I HAVE to simplify things. Working full time and homeschooling on top of household duties is exhausting me. i know I'm not the only one. Sooooo I'm wondering how you all handle dinner on those days that you just can't do another thing. I would Love to hear about websites or blogs that could help with meal issues. Maybe even some tried and true freezer meal recipes.. I just now started menu planning and it's been great. Nothing has gone to waste and we always knew what was for dinner. I would group all ingredients together and my girls would cook it. Most days anyway. My girls are very busy too so I need to find another way..
The thing that has worked best for me over the years are "dump meals." I would make up a bunch (like, a LOT) a head of time. I was home, so I would tip them into the slow cooker but only cook until the meat tested done with a thermometer (which can be as little as two hours with thawed chicken). I'll explain why later. Anyway, this is my favorite list of dump chicken recipes: Dump chicken. You don't *have* to put these in the slow cooker. You can thaw in the fridge, place in a pan and cook in the oven taking less time. Our evenings are really harried three nights a week. Sometimes, we just have what we call a deli plate -- cold cuts, cheese, nut butters, pickles, crackers, and fresh fruit. No cooking, no pans, very little cleaning up. For many people, the slow cooker is the way to go. The reason it isn't a perfect solution for us (well, me) is that my husband does not like meats that are cooked much past done -- for example, he really dislikes shredded meats. I can do that once in a while, but it's not something I can serve on a regular basis. My experience is that, unless you're right there with a meat thermometer, like I mentioned above, slow cooker recipes cook meats way past that point. Bean recipes and soups work very well (which he dislikes, also...). If your family is happy eating those types of meals, I strongly recommend prepping and using them.
I can so relate with this because as much as I can I also want to prepare good food for my kids but sometimes I have no choice but to opt for easy to cook meals. http://greatist.com/eat/healthy-freezer-meals
