First of all, I have to say that I'm fortunate to have 3 other cooks in the household. But still, I didn't want the burden of meals to fall on the others when they also have lives and work. And, one daughter was sick for a week, so she couldn't help much.
This is how my family managed:
As I mentioned before, I made my own foods in advance to eat for the first few days. I also did some baking last weekend to see my family through the week -- bread, bar cookies, and granola. This saved me from feeling like I needed to get back to work before I was ready.
For the family meals, one daughter had last Friday as her family cooking night. She made us pepperoni pizza, doubling the recipe so that there would be an additional large pizza for this week. On Sunday, she was making a lunch for her boyfriend and his grandparents. Again, she doubled the recipe to save extras for this week. So, Monday and Tuesday, my husband and two daughters had the leftovers from her cooking for the boyfriend and family, reheating the pasta dish and making a fresh salad both nights. Wednesday and Thursday the three of them had the leftover pepperoni pizza with some steamed broccoli one night and Cole slaw and tangerines the second night.
All four nights of this week were super simple for dinner prep, thanks to my daughter doubling 2 meals she was cooking. My other daughter has been able to rest this week and work at regaining her strength. And my husband didn't have to cook at the end of a work day.
My thoughts -- if we ever have a situation like this again, where we know in advance that I will be incapacitated for a couple or a few days, doubling recipes a couple of nights the week in advance would provide enough heat-and-eat meals for the rest of the family to simply serve themselves. This wasn't all planned out in advance. It just sort of came together with the help of the non-sick daughter. But now that I know how well a little extra cooking and baking in advance could make a hard week so much easier, we will work things out in this same way again.
You are spot on about having meals ready to heat in the freezer for emergencies or even just being busy. Take out costs too much and wouldn't have worked at all in your situation. I have adopted that more lately with my busy schedule. My employer moved location so now I have a 30 minute drive and added congestion of traffic so my days are much longer. I have to double up on meals and freeze half or grab take out which I don't love. It has saved me many evenings.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Ugh, Alice. The weather for most of the month has made commuting scary. Stay safe.
DeleteHi Alice,
DeleteI'm sorry you now have a longer commute. I think you're doing well to double meal prep and have some in the freezer for easier meals after a long day of work and commuting. Good luck with this as you adjust to your new commute. Hopefully the weather will improve soon, and the roads won't be so bad for your drive.
No one ever goes hungry at your house, no matter what the circumstances. And, you have nutritious meals, too. At various times, I have used one day to cook or prepare ingredients for the rest of the week. I should probably do that again. I'm glad that you and your daughter on on the mend.
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteI think spending one day a week to cook or prep meals is a great way to save time when you need it. I've done that a little, too. It takes a little bit of planning, but is so worth it.
Thank you --yes, we're so glad our daughter is now doing better. She got pretty sick and felt miserable for what seemed like a long time. I'm glad to see her getting back into life again. And I'm doing a lot better, too. I think I look worse than I feel (bruise/swelling). I went grocery shopping for the first time in a while today. Doing okay.
Your daughter to the rescue! I'm a big fan of doubling meals and freezing half. I like to have a couple of meals sitting in the freezer "just in case".
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is hoping to take a spring term class, which means she will be living in a campus apartment for a month. I am planning on freezing individual meals for her to heat and eat. I don't know how well-stocked the apartments are in terms of cookware, and since it's just a month, this seems to me to be the most logical way for her to get her meals (she can easily manage breakfast and lunch on her own, and there is no meal service provided then).
Kris, I don't think the apartments are stocked with anything. You have to bring all your stuff yourself. I spent a lot of time at garage sales and resale stores stocking up for three kids that lived in the apartments, Could your daughter work at the dining hall for the summer and perhaps get a meal free?
DeleteAlice
Hi Kris,
DeleteThat sounds like a fun opportunity for your daughter. I think you have a great plan -- preparing frozen meals for her. That sounds manageable to do for a month. Is there someone at her school you could reach out to to inquire what the apartments come stocked with? I'm sure they get that question from others and would be happy to provide you with that info.
My daughter's cooking saved the family from dinners of pbj's multiple nights. And I have to say, she makes a pretty good pizza. I didn't try the pasta dish, as it had milk in it. But the grandparents told her she was a good cook. So it must've been tasty.
Good luck with arrangements for your daughter's meals during the spring term.