Quick Meals for Practice Night?

We are done with all the practices and games but I still fall back on my easy to prep meals.

I have a great homemade marinara and I keep at least 1 qt in my fridge at all times and keep at least another qt frozen.

I prep stuffed shells and manicotti in advance and freeze them individually so I can pull out exactly what I need and when. I get my Hot Italian home made Sausages from my butcher and I freeze them individually as well. A quick dinner can be a pasta I have prepped, ravoli that is in the freezer or just spaghetti noodles and sauce.

We also love anti pasta platters. LOVE caprese salad which is easy to put together as well. Bruchetta is tasty and easy.

hope you find some quick meals you like.

I second the upside down dinner (breakfast food). Quick and the kids love it. I also make a chicken divan that is super quick as long as I have the meat pre boiled. It's similar to this http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-chicken-divan/detai.... Easy and the family loves it. And sometimes sloppy joes, which are rather quick.
I also use the crock pot, and have never had a greasy mess. I use very lean meats, though. My stuffed cabbage comes out better in the crock than in the oven.

For on the go:
-Sub sandwiches (salami, sliced cheese, turkey etc)
-wraps (turkey, cheese, shredded lettuce in tortillas, roll, slice)
-leftover breakfast steaks (the thin ones) grilled, mini rolls w/grilled onions
-pizza (cold or warmed & wrapped in dbl foil or p/u on way)
-indiv tupperware containers of salad w/their fave fixings
-grilled cheese sandwiches w/tomato soup
-pb&j, milk in thermos
At home:
-Jack Daniel's premade shredded pork (micro, serve on hamburger buns
& serve w/premade cole slaw)
-tacos (grd beef cooks quickly), flour tortillas (buy pre shredded lettuce/
shredded cheese, dice onions/tomatoes)
-p/u rotisserie chicken & potato salad
-grill chicken slices, veggies night before, serve w/5 min rice

One thing I used to do is cook up a bunch of hamburgers ahead of time and freeze them. That way, all I had to do was grab out the number of hamburgers we needed, nuke them, and quick burgers were made! Much cheaper (and healthier) than stopping at McD's!

That way, we could even eat the burger on the way to practice......

German Pancake is our super quick go-to meal. It is NOT healthy, lol. But it is fast and we always have the ingredients in hand.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place 5 Tbs butter, cut up, in 9x13 pan and set in oven while preheating so the butter will melt. Meanwhile, in a blender, mix 6 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 cup flour. Blend till totally mixed. Pull pan out of oven (it is ok if the butter is slightly browned) and pour batter in pan. Bake 15 min. Cut into squares. serve with jam or syrup on top.

Aside from that, we will do:
Chopped salads (using leftovers or food that I have chopped up earlier in the day- that way we only have to pull stuff out of the fridge. Think lettuce, chopped onion, olives, carrots, beans, sunflower seeds, cheeses, ham, chicken, taco meat, bacon, hard boiled eggs, etc. We also do taco salad a lot.

Chili mac- we make this when we have leftover taco meat. Boiling the noodles takes about 15 min and mixing in the rest of the ingredients maybe 5. I don't use a recipe really- just throw in taco meat, shredded cheese, leftover chopped onions, green peppers, black beans, corn, a can of tomatoes, seasonings.

I have a lot of these evenings each week. When I can I cook on the weekends and cook the long stuff to freeze. Mostly bulk meats so I can rip a ziplock baggie and pop that frozen chunk of meat into a pan with 1/3-1/2 cup water so it doesn't burn or get crunchy, to make it moist again and in less than 15 minutes have a hot meal.

I'll cook a 5-10 lb chub of hamburger meat with no seasonings. I can put it in several quart size freezer bags and that's about 1 1/2-2 lbs in each.

With this cooked HB meat I can fix any meal that needs the meat but since it's cooked it takes off half an hour or so of cooking time.

1 baggie and a couple boxes of hamburger helper.

I can heat up a baggie of meat then add a packet of taco seasoning. In about 10 minutes I have hot and tasty taco meat. I heat up the over and bake the taco shells a very few minutes or I heat flour tortillas on a griddle on a burner. Then all I have to do is grab the shredded lettuce, salsa, tomatoes, shredded cheese, etc....and it's ready.

Paper plates, plastic flatware, etc....all makes the evening go quicker. It doesn't have to be green every night.

If you guys like meat loaf, lasagna, spaghetti sauce, etc...they can all be made on the weekend and frozen. Lasagna can be stored in individual pieces too. I wrap our single servings in saran wrap to keep it from getting dried out then I put it in a glass microwave bowl with a lid. I heat them on 50% so it doesn't make the cheese yucky but the center gets hot. Slow reheat...instead of pop it in for 1 minute on high.

