Meal Ideas - New Braunfels,TX

Well, regardless of your skill level, your crockpot can be your best friend. I am a stay at home mom, but still as busy. I use my crockpot several times a week. Put a small chicken in there and you have dinner for at least 4 days. One day the chicken, the next day chicken tortillas, the next day chicken soup and then leftovers.

Also, being that your son is 2, you have opened so many doors for healthy and easy meals for him. Cut up fruits and veggies and meat into small pieces. You could do cheese, grapes, applesauce and cut up chicken breast that takes 15 minutes to prepare. Most kids love cottage cheese, mandarin oranges and crackers, I mean these may seem like snacks, but to a 2 year old they are a meal. You don't have to have meat every night. You can do spiral or elbow noodles tossed with butter and parmesan (still a finger food) , cut up steamed carrots and broccoli and some potato fries. I use sweet potatoes cut them into circles and bake them for 10 minutes brush with butter and there you go. Don't think you have to cook a huge meal. It won't get eaten. Just use fruits and veggies soft fruits like pears apples, oranges, cantalope etc and easily steamed veggies, cheeses, like cottage cheese, string cheese, cut up mozzerella cheese or mild cheddar, and the best and softest meats for them at that age is chicken. Pork tends to get hard unless you cook it perfectly, steak is really a choking hazard, but fish is good. Salmon is a really good one and it doesn't fall apart into tiny pieces it falls apart into bite size pieces. So, just remember, it doesnt' have to be a huge meal, he won't eat it and alot of food will get wasted. And you could benefit from eating like this too. I eat like this and am able to maintain a great weight!

To piggyback the other posts about crock pots...there are recipe books you can get where you use approx 5 ingredients in the crock pot. One thing I hate about cooking is having to have a ton of things to add to the recipe that I may not have on hand, or you have to buy a whole bottle of a spice and then you only need an eighth of a teaspoon of it! Crock pots cook a large portion and then you can use tupperware or baggies to freeze meal size portions to be defrosted easily another night. The recipes are often a meat, a veggie, and a sauce all cooked together

One example...pot roast--- buy the Lipton Onion Soup mix and the recipe is on the back....just add the amount of water it says, the 2 envelopes of spices, the meat, and some veggies like potatoes, carrots and celery. Leave it all day and come home to a ridiculously yummy meal!

Another one is chili. My grocery store has packets called Amazing Taste and they have a chili one, but I'm sure you can use any brand. I follow the recipe but I think it's just the packet and browned beef and a can of kidney beans and a can of tomatoes (I buy diced and seasoned ones). I make it on the stove not the crock, but I let it simmer and stir it for hours---this is something you can do on a weekend and freeze it in meal size portions.

Another easy thing to make is meatball subs. My grocery store sells premade raw meatballs in the meat section, but you can buy frozen ones or make your own on the weekend when you have time and freeze until ready to use. Then all you have to do is cook them, and throw on some pasta sauce and cheese in a sub roll and pop it in the oven. Leftover meatballs and sauce can be used the next day over pasta

Hi B.,
You'll want to balance the many demands you have on your time as a single working mom with any ideas we suggest. Since your son is so young, you might offer him a nutritious snack each day until you can get supper ready.
With clients and in my own family, I advise gathering lots of great ideas and then creating a flexible rotating list. Categorize your ideas into "fast and easy" and "bigger and better". If you can do "bigger and better" once in awhile, the "fast and easy" can cover your busier days. Here are several quick ideas. I cook or pre-prepare several meals on my day off and plan to have leftovers or the finished meals during the week. Pre-cooking and freezing ground beef allows you to put together meat sauce and spaghetti, tacos, etc. fast and easy. The fresh veggie and "breakfast for supper" suggestions are great ideas, too. I often cook a large turkey or bake two chickens (I have five people to feed) and then make things like soup, casseroles or pot pies with the leftovers. Check out great recipe sites for other fast, easy and nutritious meal ideas.

Good luck!
Parent Coach J. B

Looks like most of my "tricks" are listed.
1. Healthy snack before dinner to tide them over if you're cooking something.
2.Breakfast for dinner, we make whole grain pancakes or french toast both with fruit.
3. Crockpot! Yes it's safe and you can google "slow cooker" and find awesome recipes. We like soups/stews/roastbeef and all may be frozen or served later as leftovers.
4. Cook some things on the weekend that are large enough (or double/triple a recipe) so you have something for next week.
5.Gardenburgers and soy crumbles are great alternatives to meat and a source of lean veggie protein for your LO.

