Survived first week of swim/menu help please

[Scarlett]

It was rough---the first week of swim. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for 45 minutes. 15 minutes into town. However, we did it. We even managed to get to Bible Study both nights that we were suppose to be there. However, I didn't cook ONE single night--unless you count the night I made ds8 bacon and biscuits. I lucked out in that dh had 2 business dinners...so he wasn't home expecting supper.

 

Anyway, that can't continue of course. So I need a plan. I have 4 nights of getting home at 5:30 or so and 2 of those nights (wed/thursday)we have to leave for Bible study at 7:00. I need a couple of menu ideas that I can cook early in the day and/or something that will have plenty of leftovers.

 

Oh and ds is loving swim. Loves, loves, loves it. Sure motivates him to get school work done. So that part is great.

 

Ok, hit with your menu plans!

[Marie in Oh]

I have 4 kids in athletics and we are out of the house at least 3 nights a week, and Wednesdays for AWANA. I use my crock pot alot. Some things I do:

 

Chicken Breasts, Rice, Black Beans and a jar of salsa- shred the chicken when done, and serve in tortillas with cheese and sour cream.

 

Traditional Roast with carrots and potatos

 

French Dip: A roast with 2 cups of water, a tsp of thyme, a tsp of crushed garlic, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, shred meat and serve on Kaiser Rolls and dip in the juice.

 

Parmasan Chicken: Chicken Breasts, Jar of sauce, last half hour, cover with parmasan and mozz cheeses, serve on spaghetti noodles.

 

Sloppy joe meat- brown meat, throw in crock pot, cover with sauce, serve on buns.

 

Crock Pot lasagna- I just layer things like I would in a traditional 9 X 13 pan and cook on low all day or from noon on on high.

 

That's all I can think of right now. Hope that helps.

[Scarlett]

 

Chicken Breasts, Rice, Black Beans and a jar of salsa- shred the chicken when done, and serve in tortillas with cheese and sour cream.

 

Traditional Roast with carrots and potatos

 

French Dip: A roast with 2 cups of water, a tsp of thyme, a tsp of crushed garlic, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, shred meat and serve on Kaiser Rolls and dip in the juice.

 

Parmasan Chicken: Chicken Breasts, Jar of sauce, last half hour, cover with parmasan and mozz cheeses, serve on spaghetti noodles.

 

Sloppy joe meat- brown meat, throw in crock pot, cover with sauce, serve on buns.

 

Crock Pot lasagna- I just layer things like I would in a traditional 9 X 13 pan and cook on low all day or from noon on on high.

 

That's all I can think of right now. Hope that helps.

 

Very helpful! Thank you. How long do you cook those things? 6-8 hours?

 

And the first one...do you put the rice and beans in the crock pot too? Uncooked? That sounds delicious, but I have to have details...how much, what form, and how long to cook. :)

[Marie in Oh]

Very helpful! Thank you. How long do you cook those things? 6-8 hours?

 

And the first one...do you put the rice and beans in the crock pot too? Uncooked? That sounds delicious, but I have to have details...how much, what form, and how long to cook. :)

 

I usually cook the rice and put it in -we usually have left over rice and I just dump that in, and I will cook beans from dry or will just dump in a can of them. What ever I have. I typically use 2 cans of black beans, 1-2 cups of rice and three chicken breasts, and about 8 ounces of salsa. You could probably half that.

 

Yes, I cook them all about 6-8 hours on low, or I will start at noon, cook on high til we leave the house and turn it on low when I leave the house. THe sloppy joes could be done right before you leave and kept warm for when you get home. THe roasts definitely need 8 hours.

[Storm Bay]

Once swim team start, it's 4 nights a week, 1 hour for my 10 yo, then 1.5 hours or 2 for my eldest. I make lunch our dinner and have it as the big meal of the day. I make a plate fore dh to put into the oven. We pack a "lunch" for supper.

[Lolly]

Welcome to the swim family!

 

Dh googles crock pot recipes on a regular basis for us to have for dinner. I do the shopping and the cooking. I put it in at lunchtime, and it's ready for dinner.

[Scarlett]

 

I usually cook the rice and put it in -we usually have left over rice and I just dump that in, and I will cook beans from dry or will just dump in a can of them. What ever I have. I typically use 2 cans of black beans, 1-2 cups of rice and three chicken breasts, and about 8 ounces of salsa. You could probably half that.

 

Yes, I cook them all about 6-8 hours on low, or I will start at noon, cook on high til we leave the house and turn it on low when I leave the house. THe sloppy joes could be done right before you leave and kept warm for when you get home. THe roasts definitely need 8 hours.

 

 

Quick question Marie..do you put the chicken breasts in frozen? I am assuming you mean the smaller frozen chicken breasts? I guess it won't matter much on the size. I can adjust to to how much meat we want in the mix, but I do need to know whether they go in frozen or thawed.

 

I'm making this tomorrow. I printed off your list and I'm going to make one a week and try them all. Thanks.!

[Ottakee]

Check out this blog http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

 

She is cooking in the crock pot every day this year. She has lots of simple recipes and most are inexpensive as well. Fix It and Forget It is a series of crock pot cook books. Check them out at the library to see if they meet your needs.

