Dinner Ideas - Kansas City,MO

Are you talking about sending food with your hubby Mon-Thurs? Does he have access to a freezer, fridge, etc?

My hubby used to travel Mon-Thurs for sales and his time was spent with customers, in hotels and airplanes so there was no access to keep food fresh or frozen. He just ate healthy when he went out and didn't opt for fast food. You have a choice to pick fast food over something healthier and fresh.

When I was on the road in sales, I would sometimes stop in at a good grocery that had fresh hot plates with veggies, etc, salad bar and things like that or a cafeteria type restaurant in order to not choose fast food.

Is your hubby asking you to prepare meals like this... it is a kind gesture but I don't see how it can work unless his time is in an apartment or some sort of suite hotel.

That said, lasagna, pasta shells, marinara, soups and stews.

Best wishes and it is nice that you are thinking of him.

Eta. Gamma is right. If he's working away from home his company should be covering his meals and hotel bill. Doesn't he file an expense report weekly? Even with our company, i file expense reports weekly which covers everything we spend out of pocket while we are "on the clock". If he's not getting reimbursed then someone is using him. Check that out because you shouldn't be paying his expenses out of pocket if he's at work.

This could be hard, depending on his accommodations while he is gone. Does he have the capability to keep things frozen and then re-cook them? If he doesn't, he could always pack a cooler with dinner for Monday and then just eat out Tuesday and Wednesday with healthy options. Grocery stores often sell cooked chicken or plates to go, if they are nicer than a Wal-Mart type of store.

Otherwise, I think of Italian and soups when I think of frozen meals for reheating.

Foods that freeze well or will last in mini fridge for about 3 nights: lasagne, soup, chili, grilled meats (send along tortillas to make tacos or wraps). Really any leftovers (roast, casseroles, etc.) will keep in the fridge for a couple of days...

Sides to keep in mini fridge: bag of salad, pasta salad, any cooked or raw veggies. And you can always send cold cuts for sandwiches.

Non refrigerated items: microwavable rice bags, canned soups, etc.

Mix and match all of the above

Be sure to send along some microwavable dishes to heat thing up in and silverware.

Hope this helps!

How is he going to cook them? How is he going to keep them cold and stored properly while traveling there and while he's there?

He should be getting a reimbursement for his expenses. He should be eating out and letting the company support him while he's working for them.

Some companies used to even pay for prostitutes for men they sent overseas for weeks at a time. Really, they did. My friend told me her husband was asked if he wanted to "hire" a companion while he was in Venezuela. He said of course not and his supervisor told him it was allowed and supported because it's legal there and their use helped provide income for families..still not okay with him though so he said no.

So my point is that his company should be providing his meals or reimbursing him. You shouldn't be making him meals to take with him. If he wants home cooked meals he should upgrade his room to have a kitchenette in it then you can help him pack some staples to take then he can buy fresh there and bill the company for those groceries.

My ex used to work out of town all week and come home on weekends. I would send a week's worth of freezer meals with him. Rather than try to cook all weekend, just put a serving of whatever you make for you and the kids each night in a freezable container and freezer it. His dinners for the next week will be ready to go when he gets home and you can enjoy his company on the weekends instead of cooking extra meals.

It would help if we knew what sort of accommodations your husband has. Does he just have a mini-fridge and a microwave, or is he in one of those extended stay hotels with a kitchen, oven, fridge/freezer?

Rachael Ray and others have all kinds of "cook one day, eat for 7" ideas. Check her website for her magazine as well as her TV show.
Examples are roasting a chicken or small turkey and serving it for one meal, shredding some of it for enchiladas or wraps for a 2nd meal, and making a hearty chicken soup for a third (plus sandwiches). Another option is to buy a family-size package of ground beef (or turkey) on sale, then divvy it up to make a pot of chili (regular or in crockpot), enchiladas (my go-to food for using up all kinds of ingredients in pretty much any amount), meatloaf, or tamale pie (a Mexican style ground beef/onion/bean mix with a cornmeal topping). All of those travel well and reheat well, and except for meatloaf they can include a variety of vegetables (beans, green peppers, corn, onions, etc.).

I find that rice travels and reheats well - I usually spice it up a little and replace some of the water with other things depending on what I'm serving it with. I use soy sauce and Chinese 5-spice powder when I'm making stir fry, tomato puree or juice or chicken stock if I'm making Mexican food, etc.

Make a big lasagna on the weekends and cut into good sized squares (I just fit it into plastic or foil containers, matching the portion to the container).

Roast vegetables in pretty much any quantity - potatoes, sweet potatoes (cut in wedges except for red potatoes or other small ones which you cut in half or use whole), onions, parsnips, carrots, butternut squash cut in large pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and herbs of choice (I use a lot of dill), toss lightly, and put in a shallow casserole or baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. You can do the same with broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus but lessen the baking time, or add them to the potatoes after the first 15 minutes.

Barley or lentil soup with any veggies you like, noodle kugel, rice & chickpea salads, cold pasta salads with mozzarella cheese, quiche, cold BBQ or teriyaki chicken (eat hot or cold).

What do you cook regularly that the family likes and could hold up to freezing?

I've used the http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/
once a month freezer cooking recipies on the page above. I didn't do the whol lot, but did do pesto chicken, bbq applesauce chicken, lemon garlic chicken, and the cilantro lime chicken. I used a crockpot, but you could easily bake or cook up in a saucepan.

Volume is your friend, make the same recipie 3x while you are at it instead of just once.

Best,
F. B.