My husband and I have now been living on our own for six months without our girls at home. I have to say the #1 difficulty and challenge has been meal planning and preparing dinners for just two people. Turns out our girls have been experiencing the same issue.
We came to a perfect solution...
Every Sunday the girls come over to do homework, spend time with us, do their laundry, and have Sunday family dinner. That was the one stipulation that they had to agree to before I let them move out...they must be home every Sunday with us for family dinner. No exceptions!
Every few weeks, we plan, shop for and make about 7 dinners on a Sunday afternoon. Before the girls go back to their place, we divide up all the meals for each home. It works out great because my husband and I will have just enough for either work lunches or dinner at home...while the girls have quick go-to dinners for when they are working or coaching at night.
Princess Brinkley loves it when we are dinner prepping on Sundays too! She is an expert at crumb catching.
This Mexican bake (casserole) is wonderful for meal prepping and dividing up. Makes great leftovers!
Fold-Over Tortilla Bake
Courtesy of Taste of Home
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
1 cup enchilada (red) sauce
1 to 2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
12 flour or corn tortillas (6 inches)
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Pour half of the meat sauce into a 13x9 baking dish. Set aside.
Wrap the stack of tortillas in foil; warm at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Spread warm tortillas with cream cheese and top with chiles. Fold tortillas in half. Arrange folded tortillas over meat sauce; pour remaining sauce over top.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer.
Serve with sour cream, avocado slices, rice and beans.
One Year Ago: Crock Pot Breakfast
Two Years Ago: No Post
Three Years Ago: No Post
Four Years Ago: Antipasto Salad with Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts
Five Years Ago: Grilled Shrimp with Bacon, Tomato and Scallion Vinaigrette
This is how I meal prepped for the girls' Thanksgiving take home leftovers...it looks like a giant Swanson "TV Dinner" (if you're old enough to remember what those were).
There's also a lot of "laundry prepping" on Sundays. I knew if I refused to buy them a washer and dryer, they would definitely need to come home one day a week....my wicked plan is working!