Looking for Make-ahead Dinner Solutions

Hi there! I know some of the responses are very good and I second many of the suggestions...I am a big crock pot user...I know you are not a fan but it does depend on the recipe.....I use it to mainly make meat dishes and I make the potato, rice, veggie for the side dish... Allrecipes.com is very good to get quick recipes including crock pot. Try just preparing the meat recipes in the crockpot...It saves so much time...I am in the same boat you are...I have three kids, 4, 2 and 7 weeks old and will be back to work soon....I don't want my time after work to be monopolized by cooking either...Good luck

I often make soup when I have extra time, and then we just heat it up with something quick -- quesadillas, sandwiches, etc.-- and then we get a healthy meal that is easy and nutritious. Lots of times my kids will eat vegetables or grains in a soup that they would be reluctant to try. For recipes, try www.welcomingkitchen.blogspot.com.

I have a couple good ones. I am not fond of "casserole" food so my make aheads are just the protein. Both require a rice to be made the night of but rice is easy and cooking time is the same @20-30 mins.

Apricot Pork Chops
Sauce:
Jar Apricot preserves
2-4 Tbls. Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix and heat on low in saucepan

Brown pork chops for 3-4 min. each side
Adding a spoonful of sauce on each side after cooked. Reserve the rest.
I cook mine on a non stick griddle. No oil. Just salt and pepper. I put them down, then turn them twice...mostly for color, so they look pretty!

Put in 13x9 or other baking dish. Pour over remaining sauce. Cover w/tin foil. When ready to eat bake at 350' for 30 min. Serve w/Wild Rice and Vegetable (we do gr.beans or salad)

Orangie Chicken ~This receipe rocks! DH Family Secret, Family Favorite!
I give it to you the way it came to me...

2lbs. Boneless/Skinless Chicken thighs
1 Jar Chili Sauce (Heinz)
1 C. OJ (not from concentrate)
2-4 TBLS. Brown sugar
2-4 TBLS. Soy Sauce
2-4 TBLS. Worcestershire Sauce
2-4 tsp.Yellow Mustard
2 -4 tsp. Garlic, chopped (I use the jar kind)
2-4 TBLS. Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper
All purpose Flour

Heat oil in large fry pan, medium heat. Add S&P to flour and coat chicken. Shaking off excess. Brown chicken on both sides,4-5 min. Transfer chicken to 13x9 baking dish. Drain excess oil, but leave brown bits on bottom. Add remaining ingredients and whisk together, scraping bottom of pan well. Bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for 5 min. Pour over chicken and cover w/tinfoil.

When ready bake at 375' for 1 hr. Serve w/white or brown rice and a salad.

I have had to tinker w/ this to make it exactly how my MIL used to for my DH, he's such a momma's boy! The recipe is not at all exact but just add and taste. It is so yummy, I promise. I have a huge family so I double this recipe...almost. I use 2 jars of chili sauce and pour the OJ in the bottles and shake, and then I add just a smidgen more in 1 jar. I use 4 TBLS each, of the stuff that calls for TBLS. It really is good, once you figure out how you like it. I promise the flavor combination is a winner! Our family likes lots of sauce to pour over rice and nobody minds eating the healthy brown rice!

I second the other mom who says buy a huge package of ground beef. I do this about once a month. I then brown about 10lbs of beef. and then divide it into ziplocks. then it can be pulled out of the freezer for spaghetti, chili, taco's hamburger helper etc. I buy large bags of chicken breasts and bake half of them w/ seasoned pepper, garlic and onion powder. we eat them with some sides the day i make them. the left overs get chopped up and put into ziplocks and into the freezer they go. they get pulled out to make with stir fry, and soup. boiled chicken makes great chicken and dumplings the first night and then turned into chicken pot pie later in the week. make the big messy dinner (chicken and dumplings on sunday when your have more time) then save the left over chicken and gravy mixture add in some frozen mixed veggies and throw a crust over it and wala some chicken potpie. I do the same thing with a pot roast on sunday. make double the amount of meat we will really eat then the left over makes great soup or pot pie. I don't make any one meal that only serves that meal every left over gets made into something else later in the week. even lasagna makes great soup. good luck

