I try to plan out my meals as best as possible and shop on line. Although, it is difficult to get good produce that way. Cooking every night is very difficult. I love to cook and I still expect my husband to contribute to the cooking. My husband cleans up after a meal when I cook and vice versa. Good Luck Love to Cook

I have a 3 1/2 yr old and a 10 month old and dinner has become a huge chore for me even though I love to cook. I totally understand where you are at. So I decided to find every way to simplify my life in this department. Here are a few helpful suggestions that have really helped me.
- I double up on two dinners a week so I can freeze half of it for a future night.
- On Sun night, I plan ahead (based on what I have in the freezer or go shopping for) for at least 5-6 dinners.
- Once a month I go to Gourmade Dinners and pick up or prepare 6 or 12 dinners to put in the freezer. They have great vegetarian meals and it's very cost effective. Go to http://www.gourmadecookery.com
- I try to keep meals I prepare under 30 minutes prep time.
- I do a lot of crockpot recipes because you can throw it in the morning and it's done at the end of the day.
- One night a week I do something very simple like omlettes, mac & cheese or a frozen lasagna.
- Keep meals simple and give your self a break. We moms need it.
- On weekends when your husbands around and you have more time and energy you can make a more gourmet dinner. Hope this helps. Laurie

Here are things to have on hand at all times, all available at TJs. I am sorry I sound like a commercial, but being able to make really good food fast has made me so much happier, and I owe it all to TJs:

Creme Fraiche
Garlic Croutons
Garlic Olive Oil (sautee any veggie, salt and pepper, voila) 
Frozen Rice (white or brown) 
Candied Pecans (sweet and hot, if you like them) 
Frozen Corn 
Frozen Peas 
Frozen Meatballs (veggie if you like!) 
Frozen Vegetable (pick one you like--I like the haricot verts--
      sautee with garlic olive oil, throw on some soy sauce and
        crumble the hot candied pecans on them) 
Jar of Pasta Sauce (I don't love any of TJs, though I haven't 
       tried them all, my pick is Bertolli 4 cheese).
Frozen Loaf of Undercooked Bread

No Cook Rice: They have already cooked brown and white rice.  Two
kinds, in fact, frozen and in a bag.  I prefer the frozen.  It saves
me from having to 1) think ahead to cook brown rice, 2) rinse and
drain the rice and 3)scrub the pot.

No Chop Salad: They also have little bags of salad called ''salad for
1 or 2''.  These are much more convenient and I waste less salad
because anything left in those big bags seems to spoil quickly,
whereas I use the whole little bag.  I throw in the lettuce, whole
cherry tomatoes (try the splendidos---they are on the large side, but
truly splendido), candied pecans, goat cheese, and voila, a salad
without chopping.

Easy Roasted Vegetables and Soup: TJs also sells vegetables already
chopped in bags.  Take their prechopped yams and butternut squash in a
bag and peeled baby carrots, toss them with some good olive oil and
salt and pepper and roast in oven at 425 for 35 minutes or so, turning
once.  Sprinkle with parsley if you've got the time, and serve.  They
are delicious.  Make a large batch and if you have any leftovers puree
them in a food processor and mix with TJs vegetable stock (in a box)
and you have a fantastic soup for the next day.  Garnish it with some
of their garlic croutons and a splash of their black truffle oil or
garlic olive oil and you have a masterpiece!  In fact, you can garnish
the Butternut Squash Soup in a box the same way (throw in a dollop of
TJs Creme Fraiche to make it extra tasty).  I have served this to
guests with rave reviews.

Emergency Crab Cakes: Do you eat seafood?  TJs sells crab meat in a
can.  It stays good in the fridge for months, which means you can keep
it on hand for when you are out of everything.  Use the recipe for
crab cakes on the side of the can.  Except, instead of bread crumbs
puree some garlic croutons for extra flavor.  If you don't have some
of the spices or other ingredients, don't worry, the garlic croutons
add all the flavor you need!

