Would you like to know the trick to making “rush hour” {the hour of 4pm-5pm-I know you Ladies know what I’m talking about!} a TON easier?! Prep your dinner in the morning- just after breakfast!
This not only helps carve off 20-30 mins , it also helps with clean-up! You’re already cleaning up after breakfast, so what’s a few more dishes??? Trust me…it’s worth it.
This was my prep-work this morning just to give you an example…. We’re having “Fajita night“!
I washed and sliced green and red peppers and onions.
Sliced half-thawed chicken breasts and cut off fat {it’s way easier to slice half-thawed meat, btw}.
Placed everything in bags that I had on hand and added Italian dressing to everything.
Set it all in the fridge to marinate.
Bad-a-bing- prep work is complete!
Now, when I go to make dinner tonight, I’ll empty the contents of these bags into my wok and stir fry!
Serve this meal with warm tortillas {I use corn or none at all for a GF meal}, and whatever fixings you like….cheese, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, etc!
Now, what to do with you two….hehe.
You have inspired me! I did this for a while but then got out of the habit, and I’m the worst at thinking about dinner at 4:00 -which often leads to us eating out. Thanks for this good word!!!
Wonderful idea Jenell I use the Bag too save alot of time
Love you
Mem
That’s a great idea!! I never thought about, but it makes sense to prep in the morning. Thanks 🙂
Great motivation! Loved this!
I love simple reminders like this!
Thanks Diane!
Good tip for stay-at-home moms but as *most (not all) working women don’t have time to chop, bag, & wash up before leaving for a full-time job. Especially when you live in the burbs & work in the city & have a long commute & have to get your family ready to head out the door as well. This post just makes me even more depressed that I’m away from my family all day while their are people with this much time and ability to be at home to do this. 🙁
I’m so sorry Mary, I can tell you have a lot on your plate. Please know this is certainly not an expectation, just a tip for those who it may work for. Do not feel guilty at all if you can’t cook during this phase in your life….you are right, your life may look differently than mine and if I were in your shoes, I would be ordering pizza 🙂 Much love and prayers for you tonight…Janelle
Mary, I wish I could give you a big hug. I think we all have days where we feel like everyone has it better than we do. I am sure that the last thing Janelle wanted to do was to make you feel bad.
I am a work-at-home mom, so I don’t realy fall into either of these categories. (My office is 75 miles from my home, so I get to work from home for all but about 7 days a year, when I commute in for meetings.) I think all Janelle was saying is that we should look for times to squeeze in some meal prep to make another day easier. In your case I would think doing it at night would work better for you. While you are boiling the water for spaghetti, brown some extra ground beef for tomorrow night’s tacos. Take a few minutes to put some ingredients together to throw in the crockpot in the morning. I have three daughters and some mornings just getting them on the bus feels like I have run a marathon! The last thing that would work for me is food prep in the morning … other than a 5 minute fling into the crockpot.
Awesome suggestions Ann! Thanks for hugging Mary- I wanted to give her a hug too. I worked in the city before I had children …I can’t imagine raising a family and having that responsibility too. I worked from home the first 4 years I had my 2 youngest- I felt like I was half good at everything {or half bad, lol}. I surely would not ever want to discourage any mom…all of our lives look differently and no ones life is perfect {hand raised}…but I am sure grateful to know the end of my story no matter what my life here is like on earth 🙂 Love to you, Janelle
Thanks ladies for your sweet words & encouragement 🙂 they really mean a lot to my tired soul. Hugs Mary
You are so welcome, Mary…I’ll be praying for you- I promise.
Janelle,
I’m fairly new to reading your blog, but I just love your sweet and encouraging nature. Thank you so much for sharing your gift of homemaking, cooking, and hospitality with all of us.
I don’t own a wok. Can fajitas be made just as well without one? Do I need to add oil to the pan when cooking the meat and veggies?
Thank you!!! 🙂 Yes, you can make them in a regular pan.