Timesaving,meals and how to keep juggling work and home life.

[namechangefortoday543]

Hi all
I thought a thread for us to talk about time saving tips, how to eat healthy quick meals and keep a balance between work and home.

I was a SAHM in the early days but Im one of those people who needs the time pressure to get on with things so WOH is better for me and my MH.
I was a terrible procrastinator and really couldn't be bothered to really crack on and get things done.
DH and I have our own chores and generally both pitch in.

My best tips are :
Set up online shopping - it takes minutes to do the shop,I do it while I watch Saturday Kitchen
Meal plan: saves time and money .
Use your slow cooker - I set up the next days meal in it and place in the fridge and then take it out and whack on in the morning.
We have lots of casseroles, bolognese, tuna pasta bake,veggie curries and its lovely coming home and dinner is ready plus not too many pots and pans.
I have 2 really good slow cooker cookbooks-by Judith Finlayson
Get milk delivered.
I did school laundry on a Friday night and had it dried and hung up so that I don't have to run around looking for it and washing on the weekend.
keep a big stock of cards, wrapping paper and buy presents online.
My DC pack their own lunches the night before and are responsible for getting up on time and all their own stuff. no mollycoddling here
Pay bills as soon as they come in,deal with letters etc

We have periods when we are shockingly bad, some when we are angelic, and mostly a middle of the range time.

I used to do a roast dinner on a Sunday, but DD won't eat those anymore. But it is a good time to do a decent meal as I have time, and I generally do a dinner for Monday while I am at it.

So this week, the spag bol sauce is made on the cooker, with enough for 2 more portions for freezer, and all DH has to do tonight is heat it up and cook the pasta.

Other good "Monday dinners" include curries like Lamb Rogan Josh or Chicken Bhuna, or Chilli con carne (or vegetarian chilli). Shepherds pie, smoked haddock and broccoli pie, or lasagna are all good to put in the oven on the timer.

The second half of those dinners is always frozen, and used again in the middle of the next couple of weeks (usually not the same week so we don't get bored).

Tuesday, I will often have a traditional "meat and 2 veg" type dinner. Meat stays fresh from weekend shopping, I'll peel potatoes on Monday night and leave soaking in water (or occasionally even Sunday), and I generally have the veg prepared the night before as well.

Wednesday has to be fast to get DD out to training - so HM pizza (buy bases, add sauce, grated mozzarella and whatever we fancy that night on top) is a favourite. Or gorgonzola pasta as that takes only minutes. Sometimes it's just cheese on crackers and then dinner after training.

Thursday is often freezer night - portions of HM dinners or convenience food.

Friday is usually takeaway or something like an M&S meal.

I am in a slightly bad rut at the moment, but I used to be good about having things ready to cook quickly when I get in. I try and do the prepwork the night before after dinner, so I can just cook quickly when I get in at 6, while trying to supervise homework and getting the day squared away.

Things like chopping chicken and putting it in a freezer bag with marinade (especially for things like chicken tikka masala in chunks, or maybe thighs/drumsticks with oliveoil/lemon/garlic and herbs to roast quickly).

I do medditeranean veggies too - dice up (to equal sized chunks) things like onion, garlic, tomatoes, courgette, peppers and mushrooms (DH and DD not fans of aubergine or I'd have those too) with seasoning, olive oil and balsamic vinegar - overnight if possible - and roast for 20-40 mins depending on size of chunks. Great veg dish as a side, and leftovers freeze well to add to a jar of tomato sauce with pasta, and some meat of some sort (chicken, bacon pieces, prawns, meatballs). I tend to do big batches of it, as the leftovers are so handy - and I tried freezing half a batch before cooking recently and they were just as good cooked from frozen. I'd always have frozen peas for fast veg, and tinned corn as well.

I have a mix of HM dinners from the basic spices and others using good jars/sauces. So I try to do stirfry type meals a lot, but prep the veg the night before and have in airtight tubs. I've learned how to do HM potato wedges rather than using a packet mix or running to takeaway for chips - and we always have oven chips and some fish in batter or similar in the freezer for emergency nights. My storecupboard is well stocked too, so I can make a meal from tins/jars that is still pretty tasty and decent food. I keep things like bacon lardons (I get the Lidl double pack) in the fridge which are long lasting but versatile, and cooked prawns in freezer to throw into a jar of sauce. I always have raw chicken, and I try to have some of that diced before freezing; usually sausages and meatballs, and some fish (salmon darnes or cod fillets) and meat (lamb chop, pork chop, steak) that I can take out the night before. And I usually have some fresh pasta, either tagliatelle or ravioli/tortellini types, in the fridge as well, and always lots of cheese.

