Dinner has been a challenge lately because there is so much going on with the end of the school year. Between the activities, events, games, and emotions we have to fit dinner somewhere! I have been thankful several times this week because I did take a minute to plan and a couple of hours to semi-prep our dinners. This is what we have had (as well as a few reactions!).
Monday: Spaghetti with green salad
Tuesday: Baked potato bar with cheese, cream, and bacon, as well as broccoli
Wednesday: Lox and bagels with sliced cucumbers
Thursday: French bread breakfast bake—this was a huge hit and I will definitely have to write down a recipe to share!
Friday: Taco bar with queso and chips (and Nancy D is also hoping for churros, we’ll see!)
Saturday: We’re going to a friend’s wedding!
Sunday: Phad Thai noodles with cucumber salad and maybe peanut sauce and sticky rice
The week days, particularly Monday through Thursday, are just jammed with so many activities and responsibilities that it can be difficult to have dinner in a timely way and fit it among the activities. The semi-prepping does really help and it is easily accomplished for things that will not mind a bit of time in the refrigerator in their semi-prepped state. This week I did…
Cheese:
I grated cheddar for three separate dinners all at once and stored the cheddar in separate containers in the refrigerator. Using the grater once cuts down on time spent getting out equipment, grating, and washing the equipment afterwards.
Meats:
I salted ground beef for tacos, seasoned and cooked ground turkey for the breakfast bake (I used the same pan for cooking mushrooms—see below—which cut down on the number of pots to wash), cooked and crumbled bacon for the potato bar, and seasoned the salmon to cure it for lox and bagels.
Vegetables:
I sliced and cooked mushrooms for the breakfast bake, broke down broccoli florets and stems for the baked potato bar, and cut the cabbage for the tacos. I opted to not break down and wash the lettuce ahead of time because I purchased iceberg lettuce and that lettuce turns brown easily once it is torn up.
Since I re-used equipment and focused myself on slicing, shredding, and cooking, I was ready to put together several dinners this week in little time. Try it out! Let me know how semi-prepping works for you or if you have questions about how to semi-prep one of your favorite dinners!