Prechopped onions for sauteeing: The prechopped onions in a bag are a
nice timesaver.  Sautee them in some butter.  Throw in some prechopped
broccoli or cauliflower.  Pour on a jar of TJs Korma sauce and throw
in frozen peas, corn and tofu.  (or use the frozen ''soycotash'' which
has edamame beans, corn and red peppers) Simmer for a bit.  After
everything is cooked stir in some cream, yogurt (the Greek style
yogurt is manna from the gods) or sour cream or creme fraiche.
Microwave the brown rice and you are done.  Or you can serve TJs
frozen naan (heated in the oven and brushed with melted butter just
before serving---your 3yo will love this job).

Quick fried rice: In a pinch you can make do with just the things on
the short list, or a couple extra ingredients that are usually on
hand, like eggs and onions.  Sautee onions in garlic olive oil,
scramble an egg in the pan, throw in frozen corn and peas and frozen
brown rice and you have easy fried rice.  Garnish with fresh or dried
parsley.

Old standby and child pleaser: Veggie meatballs with pasta sauce.
Throw in a salad and a nice loaf of bread (you can freeze one of the
''undercooked'' ones so that you always have it on hand to pop in the
oven) and you have dinner.

I sort of got into the streamlining a good dinner task. Just how fast, easy, and tasty can I make it? Hope this helps. susan

1. Plan to make big batches of freezer friendly food: soups, stews, pasta sauces, and lasagnes freeze well. We actually bought a free standing, non-self defrosting, freezer that we keep in our basement. Food keeps longer and with less freezer burn in a non self defrosting one. When I make a big batch of something, I freeze meal size servings in freezer zip loc bags, date them, and store them flat. Sometimes it helps to put them on a cookie sheet while they freeze. The days when I know I won't be able to manage dinner, I take one out and let it defrost, buy some french bread, make a salad, and there's dinner.

2. When you're too tired to cook, make your back up easiest ever meal: Ours is baked salmon with butter and dill, baked potatoes or steamed rice, and steamed broccoli. This takes about 3 min to prep.

3. Plan your menu for the week: I was terrible at this before having a child, but now find that the weeks I do it the stress level drops dramatically. I always plan one night for leftovers or a freezer meal and another for take out. My husband always cooks at least one night on the weekend. Try to buy all the ingredients at once so you have everything on hand. If you find yourself with a spare 10 minutes, do some prep work and stick it in the fridge.

4. Buy a cuisinart. Great for chopping onions and other veggies.

5. Be easy on yourself: Don't always feel like you have to make gourmet food. Bean burritos are easy, kid friendly, and take no time. Save the gourmet cooking for the times when you are rested and feel like being creative in the kitchen. Also, don't fret if your toddler becomes picky and won't eat what you've made. It's not the end of the world if s/he eats scrambled eggs or mac n cheese for a week straight. Someday, s/he'll eat like a regular kid and appreciate more food. Until then, it's not worth fighting the battle. Good luck! anon

Fortunately my hubby has low expectations, and is pathetically grateful if there happens to be food available when he comes home. He understands that with little ones it's just really hard to buy food and cook it. You have my sympathy and understanding.

Don't feel bad about it--it's too bad your husband isn't a little more understanding, but what can you do. Hang in there.

Don't be hard on yourself. There's lots of us out here who are struggling with all the day-to-day chores (did I mention my house is a disaster?) I'm sure there are plenty who cook every day but I don't understand those people :-) jennifer

trader joes sells lots of short cuts, like premade organic brown rice frozen, great organic frozen pizzas, and sliced stir fry veggies.

visit savingdinner.com. It provides you w/ a shopping list and coordinated menu for the week.you can just browse the sample menus which change weekly or so, or subscribe and get regular emails w/ the shopping list, menu, and recipes.

prechop on weekends. have carrots, peppers, brocoli etc. prechopped ahead of time. send hubby and kids to the zoo, turn on the tunes and fill the ziplock bags. you can also make spaghetti sauce and curry type things ahead and freeze.kids' mac and cheese, too.

stop cleaning the kitchen 4 times a day. just make sure the dishes are done or in the dishwasher. do counters and other clean up once a day.

get a neighborly 10 yr. old in to entertain the kids at the witching hour while you tune out and cook. or a neighborly 18 yr. old to cook/prep while you play w/ the kids.

caring for children is work and it is labor and time intensive. your spouse can help with dinner. what if he grills meat a la 1950s and you bake potatoes and open a bag of salad?

if you cook, you decide what the family eats. no complaining from the others.

but on an emotional level I think you have to deal w/ letting go of guilt, perfection etc. and talk to your husband about how hard it is whilst refusing to personalize the problem. it's not you that's at fault it is the set up. the set up might not change, but you have to vent or you'll get really angry.
cooking almost every day

She shops at Trader Joe's alot and sometimes make great already made meals for her family. They also enjoy rice and beans that's easy to make and will last if you store in freezer. I've seen her made gourmet burritos with just rice and beans,with avacodos,delicious ready made salsa and other wonderful toppings which her hurspand really enjoys.