I recently had a period where I managed to get a few batches of HM tomato sauce into freezer in 1 meal portions. Very useful. I also have a few portions of 1 cup of fried onion and garlic there at the moment - which is about the same as 1 onion and 1 clove garlic - that being the slow part of starting meals, and the basis of a LOT of ours, it seemed sensible.

Some leftover roast meats are also great from freezer - very thinly sliced beef or pork can go into Chinese sauces with a few fresh veg.

Generally, starting logically:

Get home from work, get dinner started, get DD doing homework, empty bags of lunchboxes and tidy up, check post, put dry clothes in clean laundry basket, empty washing machine to clothes horse/tumble drier/washing line depending on weather and needs, start prep work for tomorrow, serve dinner.

After dinner, finish prep work (school/work lunches, and for next night's dinner), washup, get DD organized for bed, get out all clothes for tomorrow, get next washing load organized, sweep kitchen/dining floor. (Order often juggled).

Mornings are ruthless efficiency - up, dressed, fed, lunches in bags, and out the door.

Laundry - we wash almost daily to keep on top of it all, certainly 4+ loads/week. But clean, dry clothes go straight into the dry clothes hamper where they can be rummaged if something is needed urgently. DH (or I) fold those at a time that suits once a week (often DH while watching a movie with DD on Saturday early evening) and we put them in the hot press then. DH and I each put away our own piles as it suits from HP. We do DD's either straight from folding if early enough, or else the next day. DH does the ironing on a Sunday night while I am tackling kitchen duties.

Lunches - we make the night before mostly. I have salad, so I prep 2 days together (it keeps, and it's easier to do in bulk). DH takes sandwiches, so he makes those after dinner. DD used to have a mix of stuff, but recently just wanted hot stuff in her food flask (quiche, chicken wings, leftover pasta from dinner etc) so we only do that in the mornings. She's also having cooked breakfast too (gone off cereal) so the oven is usually on anyway (ham and cheese jambons are popular, or pudding (Clonakilty), sausage rolls etc). She needs feeding up so it works for us.

Cleaning - we do in a couple of hours at the weekend. Kitchen is kept pretty clean anyway as we go along. But we do bathrooms, empty bins, hovering, mopping and dusting most weeks. Changing sheets and towels are Saturday jobs too. More in-depth cleaning is a bit ad-hoc. Emptying kitchen bins is whenever needed, as we clear away after dinner.

It's generally organized enough, but sometimes it falls apart a little. But we get there.

In contrast to quite a lot of you, I can't cook a meal for the DCs when we all get home (they are small, and won't wait/behave during the time I would take to actually cook, not even pasta or rice with reheated sauce) which is why we do packed tea in the fridge ready for them.

I also feel like my life has been taken over by washing if I do it every night (especially as we are already washing nappies every 2-3 days) so we do huge loads on Friday (cleaner hangs it up) and at the weekend.

Biddy I had no idea what Clonakilty was but it looks like a kind of black pudding - is that really what your DD wants for breakfast? Erm, unusual!

Those of you who have slow cookers what make do you have .Would quite like to get into them again but found our old one was too small for effectively five adults

Drspouse yes - it's black pudding and white pudding. Being Irish, it's generally part of an Irish fry. DD has slightly strange tastes, and while we don't have a fry too often, it would usually be a weekend morning meal. She has just taken to pudding on its own recently (we went through a spate of chicken breast and wedges from the hot food counter of local small supermarket a while ago). She's not the best at eating though and also incredibly active (ADHD and lots of sports on top of that!), only on 2nd centile for her age for weight (and only 4th for height), so if it's something substantial that she will eat - we'll accept. And also accept a handful of crackers and cheese, or something else vaguely healthy, being eaten while dinner is cooking.

Marking place. I work p/t, have a toddler & DH is a f/t student. I have dietary issues, so "family meals" are sometimes a problem for us, we have to have different options/elements for DH, DD & me.

I walk to work, we drop DD off at nursery on the way, it's a few minutes away. We don't have a car (don't want one except it would be useful for going on holiday & days out), this saves lots of money.

Online shop, & occasional top up shop at the local supermarkets.

I am going to start preparing my breakfasts for the week in advance - one of my dietary issues is new & a real pain so I need to be more organised. I always do my lunch in advance, if I relied on the work canteen I would have a plain baked potato almost every day.

Laundry - plan around the weather - we have no tumble drier so always wash lots when the weather is sunny. In winter the basket is always overflowing...

We are going to start using the slow cooker more.