Too bad you don't like the crockpot, it's a boon to busy moms! I find success with "batch cooking" on the weekends. Brown up 5 lbs of hamburger meat and freeze in 1 lb portions. Make up a HUGE pot of spaghetti sauce and freeze in quart size ziplocs. You say you don't like crockpot food, but you can use it to cook up large batches of chicken breasts. Just cover with water and set on high for about 4 hours. Shred or cube and freeze in meal size portions. You can then just cook up some pasta, rice, cous-cous, etc. and add the meat for casseroles, tacos, etc. Keep your fridge stocked with frozen veggies and breads for easy sides. Take advantage of convenience items like pre-cut lettuce and fresh veggies for salads. There are also lots of great meal planning websites out there (like Six O'clock Scramble), although they do usually have a small fee. But can be well worth it to not stress about what's for dinner!

Here are some 15 minute 1 pan recipes. I make Tuna Helper and Hamburger Helper without the box because the pasta and rice they use is never whole grain. I use whole grain pastas and get cheese powder and gravy powders from GFS (Gordon Food Service) on Rand Road. They have great inexpensive frozen vegetables, too. These aren't make ahead meals, but they are so quick and easy you will appreciate the short prep time, easy cleanup and healthy aspects. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat "Tuna Helper"

2 Cups Water
1 Cup Milk
2 6.5 oz Cans No Salt Tuna (Trader Joe’s), drained
1 Cup cheese powder mixed with 1 Cup cold water (GFS)
4 Cups Whole Wheat Noodles or Whole Wheat Pasta
1.5-2 cups Frozen Vegetables (e.g. peas, peas & carrots, broccoli cut small, spinach, etc.)

Bring 2 Cups water, milk & tuna to a boil. Add noodles, cover and and simmer according to time on package minus 5 minutes. Then add frozen vegetables and cook until noodles are almost tender and vegetables are heated through (time on package minus two minutes). Then stir in cheese mixture. Cook until thick and hot. Add more water or cheese powder if needed.

Whole Wheat Chicken and Dumplings

3 1/2 Cups Water or Chicken Broth
3 ½ tsp Chicken Base or Bouillon (Omit if using broth)
2 Cups Cooked Chicken, cut up or shredded
8 10 inch Whole Wheat Tortillas (Trader Joe's)
3 Cups Peas and Carrots

Boil water or broth. Add chicken base, if using. Add chicken. Tear or cut tortillas into strips/pieces into 2 inch pieces. Add to boiling chicken and broth. Reduce heat to medium or medium high (it should be bubbling when stirred). Stir or fold gently until it starts to thicken. Add peas and carrots. Heat through, stirring or folding gently as needed.

Shopping tip: We buy large cans of “Boned Chicken” at GFS Restaurant Supply a nationwide chain (open to the public). We use 1/3 of the can and then freeze 2 individual portions of 1/3 can each for future use. The GFS brand of chicken base is also excellent in this recipe.

One Pot Chili

You have to wing it a bit with this recipe, since you'll thicken it to your liking with tomato paste.

1 lb 93-95% lean ground sirloin (Trader Joe's)
1 16 oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups super sweet frozen corn (GFS)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tblsp chili powder (use less and mild if you don't want it spicy)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Hot Pepper Sauce to taste (Tabasco, etc.)
1 16 oz can tomato sauce, have some 8 oz cans on hand in case you need more
1/4 cup dried onions (get the big one from GFS, very handy)
1 can tomato paste (you might only use half of it or maybe none at all)

Toppings as you like: Oyster Crackers (Trader Joe's are yummy), real sour cream (Daisy brand), cheddar cheese, diced onion or sliced green onion, avocado (very healthy), lime wedges, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, crumbled tortilla chips.

Brown ground beef, drain. Mix all ingredients except tomato paste in a large pot. Heat on medium. Add water or more tomato sauce if needed. Thicken with tomato paste, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Serve toppings in a multi-compartment container for easy passing at the table and easy cleanup of the leftovers. Or, just keep it simple w/crackers and cheese.