You can find all sorts of wonderful ready made vegetarian foods to cook and make a wholesome meal for your family. This is especially helpful when you're tired.

I was even surprise to find out that there's tofu meatballs and sausages, etc. Our son loves the tofu meatballs with rice or in pasta. Also available at Trader Joe's.

I think the trick is to keep the meals simple so that you don't tire yourself out and having good varieties in your diet.

Also, my neighbor and I have just discover a wonderful book. Check it out for yourself! It's called (FEEDING THE WHOLE FAMILY( by Cynthia Lair. It's also important to have meals planned for each week, this doesn't take much time and it also gives you motivation to cook for your family. Also, ask around. Ask your friends or family if they have easy recipes that can be cooked in half an hour and if these recipes are not vegetarians, think of how that can be transformed into a an easy to make vegetarian meal. This is what I like to do. I home this helps a little, Mai

I have a 2 month old and a 2 year old and I cook dinner just about every night. The only way this is humanly possible is that I use the plan on flylady.net. Each week I plan the menu for the week, write it out and plan a shopping list accordingly. I used to think that menu planning was just crazy (I was a look inthe fridge at 6pm and wonder what is for dinner kind of person), but it has turned out to be a lifesaver! Not only does it save money and insure that we cook at home, but I remember to try things that I would otherwise forget.

In the morning when I get up, I check to see what is for dinner (so yesterday it was ''Greek'' pasta-no prep needed). If I need to defrost something (usually chicken, wouldn't apply to you, but sometimes I already have a soup or sauce made) I do it then. Then at the start of naptime I do the prep for the dinner as quickly as possible-all of the chopping, or making a sauce or whatever (so yesterday-put a pot of water on the stove, chop tomatoes, slice zucchini and garlic, pit olives, julianne basil and cover under wet paper towel, crumble feta cheese, get pasta out). Finally about 1/2 hour before husband gets home I try to corral everyone into the kitchen for a snack/''helping'' to do the final steps on dinner (boil pasta, saute zucchini and garlic, toss everything together). Needless to say, I keep all meals very, very simple! We have a lot of one-pan meals and very often I'll make a dinner that lasts two nights and reheat the following night (chili, soup, pasta), so that I'm only actually cooking 4 or 5 nights a week. Finally, we usually go out once a week, usually on Friday when I really feel like I need a break. The other thing you could do is get ''ahead'' on Sunday by making a soup and a casserole (or whatever) for!

the following week--this would le I hope this helps! I think its all in the planning--if I don't plan for some reason it all falls apart immediately! Good luck! Cooking all day, too!

I have three young children (a 4 year old, a 3 year old and a 1 year old) and it is next to impossible for me to make dinner every night. I probably only make a ''fancy'' complete meal once every couple of weeks. And yes, my husband does complain.

At least once a week we go out for something simple (burritos at Cactus for example) -- when we do this, I make sure to pick up a burrito to go for my husband. I also try to use the crockpot once a week. That way I can get it started in the morning -- and it will be ready in the evening. I used to use the crock pot like 3-4 times per week and that was perfect. Lots of easy, low-fat and nutritious meals. But with the birth of #3, it's become more difficult to even do this. It is much easier for me to cook in the beginning of the day than the end of the day. Plus if you cook in the morning, you can get the chopping, mess etc. over and done with. Plus the crockpot has tons of vegetarian meals (bean soups etc) and there are some really good cook books.

It is just too discouraging to try to start something at like 4pm - I'm too tired and I usually feel like I *just* cleaned up the lunch mess.

Other nights I try to just feed them nutritious meals which don't involve a lot of mess and cleaning, such as Ak-Mak with Peanut butter, fruits, steamed vegetables, plain pasta (yes, even mac and cheese), scrambled eggs, grilled tofu, etc.

