Mom/Dad, what's for dinner?

[Tricia]

I struggle in the kitchen. OK, let me rephrase that. I hate to cook. Loathe it. Coming up with new, fast, healthy, not-out-of-the-sodium-laden-box meals to feed my kids causes heart palpitations, spots before my eyes, a cold sweat, and even a little nausea.

All right, I might be embellishing just a bit. But the word 'anxiety' is pretty much spot-on.

I lead the typical single mom life. I work full-time, come home at 5:00, and start freaking out over what the three of us are going to eat for dinner, hopefully sometime before 8:00 PM.

I'll come home from a long stressful day at work, and the first thing out of my son's mouth is, "What's for dinner?"

"I don't know..." is my typical response. And on comes the cold sweat.

Every. Freakin'. Day.

I need to increase my single working parent whats-for-dinner repertoire. So I'm calling all you fellow single parents: what do you have in your little recipe box that is fast & easy, healthy, and you & your kids love?

[Sara Rook]

my issue with cooking is the dishes...i hate to do the dishes!!! ill cook as long as i dont have to clean!!! lol....i just dont cook i MICROWAVE....mmmmm sounds good dosnt it....eeewww

[Tricia]

Ha ha! I'd much rather do the dishes. One thing that sucks bigtime about being a single mom is having to do both all the time! I've been known to leave dishes sit out for two...ok three days.

God bless microwaves.

[Jen]

Easiest way to overcome this - do the dishes while the food is cooking - nothing will burn b/c you are standing right there and the kitchen will get clean too :)

[Tricia]

Oh! I do this! Then I only have a couple left to wash after we've eaten. That's a great tip!

[Steve]

Once cooked almost a complete thanksgiving meal in a microwave, everything but the turkey. I also like crock pots, throw a bunch of stuff in first thing in the morning and tada dinner is ready when I get home.

[Wendee]

I made a last minute addition to my dinner last week that the kids loved -- thawed chicken breasts, kind of slit them in half (the thin way) and stuff them with couscous (out of the box). sprinkle with S & P, then parm cheese. Put in a pan lightly greased with olive oil, cover with aluminum foil, bake at 350 for 50 min. Then I usually have a salad or some kind of veggie on the side.
Other things they like are: quesadillas with leftover beef or chicken -- tortillas, cheese, sometimes left over broccoli or spinach... top with a little sour cream and salsa. Breakfast is nice & easy. I love my George Foreman grill -- for hamburgers, chicken breasts, boneless pork chops. Quick & keeps the meat juicy. For sides, during the week I end up with a lot of canned or frozen veggies, rice (plain white mixed with brown goes over well, just a little butter). I definitely have the stash of mac n cheese also. If I have time & energy, I make up enchiladas, lasagna, and/or pot pies and freeze them.

[Gabi]

YUMMY!!! Ok 'm hungry now... HA!

[Jen]

My crockpot is my best friend. I use it at least once a week, and if you go to allrecipes.com, and type in slow cooker you can come up with tons of great recipes. An easy favorite for us is put 4 frozen chicken breasts, 3 cans of cream of chicken and cheddar cheese condensed soup (mix and match depending on how much cheese flavor you like), and throw in a bag of your favorite frozen veggies. Cook on low for 7-8 hrs (basically while you're at work), and then when you get home, cook some egg noodles for 10 minutes and serve the soupy chicken concotion over the noodles. YUM :) We also like the tried-and-true pot roast or pork roast... at the grocery store they have a seasoning packet called "Crockpot Gourmet", and that is super good and very flavorful... add with veggies and potatoes and I usually cook some crescent rolls or biscuits when we get home.

Non crock-pot, don't laugh but we make tuna casserole - mac n cheese, whatever your favorite kind is, add a can of tuna and some frozen veggies and viola!

Another tip - buy meat/poultry in bulk and then divide the meat into individual baggies, also works well if you buy the meat pre-cut (like a pork roast) and then chop the pork chops yourself - can save you TONS of money - before you freeze it, add seasoning or marinade and then as it thaws during the day it is gettin happy and is already flavored when you get home. Easy marinades: barbecue sauce, olive oil w/ garlic and italian seasoning, Mrs. Dash, soy sauce and garlic, teriyaki sauce... tons of possibilities :)

The main tip I can give is to PLAN AHEAD. Before you walk out the door, set out what you are going to cook for dinner that way you are not staring blankly at the pantry. You can even do this the night before to make life even easier if the mornings are hectic. This is also extremely helpful in planning grocery shopping trips and saving you money, so that you are not spending money on food that goes bad or never gets eaten.

[Tricia]

Oh, I knew someone was going to say 'Crock Pot'! I guess I need to go get one. Maybe I'll ask Santa for one.

How crazy is it that I don't own a Crock Pot??? Am I the only person in the entire world that doesn't? I think I just might be.

I love the idea of having a beef stew smelling up the house when I come home in the evening....the key will be to keep my 11-year-old out of it when he gets home a while before I do!

I used to buy meat in bulk at Sam's, but now I live so far from one, and besides...while it saves money in the long run, I just can't shell out that much money at one time. I try to shop the sales at the grocery store, though...I'll renew my efforts and start stocking my little freezer in the basement with meat like I used to do.

Olive oil and Mrs. Dash...now you're speaking my language.

Plan ahead? That's the biggest obstacle for me to overcome. I have to admit, though...I can already see progress with this one in myself.

Thanks, Jen! Great ideas!

[Jen]

Remember, planning ahead can also just be you sitting down the night before and making a menu for dinner the following day - set out the ingredients and at least you have come up with a game plan :) And definitely start thinking in terms of leftovers - its' just me and Ethan but I always cook enough for 4 b/c then that's lunch for the next two days for me at work, or a quick heat-up dinner for Ethan if I'm not that hungry or if I'm not feeling good. It gets easier with practice :)

[Mel]

Hi Jen, the crock pot is GREAT. I am a single dad and I make it a point to feed my daughter home cooked healthy meals when I have her. Her Mom is the queen of fast food so I make sure I am at the other end of the spectrum and feed her as healthy as possible. When I crock pot I always include a fresh fruit with dinner. I find that she enjoys fruit more then most veggies. So a crock pot recipe and some fruit and she is a happy little girl. As far as dishes goes. That isn't an issue because the wife got custody of that and we paper plate it and that works out just fine for us.

[Traci]

I would love too cook but my lil guy is so picky that he chooses what he wants to eat after I had made dinner ! Sometimes I think i know what he wants but then it's not ! Waffles, pumpkin bread, toast, apples, almond butter sandwiches,cheese circles the ones from babel, corn on the cob and grapes . That's about it ! he likes his papa eggs but dislikes mine