A crockpot recipe you will probably like:

Crockpot Enchilada Casserole

9 Corn Tortillas
Bottled/canned enchilada sauce, about 2 cups total
(if you don't like it spicy, buy one can of enchilada sauce and two cans of tomato sauce)
Shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
1/3 can GFS cooked chicken

Put about 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom of the crockpot. Add 3 corn tortillas. Layer 1/2 of the chicken, 1/3 of the cheese and 1/2 cup sauce. Repeat layering one more time. Top with 3 tortillas, more sauce and finish with a layer of cheese. Put in the refrigerator. Drop in the crockpot in the morning. Hopefully you have one with a keep warm feature, because it should cook no more than 6 hours on low and then be kept warm. If not, then save this recipe for the weekend.

You can also make it in a casserole dish and pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes on 350. The only tricky part is making sure it is heated through (cut with a knife, observe bubbling or carefully test with your finger). The microwave works, too, but don't do it on high since it overheats the cheese. Enjoy!

Here are a few simple recipe we enjoy that can be fixed early and baked later...hope they help:)

Pizza Pasta

1lb. Ground beef, browned
1/2 Med. Onion, chopped
28 oz. Jar spaghetti sauce
1 Pkg. Spiral pasta
2 Cups Shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz. Sliced pepperoni

Cook ground beef with onion until browned. In meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Combine spaghetti sauce, meat/onions, and pasta pour into greased 9x13 pan top with pepperoni (Can be refrigerated at this point). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Top with mozzarella cheese and return to oven for about five minutes or until cheese melts.

Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

8 oz. Macaroni noodles
2 Cups Shredded cheddar cheese (I like sharp best)
1 Can Cream of mushroom soup
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Green Pepper, Chopped and sauteed
1/4 Cup Onion, Chopped and sauteed
Crushed Ritz crackers, toasted in butter in a skillet (for topping)

Cook macaroni according to pkg. After macaroni is cooked mix in all remaining ingredients (except crackers) spread in greased casserole dish and refrigerate. Top with toasted Ritz crackers just before baking. Bake for 40-45 min. at 350 degrees.

Mom's Famous Meat Loaf

6 Slices of Bread, torn into bread crumbs
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Mustard
1 Cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Minced Onion
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup Oatmeal
2 Pounds Ground Beef

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, minced onion, salt, egg and oatmeal in a large bowl. Shape meat mixture into a loaf in a 9x13 baking pan. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, mustard and ketchup and spread over top of the meat loaf. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Slow Cooker Chili
(I know you said you don't really care for crockpot recipes, but this one is so simple and yummy I just had to include it.)

1 lb. ground beef
(2) 15oz. cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
(2) 14.5oz. cans stewed tomatoes
16oz. jar of salsa
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1-3 cloves minced garlic

Brown ground beef, combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Toppings: Sliced green onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, corn chips, chopped tomatoes

Bow Ties with Asparagus and Honey Ham
(This recipe isn't necessarily a "make ahead", but it doesn't take long to make)
1 package (16oz.) bow tie pasta
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tablespoons water
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound sliced honey ham cut into thin strips

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 6-7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Place asparagus and water in microwave-safe dish. Cover; microwave on high for 6-7 minutes until tender. Drain. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Add cream, asparagus, Parmesan cheese and honey ham; toss to coat. Yield: 6 servings

Baked Ranch Chicken

This is another favorite recipe at our house
and it's so simple.

3/4 Cup Crushed Cornflakes
3/4 Cup Parmesan cheese
1Pkg. Ranch Dressing Mix
8 Chicken Breasts
Melted Butter
Mix the cornflakes, Parmesan cheese, and the package of Ranch dressing mix. Dip the chicken in melted butter. Roll in the cornflakes mixture. Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking dish. Add 1/4-1/2 inch of water to the bottom of the pan so chicken will be tender. Cover with foil (Can be refrigerated at this point) and bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours.