The hardest part for me is planning menus and then shopping for the food. I figure once my kids are in school, hopefully I'll be better. Good luck - I'll be curious to read your replies! mom of three little guys

Demoralized family cook

I am a middle-aged mother of two who must try to find a meal--or meals--for my family every day against all odds. Over the last 2-3 years, my son, age 8, is becoming a vegetarian, my daughter, age 4, an extemely picky eater, and my husband has taken to walking in the door at dinnertime, looking at the food on the stove, opening the refrigerator door, and announcing that he is ''going up the street'' (where the takeout restaurants are) to get his dinner. Nobody seems to want to eat the same meal. If I simply try to make one thing--like a pasta dish or even some kind of ''tapas'' like display, I can always count on at least 2 family members to not eat it. I then have to search for something else and make it asap. This happens almost every day. It has affected the amount of food I buy (lots) and increased the grocery bill several-fold. Most demoralizing is my husband's reaction, since it sets a bad example for the kids, who then want to sample his carry-out food instead of my meals. For the four years before we had kids, I was the cook everynight and my husband ate the same food that he now rejects. I am so tired of trying that some days I just cruise the restaurants and load the refrigerator with Chinese takeout. Is there anyone out there who has dealt with this problem and found a solution? Lonely cook

My kids both eat different foods, don't like what I'm making for me and my husband, eat at different times, etc. A friend suggested we do the following, and it works great for us:

On Sunday evening we make a dinner chart for the week. Each kid (2 boys,9 and 13)get to choose what they want for dinner 2 nights each. So for example, the 9 year old might choose Monday to have pizza, and Wed. to have hamburgers. The 13 year old may choose Tues, pasta and Thurs, salmon salad. So, that's what I make for them on those nights (they each have to eat what the other chooses). If they don't want what is made they can make their own dinner, which could be frozen pizza, peanut butter and jelly, cold cereal. I always make sure those things are available so they can do their own.

This solved the huge dinner problem at our house. Friday, Sat and Sun is my choice...often we are out, or have guests over or just have a family dinner together.

What this did for me was give me sanity over dinner prep. I found that even though I love to cook and am a good cook, I dreaded dinner time, trying to make 3 or 4 different dinners. I'd be in the kitchen for hours catering to everyone else. I felt very taken advantage of, which I had allowed by trying to please all of them.

During the week we often all eat at separate times. I usually eat my dinner when I'm hungry and my husband can help himself when he's ready....but he does eat what I've made. Maybe you have to disconnect from your husband eating take out. Let everyone know that you're willing to go just so far. They have to eat what you've made (within compromisable reason) and if they don't like it, they can get their own, especially your husband. Good luck. no longer in the kitchen for hours at a time

Dreading dinnertime - I used to like cooking!

How do other moms do it? I go grocery shopping once a week and buy lots of good stuff (fruit, veges, milk, eggs, bread, and then frozen organic pizzas, pasta sauce, frozen and fresh veges, ect.) but *somehow* most nights I cannot find anything interesting to make for dinner...I DREAD dinner time...the slow walk to the fridge at around 5:30 p.m. to open the door and wonder ''what's for dinner tonight?''

To add to my problem is that my 3 year-old is going through the picky-eater stage so most nights she doesn't like what I make. Also, my husband works long high-tech hours so I'm on my own at dinner. I used to like cooking! Are there some cookbooks out there that are really easy to follow, using healthful ingredients, and somehting that tastes yummy to adults and acceptable to kids? Would also love to hear from naturally organized parents who could maybe share a few secrets. Thank you am

The only way I can avoid this problem is to make up a list of about 5 or 6 meals before I shop. If I don' t have any brilliant ideas, I spend about an hour looking through cook-books and browsing Epicurious.com for recipe ideas. Our meals are often simple (baked potato, roast chicken, pasta dishes, polenta with a sauce, rice and beans, risotto, hummus and baba ghanoush, burritos, etc.), and I certainly don't always use recipes to cook from. But I always know that when I get home from the store, I'll have ingredients for 5 good dinners in the fridge. ANd I always post my list of meals on the fridge, so that at 5:30 I remember our options and don't just open a box of Mac and Cheese.

