Dinnertime! What Time Do You Start Making Dinner?

[snowball]

It depends on what we are having. I use my crock pot a lot, so I put that on whenever I can.

If I am not using the crock pot I start at about 3 or 4, but we eat at 5pm.The last kid leave at 4:15

[SandeeAR]

It is just my DH and I, so I play it by ear each day. Unless like tonight, my oldest DD and SIL will be here for fried pork chops.

On big meal nights, I get everything ready at nap time, including the pots and pans. As soon as the last one goes out the door at 5:30, I'll go start dinner and we eat by 6:30.

I also use my crop pot a lot!

[tenderhearts]

Depends on what it is, if it's crock pot, I get it prepared night before so all I have to do is take it out of fridge and plug in. Some times I prepare it at quiet/nap time then all I have to do is pop it in the oven at 5ish. IF my daughter is home and I need veggies cut she'll do that for me so they are ready. I'm so exhausted by the time all the kids are gone and if I don't start it early then sometimes usually by thursday it's sorry not cookin tonight so we go out, especially when I'm just getting done working and everyone is loafing on the couch and I have to do dinner still. I prefer not to do that so I try to plan ahead so there's very little preperation.

[tenderhearts]

I'm running out of crock pot ideas, does anyone have any they'd like to share? thanks in advance

[squareone]

I can't start dinner until much later too because my kitchen is in a whole other house!! LOL! I used to get home around 6 or so and start making dinner and tehn not eat until like 7 or later depending on what we were having. Now, my DH makes dinner and I just drive home and eat!! I don't know how that happened but he started cooking a few years ago and now he handles all the cooking in our house. Nice!

You lucky dog!

[E Daycare]

I start at 5 too! I close at 5:15 (was 5:30 but if a parent comes even 15 minutes late and its 5:45 I almost lose my mind at how late it is ) so getting a jump start for dinner is a must for me. DH comes home about 5:30 and my 20mo old DS almost goes insane for dinner (really for any meal but thats another story.) so I have to get it going.

Ive always made a big deal about family dinners, made dinner for el hub and I for the 9yrs before DS was born, and we all sit down together to eat at the table. Since DS arrived Ive become almost insane crazy healthy mom so preparing home made good for you food takes a bit. Its ok because the way my son eats, I cant imagine feeding him junk all the time and I dont mind cooking good for him. Hed be HUGE and hes already in the 99% for height and weight (hub is 200lbs and 6'7" so we are aware our kid would be tall and lanky too).

One dcm always makes comments like "whatcha making for dinner? I have no clue what to make. Do you have a phone book so I can call that greek place?". I dont ever want to be like that. Even when I worked outside the home I came home and made dinner every night. We ate later then now but it was always just us so it didnt matter too much if we ate at 6 or 6:30. Now its gotta eat at 5:30 or DS lets you hear it!

We eat at 5:30 and are cleaned up by 6 so I have 2.5 hrs of just us and DS time!