I'm sorry to give you another crock pot recipe but it's too good to pass up.
My husband always wants tacos for dinner but, in my opinion, tacos need too many perishable items to just whip up (fresh tomatoes, lettuce, etc.) but we LOVE this recipe, it has a little bit of veggies in it and it's even good for watching the game or a movie with friends! Not as messy as regular tacos either because it has fewer ingredients.
Chicken Tacos
bag of frozen chicken (I use breasts)
1.5 cans of black bean and corn salsa
Cook for 4 hours or so on high or until chicken shreds up nicely
Serve with sour cream and shredded cheddar on flour tortillas

The healthiest meals do not require cooking! Fresh fruit, veggies, yogurt, cottage cheese are the biggest hit in my house. My kids love these Monday-Thursday night meals. A lot of the time I make scrambled eggs on Friday nights and we eat meats on the weekends. I try to off-set the "prossed foods" my kids get at daycare with "clean" foods at night.

I am a Pamperd Chef consultant who is always forgetting about making dinner until the last minute! My favorite go-to recipe is Beef Enchilada Casserole - in the Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner Cookbook. I made this the day we brought my 2nd daughter home from the hospital. As long as you have the ingredients it is done 20 minutes - 30 minutes if the meat is frozen (which in my house it always is).
Brown 1 lb ground beef (I prefer to use ground turkey)
Add 1 can enchilada sauce (10 oz)
1/2 cup chunky salsa and 3/4 cup water.
Bring to simmer and remove from heat. Slice about 6-12 corn tortillas into strips and layer some on the bottom of a pan (as many as you need to make a decent layer), top with half beef mixture and half cup (i use more...) of Colby Jack, Mexican, or Cheddar cheese (shredded), repeat and finish with cheese on top. If you use a microwave safe dish, pop it in the micro for a couple minutes to melt the cheese, or you can use the oven. Point is, once the cheese is melted, it is done - and delish!

I also second the "cooking day" - or what Pampered Chef consultants call "Power Cooking". I have done a few shows like this where you get multiple lb of ground meat or chicken, cook it and divy it up into multiple recipes you can freeze. You can also do this with chicken.
**Make sure when you are cooking to freeze, use only meat that has NOT been frozen already. It will not be as tasty after the 2nd freeze. And, if you can freeze flat in a ziplock, rather than in a block (container), it will thaw faster. I think I have a Power Cooking chicken recipe on my website if you are interested. Good luck & Happy Cooking~!!
www.pamperedchef.biz/jennifergfisher

I answered a similar question recently.
1) Check out your library for some awesome freeze ahead meals. Make one to eat that day/the next day and then make one to freeze. You already have all the ingredients, you're already making one, so make two!

2) kraftfoods.com - good family friendly meals that are easy to prepare

3) create a food menu calendar - so you know what you should make each week. It will make shopping easier for you and help you parlay one ham into several weekday meals

4) Have a cooking day (like Sunday) where you make a whole chicken, roast, ham, etc. Then use that "entree" as the base for several weekday meals. That way you don't have to "cook" as much as reheat and make sides.

Check out my other answer, I went into more detail.

Good luck

Try Dinnerbydesign.com or simplyhomemade.com They are both meal prep places in the suburbs and the food is yummy!

