How do you plan your meals?

[Mommaof2]

Going back to work soon (Been a SAHM for 2 years now) and I am at a complete loss as to how our family is going to function, hehe! We used to always cook dinner at home, only going out to eat once every week or two and usually it was on the weekends when we were running around. Now, because we moved closer to 45 and I've been lazy (shhh..dont tell Dh I admitted that) we have been eating out wayyyyyyy to much.

So back to the topic, I am getting back on track and cooking more at home, but was wondering how everyone else (that is 2 people who both work away from the home full time) plan their meals- when do you take meat out of the freezer, who cooks?? Any advice??

thanks

[FamilyGal]

I don't do most of the cooking, but the way we plan our meals is that we sit down and count the number of meals we need. Then we let the kids pick from a list of meals or make suggestions of new meals. The grocery list is then made according to the meals that were planned.

If you are working full time, you need to take the meat of the freezer when you leave for work. Another option for you are crockpot recipes. Those are WONDERFUL for moms that work. You can put all of your ingredients in the crockpot the night before and then just take it out and turn it on before you leave. When you get home, your house will smell wonderful and dinner will be DONE. :D

Some people like to do a lot of cooking on Sunday and freeze meals for the week. That's another option for you as well. Personally, I didn't want to spend my weekend cooking so much.

[schnauzermom]

I only work full days occasionally but when I do I like Rachel Rays 30 minute meals. You could also come up with the plan with your dh that whoever cooks doesn't have to do dishes. It will take a few weeks but you will get in the groove just plan a few fast food or pizza nights for when your really tired.

[Mommaof2]

great ideas!

If I put meat in the fridge the night before will it be thawed out?

I like the trading dinner for dishes. Also good idea about picking meals for the week.

[LarkinJoanna]

I try not to think to hard about it:D

[eaglesprings]

At our house, if we put meat (chicken, for example) in the fridge the night before, it won't thaw. Somewhere between two and three nights, it starts bleeding. Ugh!

If it's a roast, I have no idea how long it takes to thaw in the fridge, because I've never had one thaw in the fridge! It must take weeks! :o

Mother-in-law was finally kind enough to tell me she puts hers partially frozen (if not frozen) in the crock pot, and it comes out fine. So, one of these days, I'll try that, and if husband complains, I can say, "But, your MOM said this is the way to do it!" :D

[TripleA]

If I put hamburger meat in the fridge the night before, it's thawed for dinner the next night. Can't say the same about other meats. Our microwave defrosts stuff really quickly! If I'm going to do a roast, I buy it fresh and use it within a few days of getting it. I don't like having to defrost large cuts of meat either. I agree though - if you put it in your crock pot partially frozen, it should be just fine.

As far as planning meals, I'm not the best. I will plan out a weeks worth and buy the stuff and then life gets in the way! One of these days I will be more organized, but not so far.

[eaglesprings]

Triple A:

When you defrost stuff in the microwave, does some of it "partially cook?"

I don't really like defrosting in the microwave for this reason. Sometimes, it is a necessity, but I really don't have much luck with it.

[FamilyGal]

I partially thaw it in the microwave, then I put it in the crockpot. If I am not using a crockpot, I get the meat out that morning.

Dh bought himself a new grill last night, so I took big steaks out for tonight's dinner. :D

I bought $80 worth of meat at Krogers the other day for $22. :D:D

[FamilyGal]

Triple A:
When you defrost stuff in the microwave, does some of it "partially cook?"
I don't really like defrosting in the microwave for this reason. Sometimes, it is a necessity, but I really don't have much luck with it.

Sorry, I somehow missed these posts about defrosting in the microwave. I don't love doing it either, but it works when you forgot to take the meat out early enough.

As far as partially "cooking" the meat, use the defrost setting and that shouldn't happen.

[eaglesprings]

Are they good cuts?

I've been going to a meat market for beef. I'm not really stocking up on beef too much, even with tempting sales going on. I might buy some tilapia filets that are frozen, but for the most part, I want to cook fish the day I buy it. Maybe it is just me, but fish tends to taste "fishy" once it's been frozen.

Actually, I've about decided "fresh is best." Buy a roast, cook it within a day or two. Buy fish, cook it that night. I pay more at the meat market, but the cuts are better than from the grocery store.

Husband tells me his mom went to the meat market for meat, the produce stand for veggies, the bread store for bread, etc...... Okay, things are a little different now, but there is a certain amount of logic to that way of shopping. We have to stock up a little. Who has time to go to the store every day, much less several stores? While I might stick a roast in the freezer to cook at a later date, fresh is still best!