RELAX, you don't have to be perfect every single day. Love your LO and find quick, healthy, satisfying things that work for both of you and you will be fine even if you have the same three things for dinner for two weeks!

I do this on the weekends:

cook up 3 -4 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey with some onion, cool and package it in one lb containers in frig.

Also cook up pasta or rice ahead of time and do the same thing.

Have some canned soup, canned beans, few shredded cheeses on hand at all time and you can take the above ore-cooked items and make dinner.

Example: ground meat cooked with onion can go Italian or Mexican depending on the spices you add.
One busy day, I'll take the rice, the beef (or turkey) add some taco seasoning, black beans and canned tomatoes and bake in oven for 30 min, top with cheese before serving.

Another day, take another portion of the cooked meat, add some pasta sauce and serve over the noodles (already cooked.) It takes so much less time to assemble the cooked up ingredients!!!

My suggestion is to get a slow cooker and a slow cooker cookbook. You can throw the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning before work and dinner is ready when you get home.

Just to respond about leaving it on all day while not at home....if I had to stay at home the whole time my crockpot was on, I'd never use it :-)! What would be the point if you had to sit at home and babysit it? Mine is programmable so it only cooks for as long as I need it to and then sets itself to warm until I turn it off. The exterior of the crockpot does not get that hot so I don't view it as any more dangerous then any of the other electronics that are left plugged in while I'm not at home.

Good luck,
K.

I second the previous post. Get a crockpot and you can just toss the ingredients into it in the morning and by the time you get home it is all done. I do pot roasts, chicken, soups, chilis, etc. A good thing about the crockpot is that you can buy a less expensive cut of meat and because of the way it cooks it ends up being just as tender as the more expensive cuts therefore saving you money.

In addition, I sometimes will cook like 3 big meals on Saturday/Sunday and then have enough for leftovers during the week with the addition of a veggie or starch, etc.

Hope that helps!

I like Kim's answer. If you get food ready on the weekends (dice up some snacky foods like that) then one night when you get home late, eat diced meat, cheese, fruit, crackers, olives, pickles.

But my hubby and I cook a couple chickens, then use the meat to make tacos the rest of the week. That's easy because we just have to heatup the meat. We have the cheese grated already, lettuce sliced already. I may heat up a can of beans to go with it. The meat's alredy cooked, so you just have to warm it (we put it in a skillet with salsa poured on top). Our two-yr old eats the taco meat and beans too.

Chili dogs with peas and mac n cheese on the side (we put the cooked peas in the noodles and our son gobbles it all up).

Why not have breakfast for dinner. Scrambled egg is a good protein. My son loves it when I first melt a little butter, toss in some chunks/shredded mozarella cheese. Then the egg. I think it's pretty tasty too. Have some pancakes pre-cooked, have some microwaveable sausage or bacon. Or do bicsuits & gravy (buy the gravy packet and add it to some ground breakfast sausage).

Good luck mom. You came to the right place for help! Everyone always has great ideas.

Crock pots are perfectly safe. There are many easy and yummy recipe's out there.
Anyway- Try cooking meat in bulk and freezing it in portions. Ground beef, chicken, pot roast. Then you can defrost it in a sauce or for taco's. Chop up veggies in advance and make salad for you and finger food for your son. Gussy up some grilled cheese with fancy cheese and "good" bread. Keep cans of black beans on hand for fast black bean taco's. Yogurt is so so SO good for you. Eat it with some granola and dip apples in it.

use a crockpot to crook meals while u r @ work. U can do all types of meats ie roast, steak and chickens. Spices is the key learn to use more then salt and pepper to give favor.

My 2 yr old loves Morningstar Farms Griller's Originals (veggie burgers). They taste so good I can eat them plain. My daughter likes them with ketchup. Sold in the frozen foods section, takes 1 minute in the microwave.