MAKE A BASIC MENU, and using that menu do a grocery list. This will save you time in thinking what to throw together each day, and it will save you trips to the store for just one or two items each trip. I do my shopping on Saturday and depending on the weekend schedule, I'll do a lot of weekly cooking on Saturday or Sunday. I use my pressure cooker to help a lot. If chicken is on sale, I'll buy a big pack of it, season it, then cook it all at once. I can cook 5, even 10 pounds of chicken in half an hour!!! Then you divide the chicken up: some for a chicken caesar salad or chicken salad sandwiches; cook down peppers and onions, add some chicken and bbq sauce, and you've got BBQ chicken sandwiches that you can serve with roasted corn and a can of beans; you can make endless casseroles (cheesy chicken and rice, add vegetables), king ranch casserole (allrecipes.com has a great one, if you search by rating), you can cook up some brown rice and stirfry some vegetables; you can have some quick quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, etc. Open a jar of alfredo sauce, chop up a handful of mushrooms, a handful of frozen spinach, and a drained can of rotels for a good chicken fettucini meal. Use some of the chicken for homemade chicken noodle soup, chicken and dumplings, or a chicken-sausage gumbo. Chicken spaghetti, as well. There are lots you can do with pork as well in a pressure cooker. As far as recipes are concerned, you can look at all kinds of sites, but allrecipes.com is my fave because you can search by rating, too.
Another thing we do: I marinate my steaks in Daddy Hinkles (the best!) and will cook 3 or 4 instead of the 2 that we need. The leftovers, I slice up into thin strips and we have fajitas the next night, just need to warm tortillas, break out the condiments, and cook some spanish rice.
Otherwise, it's a good practice to double recipes that can be frozen when you cook. It doesn't take much more effort or time to double recipes, and that way when you're short on time you can have a premade meal already in the freezer (just remember to defrost the day before, again why the menu planning is important).

I make three course meals in my Tupperware Stack Cooker in a half an hour or less. The layers can be "prep'ed" the night before and stored in the fridge. Stack up your layers, and 30 minutes later, you have dinner! It even comes with a cookbook and even more recipes are available. You can check it out at www.my.tupperware.com/jenniferpetricig. Let me know if you have questions.

You have a lot of great suggestions here. I just wanted to add that we have breakfast for dinner at least once a week (egg tacos with some fruit on the side, scrambled eggs with cheese and toast and yogurt). My husband and I work full time and are in the same situation. This helps us to eat the same foods as our 11 month old too, which cuts down on preparing special meals.

I also make my own baby food for him and freeze it in single serve containers. Those are handy too.

We try to do a crockpot meal once or twice a week or we cook food to freeze on the weekend when we have time. We usually do some quick frozen meal that we just throw in the oven (almost every Thursday because by that time we are both fried from the week).

One other thing we do a lot is have appetizers for dinner. We have hummus, pita points, veggies, fruit and cheese.

I hope this helps!

Hi! I actually love this question! Even though I am a SAHM I still get busy with hectic afterschool activities etc. So I freeze meals. I ususally don't go to much trouble I just freeze half for later. I have some suggestions on my blog about this and could give you more recipes if you would like. Last night I made stuffed shells and put it in the freezer for later. I have everything from taco meat to baked spaghetti etc.

I know it gets rough balancing working and eating healthy etc. But don't fret, use your freezer!!

K.
www.mytakeonparenting.blogspot.com

Hi there! I have the same problem and my husband - who works from home - usually ends up cooking meals from Mon-Thurs. But I have a couple of make-the-night-before recipes for you.

Tuna Casserole:
1 box Kraft Mac and Cheese (prepared)
2 cans tuna in water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
some finely diced onion
shredded cheddar cheese
crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 350. Add everything but potato chips to the prepared Kraft mac and cheese. Put in a casserole and top with more shredded cheddar and the crushed potato chips. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes or so. This is so yummy!! Not very healthy especially with the potato chips but you can substitute with cornflakes.

Chicken Cacciatore

I know you said no crock pot food but if it's done right, it tastes like it does right out of the oven. You can also do this recipe in the oven.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper, chunked
1 onion, chunked
1 container mushrooms
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 can stewed tomato
couple shakes of garlic powder

Put in crockpot on high for 4-5 hours or in oven for 45 minutes on 350 or until chicken is cooked through. Try the crock pot, it's SO easy. Serve over noodles with garlic bread.

Pineapple Chicken

Put in crock pot or oven 45 minutes on 350 or until chicken is cooked through the following ingredients:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup barbeque sauce
1 can crushed pineapple

YUM! Serve with rice.

Also, check out Annies-Eats.com. She has really yummy recipes and one in particular called Benchiladas would be good for your toddler. Thepioneerwoman.com has a great recipe called Chicken Spaghetti and that is a big hit that can be made ahead of time.