[eaglesprings]

Oh, sorry, FG, I do use the defrost setting! I still have that problem. Perhaps my microwave is just screwy.

[FamilyGal]

Yes, they were great cuts, just marked down because they were getting close to the sell date.

We have SO much Talapia it is incredible. We went camping and caught (NO EXAGGERATION) hundreds of Talapia. You catch them with a net and we were netting boatloads of them. Some men at the campsite were saying how they are trash fish, but I think it is great meat. Plus, you see it at restuarants. I need some new ways to cook it though. I probably still have 100 fillets to use.

[FamilyGal]

With two teens in the house and a 7 yr old boy that eats like one, we go through a lot of meat. I don't know if makes a huge difference, but we tend to cook the meat pretty soon after we bought it and freeze the dinner. That way, we can pop the dinner in and heat it up. (Probably the same as if we hadn't cooked the meat soon afterwards.) The kids don't care though and I haven't noticed a big difference. Most years we have enough Venison that we don't buy beef. Dh didn't go hunting this year though.

[TripleA]

I use the defrost setting and specify the number of pounds. My microwave tells me to turn the meat over every few minutes - I don't have problems with it cooking the meat unless I set the weight too high.

When is the best time to get meat on sale? And by on sale, I mean the reduced for quick sale meat! We finally got a deep freezer for Christmas and I can stock up now, but I never catch that stuff on sale. When is the best time to go?

[LarkinJoanna]

I don't think meats/poultry/fish taste the same after being defrosted in the micowave. The texture changes. If fish is only partially thawed it can be defrosted fairly quickly by placing it in cold water outside the fridge - (in a bowl or pot). My dad was a professional cook for part of his life and he gave me that tip. If I buy two or three meats/poultry I will keep them in the refrigderator and use them in the next two or three days. If after a day or two plans change then I will freeze them but not if they've already been in the fridge more than two days. One thing I do to help the defrosting along is put the item out on the counter the day before for maybe a couple hours and it will only defrost a little in that time period and then put it back in the fridge and it will generally thaw out the rest of the way in there by the next day without causing any problem.

It's much more difficult to plan meals when you have school age children because of all the activities and the quick change in plans.

[FamilyGal]

I definitely agree fish doesn't taste the same when being defrosted in the microwave. And it makes your microwave smell.

[eaglesprings]

My neighbor taught me a neat trick about defrosting fish -- in milk. Fish thaws pretty quickly, and something about the milk will get rid of any "fishy" taste from being frozen.

I've done this on frozen tilapia and catfish. I've not tried it with salmon or orange roughy.

[11Linda11]

I usually don't plan more than a day or two of dinners. I like going grocery shopping, so I don't mind. I just make what I feel like making. I don't like to use meat that has been frozen, so I use fresh. I do keep a couple of Schwan's frozen foods though. Their lemon pepper chicken filets are really good. I use them in a lemon pasta dinner. Also, their sliced beef and mashed potato dinner is pretty good for a back up.

I try to mix it up with dinners so that we don't have the same thing too often. I have tons of recipes, so it's easy to do.

About the crock pot, I have put a frozen turkey breast in with some onion, celery and chicken broth and it comes out great. I get a jar of Boston Market turkey gravy, make mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce and Stouffers green bean casserole. Talk about easy and really good.

When I was working full time, I did the same thing. Going to the store after work was relaxing to me. I'd find things to make that didn't take a lot of prep work or long cooking times. My husband would clean the kitchen after dinner, so that was great.

[LarkinJoanna]

My dad used to use that too. He and mom always thawed their chicken in salt water. They said it draws out the blood.

[eaglesprings]

LJ: I have a book (biography) somewhere around here about the founder of Chick Filet. He learned to thaw chicken in salt water. (Whether Chick Filet still does that, I don't know).

[cgwoolf]

Ok first about defrosting. I never defrost in microwave - agree it changes texture and always seems to cook it a little even on defrost. We plan what we are going to eat from Friday to Friday and shop on Thurs or Fri morning. We cook most of the food on the weekends and just nuke it during the week. OR I make crockpot meals or some really easy ones I can do in 30 minutes. If I freeze meat, I vacuum pack it so when I defrost it, I put it in sink of water. Even a frozen roast or chicken will defrost in a day...now of course you would not do that if your house is hot. When I defrost something large like a turkey, I use the guest bathroom tub - fill it with water and submerge the turkey. Turkey is sealed of course and tub has never been used, lol.

Cooking is entertainment to DH and me so we enjoy cooking on the weekends. We fire up the grill and cook several meats at once. I love fresh veggies and potato and rice dishes and pastas are super easy.