As for your picky-eater problem, I'm a big believer in the idea that you put good food in front of your kid and don't worry about how much they eat. I have a 2yo and a 4yo. We serve them small portions of whatever we're eating, and the only concession we make to preschooler finnickiness is we add hot sauce or chili or salsa to our own portions, rather than mixing it into the foods. Some meals they ask for seconds and thirds. Some nights they eat one bite and then they're done. I figure they won't starve. I don't offer to make them other food. I just let them eat as much or little as they want with a minimum of discussion. We don't push them to eat food they don't want. We do ask them not to say bad things about other people's food. The result (and I believe the causality is fairly clear) is that they actually have quite broad, non-picky eating habits. Eating is *not* an area of power struggles in our house. In any case, I believe that (paradoxically) the less you pay attention to your 3yo's eating habits, the better they will be. Judith

I am big on vegetables and we eat a lot of steamed zucchini -- slice, steam 3 minutes, voila. Ditto green beans or broccholi. Very easy, and works as finger food for a little child as long as the zucchini are still firm.

A little more work but a wintertime favorite for us is yams -- get the delicious garnet variety. I got this recipe from the Chronicle, paraphrased here:

Preheat the oven with a cookie sheet in it to 400. Peel and slice a garnet yam; my slices are about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. Coat the slices with olive oil and salt them. When the oven and cookie sheet are ready, lay out the yam slices and bake for 15-20 minutes; then turn them over and bake 15 min more. These are delicious -- caramelly sweet, and can be eaten as finger food.

I rely on yogurt or cheese/cottage cheese for proteins most evenings, but I also make bacon & eggs as an easy supper pretty often. Letitia

Our kids are much older now but I remember what you are experiencing. I always wanted that Norman Rockwell family sit down to dinner experience, but with two active little boys, 3 years apart, it was impossible. Plus a late working husband and my own exhaustion from working made it worse.

Here's how I approached it: The kids needed to eat earlier and go to bed earlier. Plus they had their likes and dislikes. I accomodated that with an early kids' dinner. They loved what we called ''nursery food'' til they were about 5. They ate oatmeal and fruit, or mashed potatoes and brocolli or plain pasta and cheese and sliced chicken during those times. They ate at around 5:30, leaving time for baths and stories and the ususal routines, with bedtime at 7 or 8. Dad would arrive home during bathtime. Then, the grownups got to have dinner later - something we liked, and it was blissfully quiet. This was a lifesaver - calming, a routine that worked and everyone was happy. I made something simple that we that we adults would eat together on the late shift. Key word here - simple.

Gradually the kids' bedtimes extended along with their increasingly adventurous palates and vocabularies (!) and now we have a civilized four person dinner with everything you can imagine.

We also used a delivery service called Jessie et Laurent (see their website at JessieetLaurent.com) on and off for many years. Fully prepared, healthy dinner foods for a whole week. It was wonderful. Then i realized I didn't need it anymore and i wanted the boys to learn to cook.

Now we shop the farmer's market together and they are my capable sous chefs at ages 13 and 10. It's so much more fun to cook for a hungry, appreciative, participatory audience and when they help it's a different world.

I promise you it won't be difficult forever. I hope this offers some hope. Debby

Trader Joe's also sells a fun variety of coooking sauces that make dinner time easy. Just add tofu, chicken, veggies, whatever and serve over rice or noodles. The Spinach Sauce is a favorite of ours - we add chickpeas and maybe some chicken or tofu if we have it and some fresh or frozen spinach.

Happy Eating! Jen

For example:

Monday - pasta, bread (and when really on top of things: salad)
Tuesday - fish with chips or rice, plus veg
Wednesday - soup (sometimes homemade) and/or leftovers
Thursday - chicken or egg dish
Friday - stir fry
Saturday - husband cooks (otherwise known as cheap dinner out!)
Sunday - roast pork/beef/chicken with potatoes and veg

Note that I also put in a cheap dinner out. I think everyone deserves a break in the routine, so this has been our 'ritual'. We usually just get burritos or order a pizza, but BOY do I like Saturdays!

I have been doing this since I had my second child four years ago, but I also just noticed the magazine ''Real Simple'' has an article in the February 2003 issue on how to set up a menu a little more sophisticated than what I have. Check out http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/meals/022003_mls_dinner_index.html (Although if you buy the magazine it has a month calendar with menu plus a shopping list, which could get you started that much easier.)