You can make these the night before and just pop them in the oven when you get home. The slow cooker works wonders for us working moms- you really should try it! Especially since you can also make tacos using the slow cooker. I hope these help!

I always do a meat/protine, a carb and a veggie. So you can do this and let it cook for 1/2 hr. usually somekind of chicken so have hte meat defrosting in the fridge while you are at work, throw it in a pan and add seasoning or italian dressing or spaghetti sauce with shredded cheese or garlic and olive oil with parmejan cheese or what ever your family likes capers mushrooms whatever then put in over 30 min at350, then your carb is a fruit or sometimes i go nuts and let them have mashed potatoes or tator tos, once a month i do brown rice but we usually always do a fruit and then we do a veggie and those are easy to steam with boiling water and a steamer i got for 4 at bband beyond. or the mini corn on the cobs, asparagus with a bit of water and i do that in the microwave, but then we are getting the healthy carbs and sometime si do garlic bread which takes two minutes in the oven but we do have lots of salads that i buy from whole foods or sunset premade or i made at the salad bar, toss in a bowl, when i make my own I only add three ingredients if i do nto have the time to cut up stuff and in a half and hour dinner is made and on the table. my kids ar 5 and 8 so i have them set the table and get the drinks while I am doing all this and now thye even put the food on the table. you can do hamburgers and fries or breakfast is a hit, and protein we do fish once a week, red meat once a week for the iron, chicken twice at least and tacos and well once a pasta but usually ahve meat with it. I am diabetic so no too many starchy foods and my other three have food allergies like turkey and my son is beef and rice so keeping it light and wasy helps to stay away from all the additives they are allergic to. we do pork chops and ham and corned beef but only once a month. hope that gets you some start?! There are also book on 5 ingredients or less in 30 monutes, google 30 minute meals, taste of home I think has it too.
J.

Check out Robin Miller on the food network. She has cookbooks also. She is all about being a busy mom with kids and prepping things in an hour or two over the weekend to make dinners quick througout the week.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/robin-miller/index.html

You can make almost any casserole and leave it in the fridge. I do that sometimes. But I do have to wonder why you don't like crock pot recipes. I use my crock pot all the time because I have a similar issue of needing to eat instead of prepare food. I recently got a great crockpot cookbook and believe me, it's not just meats and mushroom soup! I made lasagna in the crockpot, which my family loved! We just had cranberry chicken drumsticks, tangy shredded pork on kaisers and chicken tacos with black beans and salsa verde. So you can cook almost anything in there!

I also really like the frozen one-pan meals from Trader Joes. I don't know if you have a Trader Joes in your area, but you just buy the packet and dump it all in a frying pan. It cooks up fast! They are pretty healthy as well, we just had penne pasta with peppers and a cream sauce. YUM!

I "prep" a lot of stuff the night before so even if I have to cook it at dinner time, there are fewer dishes and I can do it a little more "one handed." Some suggestions: make pancake batter and stick it in the fridge to make the next day (serve with fruit salad). Make a pizza dough but instead of having it rise, cover and refridgerate it. Your 3 year old can help make the pizza for dinner the next day. Peel and slice potatoes and keep in cold water. The next day you just dump out the water, add new, and make mashed potatoes to go with marinated chicken. Quiche can be made ahead, as can a ton of baked pasta dishes. Sometimes I get annoyed making two dinners every night (the one we eat and the one I prep) but it's wayyy better than trying to do it all at the last minute. Good luck!

This is my favorite and my family eats this at least once a week. It's just spaghetti sauce that I've added to. I brown some ground turkey and then add whatever veggies you like. I typically use garlic, onion, green peppers (and red and yellow peppers if I have them), mushrooms or whatever tastes good to your family. Add the jared pasta sauce and heat it up. I like to make lots at a time then freeze enough for separate meals. You can take it out of the freezer before work and then just warm it up when you get home - it tastes just like you made it fresh. Cook some whole-wheat pasta and you've got a really healthy meal. If you add enough veggies to the sauce you don't have to cook a separate one. Sprinkle some cheese on top and it's totally YUM!

p.s. - leave the kitchen clean up until after the kids are in bed!