any ideas?

[madscientist77]

I work all week and have very little time to cook dinner. Thing is, we can’t really afford to do delivery and take out every night, nor is it good for my family. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can eat healthier at home – even though I don’t have a ton of time or money to spend?

[saving maglet]

The site, Menu 4 Moms, has really helped me out. I get emails in the mail from them every week with a menu planned out already. I don't follow the menu exactly, but I do pick and choose.

That site started me on my way to menu planning on my own and making meals ahead of time/freezer cooking. Life IS busy, isn't it? HTH!

[IntoTheWest]

I suggest doing bulk cooking. My mother got me into this. She basically cooks for at least a week at a time on Sundays and then stores leftovers for the week. She makes chilis, soups, and other dishes that heat up very well. Now, it isn’t necessary I guess, but she invested in some Foldtuks to help her along with this. The Foldtuk goes directly from freezer or fridge to oven and is just really convenient and helpful…. Maybe this will take some of the stress out of your week

[lucille]

Bulk cooking or forms of it where you prep certain things ahead of time and portion it certainly help. We cut and freeze meat in portions so it can be used right out of the freezer. We frequently pull something like burgers, pork loin steaks or fish out of the freezer and put it on the grill. We microwave some veggies and make a salad to go with.

If you eat rice or lentils a rice cooker with a timer works great. Ours takes 45 minutes to cook and has a timer so you can set it to start cooking in a set number of hours. We use the crock pot mostly in the winter and do turkey breasts or beef roasts two at a time and use the leftovers for lunches or a second meal.

[indieretailer]

Madscientist77- I appreciate your dilemma. I have trained in restaurants, normally love to cook, but I have a family and a group home where I MUST cook dinner, on a budget, for at least 10 people every night.
Some evenings I don't feel like moving a muscle---but I manage to whip something up in the kitchen.

If I can suggest one book, it would be What to Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat by Arthur Schwartz. It lists standard pantry items and each section is dedicated to different items you may have at home.

Do you have room for storing? How's your freezer space? Are you concerned about initial cost of bulk cooking?

(I've got some ideas for you but my 4-year old twins are pulling at me now.)

[jdp]

You'll get all the usual great ideas here I'm sure!

But I just wanted to throw in - busy, hectic, tad disorganized? I just found and I'm so excited to load it up with my personal stuff:

http://www.monthlymenuplanner.com/your_planner.php

[Myscha Theriault]

Well, I have to second the rice cooker idea. Along with a crock pot. I'd absolutely lose my mind without either one of those things. And I work from home. Also, I hope this doesn't sound like a shameless plug, but since others have mentioned the bulk cooking idea, here's an article I wrote a while back. http://www.wisebread.com/assembly-cooking-for-newbies

Some ideas if you really,really, don't want to deal with planning much? Bake a bunch of potatoes and put some bulk canned chili in the slow cooker. Or, rice and chili. The giant cans of baked beans are decent and you can toss in some cut up hot dogs or browned sausage. This could either go with rice again or biscuits / cornbread. It's helpful to think of things that can go over rice, because if you can only afford to buy a couple of things in bulk the first time, a large bag of rice goes a very long way. Hope this helps.

[imogenharriet]

You are having little time to cooking .Prefer in it home is the best way and healthy

to you.Bringing from outside is not healthy.we must spend some to bring it.When

prepare in home it may take .some time extra.

[lucille]

Originally Posted by Myscha Theriault

Well, I have to second the rice cooker idea. Along with a crock pot. I'd absolutely lose my mind without either one of those things. And I work from home. Also, I hope this doesn't sound like a shameless plug, but since others have mentioned the bulk cooking idea, here's an article I wrote a while back. http://www.wisebread.com/assembly-cooking-for-newbies

We use our crock pot more in the winter than summer but the total time it takes is still much less than normal meal prep. One that works well but isn't a typical crock pot meal is to put a small bone in ham in a larger crock pot and then put whole sweet potatoes in around it. The ham cooks and the potatoes bake, the finished product doesn't have the usual crock pot consistency people think of.

[khorrell]

Lucille, I'm going to try that! It sounds wonderful.