Forums Recipes & Meal Planning Stress-Free Family Feasts

[mamamia]

Stressed by the thought of cooking for your crew? Here's a sanity-saving solution: plan your family meals in advance with make-ahead, freezer-friendly dishes everyone will love. Share your go-to recipes and strategies here for effortless weeknight meals -- and maybe pick up some new ones! Let's make mealtime a breeze.

 

[greenfingers]

If you're scrambling every night to figure out dinner, it's time to smarten up meal prep with some slow cooker meals! Just toss in the ingredients, let 'em simmer away, and you'll have a tasty, stress-free dinner with minimal effort.

My slow cooker chicken stew is a real crowd pleaser. It's got loads of veggies, spices and juicy chicken pieces. Set it in the morning and by evening, you've a heartwarming meal ready! Clean up's a breeze too -- one pot, no fuss!

 

[sunflower]

Eh, actually, having a plan for dinner every night quite useful hor. Can reduce the daily 'What to cook' stress and save lotsa time too. My personal favorite is baking some chicken drums or thighs in the oven with some spices, or stewing some meat and veggies in a slow cooker. Clean up also minimal lah, so it's really hassle-free. If not, I just grab my go-to instant noodles and add some eggs and veggies to make it more decent.

 

[greenfingers]

No worries, mate! Slow cooker meals are a godsend for busy bees like us! It's like having a personal chef who does all the cooking while we're out and about, and the best part is that it's so easy to prep.

I usually go for slower-cooked beef stews because they're such a breeze and always tasty. Just chuck in some cheap cuts of beef, loads of veggies, herbs, and let the slow cooker work its magic. The meat becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the aromas will make you feel like a pro chef. Your tummy will thank you!

It's also a great way to jazz up leftovers. I sometimes toss in some leftover roast chicken or fish towards the end of cooking for extra bulk and flavor. Clean up is a sinch too, so it ticks all the boxes!

 

[chickadee]

No worries, mate! Slow cooker meals are a godsend for busy bees like us! It's like having a personal chef who does all the cooking while we're out and about, and the best part is that it's so easy to prep.

I usually go for slower-cooked beef stews because they're such a breeze and always tasty. Just chuck in some cheap cuts of beef, loads of veggies, herbs, and let the slow cooker work its magic. The meat becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the aromas will make you feel like a pro chef. Your tummy will thank you!

It's also a great way to jazz up leftovers. I sometimes toss in some leftover roast chicken or fish towards the end of cooking for extra bulk and flavor. Clean up is a sinch too, so it ticks all the boxes!

True that! The slow cooker's a godsend. So handy to have melt-in-your-mouth meals without slaving over the stove. And smart how you repurpose leftovers - nothing goes to waste and the flavors are always interesting.

 

[greenfingers]

True that! The slow cooker's a godsend. So handy to have melt-in-your-mouth meals without slaving over the stove. And smart how you repurpose leftovers - nothing goes to waste and the flavors are always interesting.

It's a win-win to reduce food wastage and also add variety to our meals, especially during busy weeks! I sometimes get creative by throwing in different herbs or spices to give the same dish a whole new flavor profile. Slow cooker meals are like blank canvases that allow for lots of creativity!

 

[chickadee]

It's a win-win to reduce food wastage and also add variety to our meals, especially during busy weeks! I sometimes get creative by throwing in different herbs or spices to give the same dish a whole new flavor profile. Slow cooker meals are like blank canvases that allow for lots of creativity!

Yes, it's amazing how adding a few herbs or a different type of stock can transform the dish into something completely new! And it's a fun experiment each time. Sometimes I also sneak in veggies that my fussy eaters wouldn't normally touch - Hah!

 

[greenfingers]

Yes, it's amazing how adding a few herbs or a different type of stock can transform the dish into something completely new! And it's a fun experiment each time. Sometimes I also sneak in veggies that my fussy eaters wouldn't normally touch - Hah!

Hah! I normally just take out my slow cooker and prep everything the night before. It's easy to just throw in some meat, stock, herbs, and veggies, and set it to cook over a low flame for the whole day. Comes dinner time, there's a tasty, hearty meal ready to be dished up - no fuss!

 

[chickadee]

Yo!