Just delurking to say hello I'm struggling to manage everything at the moment so hoping to pick up lots of tips. Things I already do to make life a bit easier - milk delivery and often add other bits and pieces on to the order. Huge online shop once a month to fill up on groceries and fill freezer with meat, fish fruit etc (have second freezer in garage), then just pick fresh stuff up a couple of times a week from tesco next door to work. We have a clean as you go rule so I don't often need to do a 'big' clean - would love a cleaner but can't afford it. Overnight oats for me and do made before bed, lunches in fridge ready. I also blitz onion, carrot & celery and freeze portions for cooking. Also make mini portions of meals to freeze so ds has a good effortless lunch when he's at home.

Things I struggle with - mornings! Ds has just started nursery and despite getting us up at 5.30 every day I still feel like I'm rushing. He's overtired and grumpy, hates getting dressed and is generally a pain in a morning so I'm knackered and stressed before I even get to work. Preparing dinner - I get in at 6.30, dp at 7.30 so I get in and do bath stories and bed with ds, not even starting to think about dinner before 8.

Add in to the mix moving house next week

Gosh, up at 5.30, no wonder you/he are grumpy!

Various things that have helped with mornings at various times for babies/toddlers are: milk in their hand before they get out of the bed/cot, eases nappy change/dressing. Breakfast on the table the night before. Including kettle filled, coffee in coffee pot, cup/spoon on table, milk (if not handed over in cot) in cup/bottle in fridge ready.
All bags in car (or by front door) the night before. Coat and hat on buggy if going out with buggy. Buggy packed and buggy board attached and rain cover poised if going out with buggy. Sling by front door or with my coat if using it (I use it to carry DD into nursery so I can escort DS more safely).
All items needed downstairs, come downstairs in one trip including children. I now have an excuse (crawling DD) to shut the stair gate in the morning to stop DS going back upstairs. I try to avoid going back up myself too.
YouTube video as bribe for DS to sit still after doing his teeth, while I do mine and throw on some makeup.
DD stays in highchair while we all get ready, grabbed at last minute though pre-removal nappy sniff is a must.

Oh and bath for me the night before (couldn't do a shower every morning), my alarm on for 10 mins before the Gro clock so I can (sometimes) get dressed in peace!

I work full time, so does DP. I leave by 7:30, home by 7ish usually.

Those with slow cookers - I do all meat from raw, I can't be arsed to brown! I do Jamie's basics Bolognese with raw beef / pork and no added water, comes out perfect. Also lamb tagines, gammon with just a splash of water / cider / apple juice, whole chickens, all manner of stews.

Otherwise - cleaner for 2 hours a week (forces us to tidy regularly), and just started having someone come to cut the lawns / weed / trim hedges. He charges £20 and comes twice a month - bargain in my eyes.

Otherwise, do admin as it arrives, all e-billing, all direct debits, all as close to payday as possible.

DP does all school runs (he works 2 miles from home) and ironing. I wash at the weekends but also tend to do an odd wash or two in the week. Hang clothes on hangers and on a rail, then into wardrobes. He irons as required. Tumble all undies, towels, bedding etc.

DD 8 has a biscuit at home, then breakfast, lunch and tea at before school club / school / after school club. She then has supper with us, or something smaller if she ate lots of tea. She's just turned veggie and after school have got things sorted better now so she is just having a snack at home more now, which is easier for me.

We're low carbing so dinner is often meat / cheese / olives. Otherwise burgers, steaks or chicken wrapped in bacon with frozen veg. Cabbage carbonara is a recent discovery - yum!

englishgirl that early-waking toddler / nursery stage is hard going!

duck I do keep telling myself that it can't last forever. I actually think it would be harder to be a SAHM at this stage though - I feel like I get a bit of breathing space at work. I can't imagine full on 14 hour toddler madness 7 days a week!

EnglishGirl you have my sympathies! Our DS is 4 and we're lucky if he sleeps past 5.30am. We're up at 6 in the week (DS gets in with us for a snuggle for a bit) and supposed to leave the house by 7.50 but rarely get out before 8. I always feel like I'm rushing too. DS has started to get himself dressed which is a help, and he watches TV while he eats his breakfast which means I can get on with making lunches, feeding pets, etc. I'm never organised enough to have everything ready the night before, although I really need to get into the habit of it, it does save time! I'm usually knackered by the time I get in from work and have made dinner though.

DH will put DS to bed (won't bath him though) and will wash up and Hoover but he won't cook. Ever. I usually get in from work and he's watching TV on the sofa waiting for me to get DS to bed and then make dinner. Or he'll have put DS to bed if I'm late in but will be waiting for me to make dinner. He doesn't help at all in the mornings either. Although he did iron all his shirts for the week yesterday, which was a nice surprise!

Sorry to sound so dense but was is WOHP?

(Am sure it's not World of Harry Potter )

Work Outside the Home Parent

Aaah thanks!