 

I LOVE my crock pot. I have 3 of them going right now--hot dogs in one, chili in one and cheese sauce in the last one. I am having 30 teens over after church.

 

We don't have organized sports but the girls and I have horses so we go riding/to the barn almost every afternoon and I LOVE to come home at 5 or 5:30 to supper ready to go. Most of the clean up is done before noon as well which is nice.

[Alenee]

My all-time favorite crock-pot roast:

 

Big roast

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

either: garlic and onion powder/salt OR 1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 c water

 

Mix everything but roast in crockpot. Add roast. Cook on low for 6-9 hours or on high for 4 hours. On low, it falls apart and is very tender. On high, it's a bit tougher but at least it's meat! ;)

[at the beach]

We swim, too, year round now. My dd 9 loves it as well. All I can say is that I second the crock-pot ideas. Crock pots are wonderful, and I really need to get mine out. The only other suggestion I have for you is cooking and freezing meals. There are also some recipes out there for marinating things like chicken and then freezing. You can just take it out the day before, then quickly cook it since it's already marinated.

 

Have fun with swim team!

 

Anita

[Storm Bay]

Scarlett

 

Last time I tried to answer this, I became signed out. This is re: frozen chicken & beans. No, you shouldn't slow cook meat or poultry that is still frozen. At least, that's what I read when I had my slow cooker, and it makes sense.

 

As for beans, dried beans should be soaked first.

[Scarlett]

Scarlett

 

Last time I tried to answer this, I became signed out. This is re: frozen chicken & beans. No, you shouldn't slow cook meat or poultry that is still frozen. At least, that's what I read when I had my slow cooker, and it makes sense.

 

As for beans, dried beans should be soaked first.

 

Ah, yes, that does make sense. Thanks so much!

[In The Great White North]

I not only thaw it, I brown it first (except corned beef.) I thought that was the "norm."

 

The crock pot I like best for this sort of thing is metal, so I can brown the meat in it on the stove, then set it on the "tray" of the crock pot for the rest of the day.

[mcconnellboys]

I second using the crockpot! I have a swimmer and a soccer player who both practice at the same time (for 2 hours!) We don't get home any night until 8:30. The crockpot is the only way to go. In fact, I'm thinking of getting another one for a side dish!

 

Things I do in the crockpot:

 

Gumbo (can vary, but generally includes sausage, chicken, shrimp, roux, gumbo filet, tobasco, worchestershire, bay leaves, pepper, diced tomatoes, green pepper, celery, chicken stock to start it off....) I do rice on the side and let it sit.

 

Roast (what Marie said w/ onions, garlic, celery, carrot, potatoes of some sort, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, maybe some wine, pepper, a couple of packs of gravy mix shaken up with water and poured in for instant gravy....)

 

BBQ Pork Roast (add BBQ sauce and a little water to cook, shred and serve on buns)

 

Red beans and rice (the rice I do on the side early and let it sit - recipe set up is pretty much the same as for gumbo, but no stock, no roux, no filet, no meats except sausage)

 

Beef stew (set up is pretty much the same as for a beef roast, but instead of making gravy, I use beef stock to start it off, and cubed beef, of course)

 

Meat for tacos or a spaghetti meat sauce may be done by browning the beef and then placing in the crockpot to stay warm with any sauce needed.

 

Lately, I've been making a stewed chicken dish, too, using skinless, boneless thighs, which my guys prefer. I add a can of golden mushroom and a can of cream of celery (etc.) with about a can of water to make a gravy. I beef it up with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic and onion, worchestershire, and maybe a little cheese or sour cream and some cooking sherry. It makes a nice, richly flavored sauce. I do have to spoon off the grease that rises to the top, even though I'm using skinless thighs. I also add some sliced carrots to it. I serve it over rice that I've made on the side.

 

I've tried making jambalaya in my crockpot, but the mixture I use turns out gummy rice at the end and we don't like it, so I've gone back to making it my old way, in the oven.

 

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck to you with your swimming!

[Scarlett]

Thanks everyone. I do have a crockpot but I think I need/want a new one....what kind do you all have? I have an old (and I mean OLD) one that does not have the removable crock...It works fine, but it is not big as I'd like at times...even for only 3 of us.

[annabanana1992]

Welcome to the world of competitive swimming! 3 swimmers, 5 practices a week for 2 hours - dinner, what's dinner????

 

Dinner in the early afternoon and then a lunch later works well and of course the crockpot. The other key is to double up - make twice as much on a night home - like Sunday and eat it twice in a row. Salad and bread is great too. My kids love Chicken caesar, taco salad, etc. Get components ready ahead of time and then throw together - no heating required.

[Mommyfaithe]

Once swim team start, it's 4 nights a week, 1 hour for my 10 yo, then 1.5 hours or 2 for my eldest. I make lunch our dinner and have it as the big meal of the day. I make a plate fore dh to put into the oven. We pack a "lunch" for supper.

 

This is what we do too...Most of the time. WEe are 30 minutes from the pool and some nights we are the 3 hours! UGH!! 4-5 nights a week. Crock Pot, rice cooker (A LIFE SAVER!) pressure cooker (pot roast in 45 minutes) sandwiches and the old standbys, nachos, omelets, cereal, soup re-heated, grilled cheese, quesadillas....anything quick and easy.

 

~~Faithe