I get those 10 lb bags of frozen chicken leg quarters and boil them up as is.

The skin and bones make the water turn into an awesome chicken broth.

I cook them until they just about fall apart. Leave the water/broth on the stovetop and keep it at a simmer. Then I take them out of the water with a scoop slotted spoon. You have to let them cool a bit or they'll burn your hands.

When you start deboning the meat put the skin and bones back in the water/broth. As it keeps simmering it cooks down some and the bones and skin make it flavorful and rich.

When the chicken is all off the bone you can put it into bags according to what you want to make with it. I cut some up in small pieces but most of them are just torn uneven chunks.

I pop a bag of chicken in a pan of boiling broth, get it boiling again in about 10 minutes and pop in some torn up biscuits. Very quick and home made chicken and dumplings.

You can take a bag and dump it into a microwave bowl with a small amount of water to thaw and reheat it for just about any recipe.

I make sour cream chicken enchiladas. Does take longer since it has to bake to make the cheese melt deep inside the flour tortillas. Flour tortillas, shredded monterey jack cheese, filling...chicken, some sour cream, taco seasoning, chopped green chilis, monterey jack cheese, etc. Roll up and put in greased 9X13 pan. Top with cheese and cover with oiled foil, so cheese won't stick to the foil, and heat 350 degrees until cheese is melted inside.

Any recipe that uses meat can be made in about 1/4 - 1/2 the time they would normally take if the meat or other main ingredients are already cooked.

We have crockpot meals on practice nights. Wouldn't be sane without them!

I like to make double of certain things and freeze the second portion for quick meals.
Taco meat and pasta sauce are two favorites. While the taco meat warms up just chop up your taco fixins and grate some cheese and you're good to go. You can have it any way: in taco shells/tortillas, over crushed tortilla chips, whatever. Pasta is an easy no brainer, heat up the sauce and boil the noodles. Frozen garlic bread takes only ten minutes. Easy peasy.
Having cooked chicken on hand is good too. Our two quickie favorites are chicken and cheese quesadillas and chicken pasta alfredo (the sauce is nothing more than butter, cream and parmesan and it cooks up quickly while the pasta boils.) I usually toss in some zucchini or broccoli as the noodles finish cooking.
If your family likes stir fry that's super fast too, especially if you have the veges/onions pre sliced. Any time I make rice (whether it's steamed or fried) I freeze extra portions because, again it's the kind of thing that heats up well and rounds out many meals.
I know what you mean about the crockpot, especially anything that requires canned soup, I always feel like those meals are nothing more than a gloopy, salty, fatty mess! But keep trying, I have found some decent recipes for things like pulled pork and short ribs, and that kind of meat is usually good for two or more meals. And there are some really good bean soup recipes out there too, but I know most kids don't like bean soup so that probably doesn't help.

Costco has these big bags of Mediterranean Quinoa with Spinach and Feta in the frozen food section. Each bag has 5 smaller bags inside of it. Pop one in the microwave for 4 minutes, add some canned wild salmon or chicken, and it's fantastic. My 3 year old begs me for it. My 7 year old is hesitant to try new foods, so he turned down my first several invitations to have some, but the other day he ate it and loved it.

Less than 5 minutes of prep time--tons of protein. I add extra spinach to ours.

J.,

Crock pots should NOT be a greasy mess!! I don't have that problem!!

We have soccer and La Crosse now. What do we do?

I have meatloaf made ahead (I might make two or three loaves, wrap it well, freeze it and then pull it out and defrost it).

Enchiladas (you can make these ahead as well) put in an aluminum tray and wrap well. Pull out the morning you need them. Put them in the oven on LOW to 200 BEFORE you go to the game or practice and will be done by the time you get home.

Hot dogs and chips!! Boil water and put the hot dogs in - VIOLA!! Dinner in minutes!!

Put spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker with meat balls - put a pan of water on the stove before you leave - then turn it on when you get home and noodles and dinner should be ready in 15 minutes.

Whole chicken - put in oven in a baking bag with chicken broth and cut potatoes - and seasonings - place in oven at 300 to 350 BEFORE practice - should be done by the time you get home...if you need time to shower to get the sweat off - you should have time.

Set the table before you leave...have cups/glasses out and ready to be used when you get home...

Salads with meat - chopped chicken are good and fast too.

We also buy the Bertolli's bags of pasta and meat - done in 10 minutes.

During sports seasons - I typically have two or three pounds of Mexican seasoned meat on hand - easy warm up - and make great nachos, tacos or burritos!!

A crock pot is your best friend for this.
You can have chili ready and waiting for you when ever you need it.

