Returning to work - trying to be prepared

[brightonshaws]

Hi ladies,

I'm returning to work at the end of next month and I feel the need to be prepared in some form. There's just the 3 of us me , DH and LO (11 months)and I tend to make all meals from scratch each day with the odd lazy day meal or takeaway. When I return to work I only have to provide lunch/ dinner for me and DH Mon- Fri as the nursery will sort LO. I'm looking for some recommendations of some frozen bits to help such as frozen sliced onions etc

Thank you

Batch cooking and slow cooking are great. Through winter especially I couldn't live without my slow cooker- I can cook 1 meal in slow cooker ( let's say a chilli) ready for dh and me when we get home- we eat two portions , freeze two portions. Batch cooking and slow cooking in one fell swoop.

I rely on microwave rice. It comes in portions of two, tastes great and takes two minutes. If you slow cooked or are defrosting a chilli/ curry/ stroganoff it's a god send.

I also make lots of bag and bake food. Wrap chorizo, chunks of red peppers, new potatoes, and paprika in a grease proof paper bag and roast for 45 mins. Top with a fried egg.
Or salmon bagged with chilli, ginger, garlic and soy roasted with steamed broccoli and noodles. ( I chuck the noodles in the steaming water at the end)
sausages, wedged red onion and potatoes with seasoning and some mustard- bagged and baked for forty mins. Of course you don't have to grease proof paper bag everything, but my god it makes washing up easier. ( I don't have a dishwasher)

Expensive but useful are the bags of stir fry veg. With some ready wok noodles you've a practically instant dinner

Another slightly expensive but wonderfully quick option is fresh pasta. Fry lardons, grate cheese and break two eggs- sauce for carbonara done in the three minutes it takes for the pasta to cook. Dinner in five minutes.

great ideas thank you, I've never used the bags