, it saved time &amp; money. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794694 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:59:29 +0000 ShootingStar 2794694@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I get in at 5:15ish, DH gets home with the kids about 5:30. Generally I’ll start dinner as soon as I get home and meals take 20-30 minutes. We all eat together around 6 then after (6:30ish) the kids go play and I hang out with them while DH cleans. We bring the kids up for bed at 7. </p> <p>This week our meals are:<br /> Pesto Salmon<br /> Chicken piccata with mushrooms and pasta<br /> Tacos<br /> Pulled pork (crockpot)<br /> Pork chops </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794681 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:24:25 +0000 travellingbee 2794681@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do a lot of chicken breast which cooks quickly. Sautéed tonight in a white wine sauce. Side of roasted butternut squash ( I do save time by buying conveniently precut and prewashed veggies). One pan roasted chicken breasts and veggies yesterday. Tacos. Pasta. Everything I make takes less than 30 minutes and I rarely do weekend prep/precooking. So we come home and kids watch a show while I get dinner ready. Then we all eat together (DH walks in right around when I am finishing). Then about 30 minutes play together and then bath and bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794673 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:03:43 +0000 erinbaderin 2794673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: Some of the things we do are Korean Inspired lettuce wraps and Korean Beef bowls, from skinnytaste. We do a bowl with brown rice, fried eggs, and various toppings (usually avocado, cheese, sautéed spinach, and sriracha). Dragon noodles, baked chicken breasts with barbecue sauce, pasta with broccoli, garlic, and Parmesan. </p> <p>My crockpot has a warm function and I’ve found things are ok - it ends up being in there for almost 12 hours. I do drumsticks, stews, pulled chicken. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794654 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 16:32:50 +0000 gingerbebe 2794654@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: I responded a bunch in this thread, most of which was food-related. Hope its helpful!</p> <p><a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tips-for-two-woh-parents#post-2792152" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tips-for-two-woh-parents#post-2792152</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794643 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:58:47 +0000 Mrs D 2794643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: We do lots of "bowls" too. Its like a formula...pick a starch, layer a meat, top with veggies.</p> <p>Burrito bowls, Buffalo Chicken Bowls, Greek Bowls, Carnitas Bowls....they all start with rice (easy in the rice maker) and a crock pot meat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794642 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:56:55 +0000 Mrs D 2794642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: Like another lady said, you could just as easily do the prep after the kids go to bed.</p> <p>Mine go to sleep at 7 and 8, so sometimes between those I do some meal prep...sometimes I sit and snuggle with DD. Then after 8 I have time also.</p> <p>Or, if you are a morning person you can do it before work. </p> <p>I really think getting a few "staples" nailed down is whats key. Like, a whole chicken in a crock pot. No time required, a million potential uses. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794639 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:51:56 +0000 lawbee11 2794639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: Taco bowls, pasta with meat sauce, chili, rotisserie chicken with rice and a veggie, chicken teriyaki. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794630 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:22:59 +0000 kiddosc 2794630@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: what are some of your standard meals? We do a lot of steamfresh veggies already. </p> <p>@erinbaderin: what are some of the meals in your rotation? How do you do a crockpot on a weekday? My crockpot would be on for 9.5 hours and I feel like anything would be mush by then, even if I switch it to warm after it cooks. </p> <p> @futuremama: What I like about the way we do things now, is that I get to play with the kids for a bit when we get home rather than rush to get dinner on the table. I just feel like it will be an over all better schedule to get dinner taken care of for all of us earlier in the night. I wish I could get home a little earlier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794625 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:08:01 +0000 futuremama 2794625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've made a few changes in the past 6 months that have really helped get timely, healthy dinners on the table. First, I plan meals ahead and do some prep on Sundays. Second, my husband does pick up from daycare. I get to work at 7:30 and leave work around 4:30, so I'm home at 5. This gives me time to make dinner and work out before he gets the girls home at 6:00. That hour home alone has been a game changer. I can start a load of laundry, exercise, clean up, etc. without interruptions. Then we can do baths and some playtime before 7:30 bedtime. It's hectic, but it works for us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794614 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 14:40:35 +0000 erinbaderin 2794614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So we have a similar schedule - I usually get home with the kids around 5:15, my husband is home at 5:45, we have dinner on the table at 6. I do all my meal planning and shopping on Sundays, and I've got a pretty good rotation of meals that I can have on the table in 30 minutes or less. Once a week I give myself a cop out meal (grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, quesedillas, scrambled eggs on toast). On Friday we get take-out. Sundays I have more time, so that means I need 3 meals. I'll usually try to do one crock pot a week, and often one pasta. I cook a lot of dishes out of the cookbook Skinnytaste Fast and Slow. I batch cook roasted tomato sauce and freeze it and then I'll buy fresh tortellini. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-dinners-1#post-2794611 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 14:30:01 +0000 lawbee11 2794611@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>First, we make simple meals with few ingredients/prep required. Second, DH and I work together to make the meal prep go faster. Like he will brown the meat while I cut veggies.</p> <p>ETA: We also buy a lot of convenience sides like steamfresh veggies and rice. </p>