My older kids have a ton of evening activities and my younger kids start getting nutty at 4:30pm, so I cook fast - a lot!!!

The key is to keep your fridge and pantry stocked with ingredients so you are not wasting time standing in front of an open fridge thinking, "What can I make with peanut butter and lettuce?"

A huge time saver that I learned from all the Food Network shows I watch is to gather all your ingredients, put them on your work space and do all your prep FIRST! Cut your vegetables, wash your potatoes, chop your garlic, get your olive oil and stirring spoons etc., so that when you are in front of the stove, you are cooking (instead of leaving the stove to hunt for an egg in the fridge). Everything should be ready and within your reach. Cooking is quicker and more enjoyable this way.

Favorite fast meals:

Pastas: angel hair with olive oil & garlic, pasta with marinara sauce, ziti with sausage and broccoli rabe.

Eggs: omelets or frittatas

Chicken breasts: with garlic and lemon sauce, with sautéed peppers and mushrooms with marinara sauce

Stir fry: chicken tenders/strips and vegetables over rice

Loaded baked potatoes: (microwave the potatoes)

Nachos with all the fixings or tacos or burritos with Spanish rice.

Lastly, I make "cooking quickly" a group effort. I put on some good music and my big kids set the table. My little kids pick up toys from the floor while I cook. I put an empty laundry basket in each room. The little kids put toys and books in the basket. Is it perfectly clean? No. But it keep them busy and away from the hot stove while I make dinner.

Keep Cooking!
T. Y
SAHM of 5
(13, 12, 6, 4 & 2)

Grilled cheese, French toast, pancakes, Hamburger Helper, spaghetti, quesadillas, hot dogs...

I second the crockpot. Look up the crockpot 365 website which changed the way I use mine completely.

I like to make a big meal on the weekends, like meatloaf or lasagna, that the whole family likes, and then we have the leftovers on nights that are busy, like the night our dd has class at church.

Or breakfast for dinner is quick. pancakes, eggs, that sort of thing doesn't take long to make.

Your meat takes the longest to cook so it's best to have it precooked or grill it or in small pieces to cook quickly. Once you know what the meat is going to be, everything else falls in place.

Look up ways to use Rotisery chicken. Buy one and use it for meals three ways. Take all the meat off. Use it for just the chicken itself one night with microwaved sweet potatoes and a veggie or salad. Make a casserole on Sunday to bake or warm up on Monday. Something like chicken spaghetti.
Use it for chicken tacos. Warm it on the stove with salsa and place it in a corn tortilla with all the fixins or make a quesadilla with it.

Cook on the weekends and eat all week.

Pulled pork or beef sandwiches. Cook meat overnight or in oven on weekends. Simmer in crockpot. Reheat on week nights.
Tacos, chicken on pita for a small pizza (cooked chicken-BBQ sauce-cheese/other toppings), breakfast for supper

Grilled cheese, grilled hamburgers, greenies salad, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, breaded chicken tendeoins...

We have baseball games 3-4 nights per week. What helps me a LOT is making 2 or 3 things on Sunday: batch of meatballs, chili, soup, meatloaf, pepperoni rolls, then it gets us through at least midweek.

Sometimes, if a game is early? Protein bar before & dinner AFTER.

I do a lot of cooking in bulk, separate it into family size portions and put them in those disposable pans. I freeze them and then can pop one in the oven whenever. That has been a big help. Also, the crock pot. I know you said it's not your favorite, but I've found tons of recipes that turn out great- especially chicken breast recipes that you can put over rice. Not greasy at all!

rotisseries should be your friend. You can make chicken tacos, chicken sandwiches, chicken with pasta, veggie and butter w parmesan cheese.

bertolli frozen meals are very good, jus add broccoli or peas

nothing wrong with PBJ's, cereal, frozen pancakes, egg salad sandwiches, hot dogs, ham & cheese sandwiches, spaghetti

Crock pot. Greasy definitely should not be. Crock pot lasagna, pot roast,
Soup, kielbasa and sauerkraut, hot dogs and beans. Hamburgers and fries. If you are getting in late afternoons and your family wants dinner in 10 minutes, I think they need to learn patience. You can also cook and freeze.

I have 2 very fast go to meals when I don't want to cook or don't have anything ready. I always keep in the pantry premade tostada shells, refried beans, canned chili and boxed mac and cheese.

Tostadas are super fast and easy and everyone in the family likes them. Its just tostada shells, refried beans, shredded lettuce and cheese (I always have these in the fridge) and salsa and hot sauce if you want it.

The other recipe is chili mac. Make 2 boxes of mac and cheese, add 2 cans of your favorite chili, mix, heat up and eat. I serve with green beans and biscuits if I have time. Everyone likes this too.