I hope this helps a little. Oh, and I never knew I had so much to say about dinnertime..... Caroline

-Plan out all dinners (meals, actually, but that was too much for me to do) for the week and buy groceries accordingly. If you know the 5 meals you want to make over the week, you will actually have all the right ingredients.

-Keep your dinner lists for the last few weeks so you can make sure you are rotating enough. Variety was definitely a problem in my house.

I'm sure you'll get lots of advice for healthy meals. I hope this healps with the organization. Good Luck. Elizabeth

1. Collect all the recipes that I like and have cooked before and know that will be at least somewhat appealing to my family.

2. Sort them for seasonality - like now I'm cooking root vegetable recipes and other winter fare.

3.Make up weekly menu plans. This includes:
a. one soup, enough for accompanying dinner several nights (soup is a great way to get in the veggies for little ones!)
b. a pasta dish with seasonal vegetables
c. a stir fry of chicken or tofu with seasonal vegetables over rice
d. a fish night e. two grains dishes with seasonal vegetables

This makes 4 nights of what I consider "real" dinners: a soup and main course of protein and vegetables, and a starch.

One night a week in our house is homemade or dressed up frozen pizza.

Two nights, spread throughout the week are called "A Festival of Past Favorites", i.e. leftovers. And if it is served on a different shape of pasta, it qualifies as an entirely new dish! And that pretty much takes care of a whole week, not to mention the occasional dinner out.

I write down the menu plans and shop for them. I try and hit farmer's markets and pay attention to what's on sale at safeway. Keeping a "price" book, where I note what things sell for so that I can recognize a better-stock-up price, is also helpful.

I don't believe in pandering to a toddler's taste buds too much; I offer a variety of foods that aren't too highly spiced, encourage my 4 and 2 year old to at least try it, and offer them bread and butter or pasta if they don't care for what I've made for dinner. They've come to like some surprising things this way.

I would love to try dinner exchanges with other families in my area (near Terrace Park in Albany), where I cook one night a week and deliver dinner to, say two other families. Then two other nights a week, I would get dinner delivered to my house! Sounds pretty sweet.

As to cooking with little ones, I don't have any magic bullets, except to try and do prep earlier in the day. My 2 year old likes to pour dried beans into pots on the floor near me while I'm chopping and cooking. Truthfully, it's often hard, and what saves me is my husband usually gets home at a decent hour and gives me a hand, wrestling with the kids in the living room while I finish up dinner. I'm very interested to hear how other folks handle this. nickatia

Secondly, sit down and make up a menu for the week, before you go shopping. I know this sounds dreadfully June Cleaver-ish, but it will eliminate a lot of waste and you simply have to follow the list at night after a long day.

Find the kid foods your child likes: pasta? Fish sticks? Mac and Cheese? Soup? Can you tart these up for a grown up (like Pasta and Pesto for you, plain pasta for your daughter?)

A Mediterreanan (sp!) spread is always nice: fresh bread, cheese, olives, hummos and wine. Easy to make, nutritious, easy to clean up.

Never overlook the eggs. All kids eat scrambled eggs (don't they?) And you can make Huevos Rancheros for dinner, or a fritatta, or a nice feta cheese and red pepper omlette...hmmm.

Never overlook the soup. Fun to make, or get it out of a can and garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh bread.

We've gotten much better over the six years we've had kids. But we still have ''burrito'' night at least once a week.

Happy dining! Julie T.

As far as serving food to a picky eater, well, that is a whole other issue. But, I firmly believe that it is your job to put good healthly food on the table. It is your child's responsibility to eat it. I make sure there is at least one healthy thing at dinner that each kid will like. Our menu has certainly changed over the years. For the most part, there are just a few things we all like so I tend to concentrate on those. They sort of encompass various regions (we're vegetarian):

- Mexican (tacos, burritos, mexican pizza)
- Italian (ravioli, spaghetti or other pasta)
- Japanese (miso soup, sushi, rice, edamame)
- Other Asian (rice or noodles with veggies, tofu and different 
sauces, favorite is a Thai peanut sauce)
- American (veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs, fries, corn)
- Soup and grilled cheese is a winter favorite

Look around the net, decide what YOU like to eat (my partner also comes home after dinnertime) and make that. I try to make lunch the big meal of the day and dinner more like breakfast. I also start getting dinner together right after cleaning up breakfast.