Everyone is saying crock pots, but do you really want to leave a crock pot on all day while you're not home? I agree with the thought behind it, as you can cook a LOT and make it last, but still, be safe leaving it on alone all day (I personally wouldn't). I do make things like meatballs in bulk and freeze them, since anyone can make some pasta in 15 minutes and throw some sauce on there. Defrost the meatballs the day before. I usually do like 3 lbs at a time, it's great. I also make chili and soups and freeze them. Since it's just you and your son (correct?) make family size meals when you have the time, and make leftovers the next 2 days. And hey, no one is going to judge you if you guys have cereal for dinner once in a while :)

One of my favorite go-to quick recipes is Gnocchi. We prefer the Archer Farms brand from Target - but the HEB ones are ok too. It's slightly different from regular ole pasta - and it cooks up quick! If you've never had them - they're little potato dumplings. My 20 month old loves them! I either use jarred sauce, or when I have time, I make a big pot of spaghetti sauce and freeze portions in ziploc bags. I normally use the microwave steam bags to add in a side dish. Cut up some broccoli, throw in some baby carrots, zucchini, etc - and poof 3 minutes in the microwave with a little butter, salt & pepper...

Another quick favorite is dinner for breakfast. We do this every Tuesday. Pancakes, breakfast tacos, migas, french toast... etc. It's been a fun tradition and thankfully - most of these are quick too!

And -- if you're going the crock pot route....

Here are a couple of our favorite crock pot recipes:

Italian Crockpot Chicken

1lb (ish) boneless chicken breast/tenders
1 pkg dry Italian seasoning
4 oz cream cheese and chives
white wine or chicken stock (whatever you've got open... but we like it better with the wine!)
can of Cream of Mushroom soup
2 Tbs butter (original recipe calls for 4 - but we are fine with 2...)

Cook on low 4 hours and serve over pasta of your choice. (My favorite is over the medium wide egg noodles. Yum. It's like a great creamy chicken alfredo!)

SLOW COOKER ITALIAN BEEF (my 20 month old isn't as much a fan of this one... but it may be good for you for dinners/brown bag lunches etc.)

1 (3-pound)beef chuck roast
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can beef broth
1 pkg Good Seasons Zesty Italian salad dressing
1 envelope dry Au Jus mix
1/2 (16 ounce)jar pepperoncini (I use some juice too)
1 onion, sliced or quartered

Place onion on the bottom of a large slow cooker. Rub salt and pepper on roast and place in cooker. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove meat from cooker and slice and serve on hearty bread (I like using Sourdough).

You seemed to get some good guidance on ways to approach meals, but I thought you may like some actual recipes as well.

Ginger Ale Beef Stew

1 lb. beef stew meat
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom
carrots
cubed potatoes
chopped onions
1 c Ginger Ale
1 packet Onion Soup Mix

Put all ingredients in crock pot. Turn on low and cook at least 6-8 hours- if you cook it longer it is still fine.

We like to serve this in 'bread bowls' - make these by pulling out the middle of a big round roll and serve the stew in the bowl.

We do pot roast in the crock pot as well and I like to have my bread machine run as well to make homemade bread on the same day. That plus a salad makes a big meal - leftovers are great too!

There is also a website called www.savingdinner.com that sends emails once a week with meal planning ideas and a shopping list so that you can get the ingredients you need. They have all kinds of different preferences you can set in order to get meals that meet your needs.

Hope this helps!
A.

A few fast and easy:

1) I buy prewashed spinach or herb garden salad mix, pre-cooked and pre-cut chicken breasts (tyson and hormel both do), mandarin orange fruit cups, gorgonzola or blue cheese, and walnuts or pecans. Toast the nuts, drain the oranges, throw all the ingredients into a salad, finish with some kind of rasberry walnut vinagrette and fresh bread. Best part is I give the same (minus the lettuce) individual ingredients to my kids (chicken, oranges, nuts, cheese, and bread) and they have a pretty healthy meal too.

2) Pork Loin barbecue - buy a pork loin, smoky style barbecue sauce, put in crock pot with some cut up sweet onions, about 1/4 cup vinegar, and 2-3 cups water and cook for 8 hours. Leave eough barbecue sauce to top off, pull barbecue apart, but on buns and add frozen sweet potatoe fries for a complete quick meal.

Those are the fastest from your actual time spent. Most of my other "quick" meals are pretty standard -grilled meat with frozen veggies, etc....