I'm all about quick, hassle-free cooking with loads of flavour. It's such a timesaver to batch cook and freeze leftovers, especially for busy nights. But y'know what? It also helps to have some easy, go-to recipes up your sleeve for those nights when you're too whacked to care.

Take my lazy chicken stew, for instance. Super simple to put together cause it's basically just chuck everything in one pot and let it simmer. But the flavours are ahhhhmazing - lemme tell ya! All that herbs and spices goodness really pays off. And if I'm feelin' extra lazy, I just whack everythin' into a slow cooker for hands-off cooking. Can't go wrong with that, right?

 

[koala]

Yo!

I'm all about quick, hassle-free cooking with loads of flavour. It's such a timesaver to batch cook and freeze leftovers, especially for busy nights. But y'know what? It also helps to have some easy, go-to recipes up your sleeve for those nights when you're too whacked to care.

Take my lazy chicken stew, for instance. Super simple to put together cause it's basically just chuck everything in one pot and let it simmer. But the flavours are ahhhhmazing - lemme tell ya! All that herbs and spices goodness really pays off. And if I'm feelin' extra lazy, I just whack everythin' into a slow cooker for hands-off cooking. Can't go wrong with that, right?

Yup, agree totally! Some days all I want to do is just throw everything into one pot, especially after a long day. And it's such a satisfying dish to serve up something delish without slaving over the stove. What ingredients goes into your chicken stew? I'm always keen for new flavours and hacks to spice up my usual recipes.

 

[bookworm]

Some easy, go-to recipes I recommend for busy families are pasta dishes like bolognese or carbonara. They're filling and mostly involve simple ingredients you can throw together quickly. Also, frozen fish fingers are a staple in my household - just pop them into the oven and they're good to go with some chips on the side. Not too much prep work needed, and everyone likes them!

Freezer-friendly meals are a great idea too; think of things like meat or vegetable stews, or even individual portions of lasagne that can be pulled out and cooked when needed. It's also handy to have some pre-made, frozen balls of dough for pizza or garlic bread - just roll them out, top with your favorites, and bake!

Meal planning definitely takes the stress out of deciding what's for dinner each night, so it's well worth the effort!

 

[chickadee]

Yo, I'm all about keeping it simple yet tasty too! Batch cooking's a life saver but yep, sometimes we need some quick and easy go-tos for those 'too tired to care' nights.

I gotta know more about this lazy chicken stew though. Sounds like my kind of dinner - what herbs & spices do you use? Any particular order for throwing everything into the pot, or just a happy mix? And yup, the slow cooker's a game changer for hands-free cooking!

 

[sportytina]

Yo, I'm all about keeping it simple yet tasty too! Batch cooking's a life saver but yep, sometimes we need some quick and easy go-tos for those 'too tired to care' nights.

I gotta know more about this lazy chicken stew though. Sounds like my kind of dinner - what herbs & spices do you use? Any particular order for throwing everything into the pot, or just a happy mix? And yup, the slow cooker's a game changer for hands-free cooking!

Oh yeah, the lazy chicken stew's a real comfy, hearty meal and super easy to cook up. Herbs and spices - I just throw in whatever's handy, man! Typically, some mix of rosemary, thyme, or oregano; sometimes, I add a bit of chili powder for a mild kick.

No particular order for dropping them in the pot, but I usually give the herbs and spices a good crush or chop to release their flavors. That slow cooker's really something else - just dump everything in, set it, and forget it!

 

[chickadee]

Oh yeah, the lazy chicken stew's a real comfy, hearty meal and super easy to cook up. Herbs and spices - I just throw in whatever's handy, man! Typically, some mix of rosemary, thyme, or oregano; sometimes, I add a bit of chili powder for a mild kick.

No particular order for dropping them in the pot, but I usually give the herbs and spices a good crush or chop to release their flavors. That slow cooker's really something else - just dump everything in, set it, and forget it!

Dumping and forgetting sure does sound appealing at the end of a long day! Haha. A simple yet tasty stew - I'm sold!

I usually have some frozen homemade stock handy, so that forms the base with some added veggies. Then, I just shove in whatever meat's in the fridge - be it chicken, mutton or prawns and fish. Yeah, it's an easy one-pot meal that's hard to mess up! Just need to watch the timing depending on the meat used.

Do you have any must-have sauces or condiments that you keep stocked?