I really rebel at the organization of making menus, but it really helps with the dinnertime blues. Good luck! Kathy

that said, i feel that i was once a gourmet cook, and my child has robbed me of it! so once a week i cook something new and daring (well, maybe once every two weeks!) to live a little :) jessica

- chicken-apple sausages in the freezer
- frozen ravioli, frozen tamales
- store-bought pesto in the fridge
- lots of packages of different pastas
- rice & polenta & couscous (couscous cooks in 5 minutes!)
- frozen veggies (try different stuff like okra, limas, etc.)
- frozen fruit (blueberries are great for supper pancakes)
- store-bought spice mixtures ("Lemon/Herb" and "Rotisserie Chicken"
   and "Montreal Chicken" are good.)
- frozen entrees, mac and cheese, etc.
- canned soups and broth

Sometimes I make plain frozen veggies (w/lemon juice and butter); sometimes we eat raw carrots/cauliflower (kids like that) sometimes fresh brocs or asparagus in the microwave. Cooking veggies in the micro is key - it is very fast and you also don't have to watch it if your micro has a "Vegetable" setting. I cook 5 nights a week usually and we go out or get takeout the other 2. I rarely cook anything during the week that requires more than 5 minutes of continuous attention. Either it's rinse-and-microwave or spray-sprinkle-put in the oven. Sometimes I don't even feel like doing that, so we have canned soup or husband makes pasta and canned sauce or everyone picks out a Lean Cuisine. I do like to cook, but during the week, I'm tired when I get home from work, and I just want to cook something that's fast! Not the french chef

As for the actual prep: I take a few hours after grocery shopping to prepare some meals and freeze for lazy nights. I usually chop up some chicken and place it in a freezer bag and in another freezer bag, chop up some veggies. Voila...stirfry. Just throw on a pot of 5 min. rice. I also prepare spaghetti, lasagne, and soups. Soups can also be put in a freezer bag for a quick drop in a pot of boining water. And when all else fails, its a can of soup, applesauce/sliced fruit, and tuna/pbj/grilled cheese or breakfast-for-dinner. Since I'm a student, I can't afford ordering pizza so another favorite is homemade pizza. The kids have control (and the fun) of placing the cheese and toppings on it. Perhaps getting the kids involved in the prepwork would also help them understand how hard it is to cook and how to prepre a balanced meal. My 2 1/2 yr. old loves to help (keep them away from the stove of course).

And the last rule I have is that they are required to eat one bite of everything I serve. If they don't eat the rest, I never force them. BT

After I shop I try to cook a big stew with meat, potatoes, carrots, green beans, onions, tomatoes, pimentsn (Spanish smoked paprika). It's pretty easy, no fancy chopping, its virtue is the flavor developed by long-simmering. Also it tastes as good or better reheated through the week, unlike many foods that decline over time. My toddler and I have it for lunch almost all week long, it's one food she will almost always devour even as other foods go in and out of favor in accordance with some toddler system I do not understand. It can also fill in as a dinner if needed.

At the same time I sauti ground beef and add tomato sauce for spaghetti later in the week. I prefer to cook meats right away because I start to doubt their freshness after a day or two.

Then I count on rice and beans (un-PC Christians and Moors recipe, EZ and delicious in 20 minutes!). A homemade soup is also great, if made ahead.

That's 3-4 meals, a good start to the week. I write any food ideas on the fridge so I can buy the ingredients, then fill out the rest of the week with frozen ravioli, leftovers, or ''snack dinner'' (baby has tofu, beans, applesauce, other no-cook items, husband and I eat cereal later on). Kristine

Another tip is to precut onions, garlic, carrot, even brocoli, green beans, etc. and put in ziploc bags after weekend grocery shopping. Its alot easier to cook from scratch on weekdays if the "prep" work has been minimized. Makes pasta, soup, and stir fry almost effortless later in the week.

By the way, I also love Mark Bittman's cookbook: How to Cook Everything - its a 21st Century Joy of Cooking Karen