Sundays at my house are never predictable. One Sunday, it will be just the kids, my husband, and I(7 of us) comming home and eating a quick bite before going back to church for choir practice and then evening service. On another Sunday, we might be bringing as many as 5 extra kids/teens home with us for the afternoon. On yet another Sunday, we might be having a dinner at the church, either with the whole church, or just inviting a family who's kids we've been bringing to church to have dinner with us.
No matter WHAT happens, the reoccuring problem is this....what to eat? In order to have time to eat and still be able to get back to church in time, I have had to pull a few aces out of my sleeve. I thought I'd share them with y'all!
Ace #1: Slow Cooker- For a slow cooker meal, I will set the ingredients that don't need to be refridgerated on the counter near the cooker. Then I will arrange the refridgerated ingredients together in the fridge so I can quickly get them in the morning. If the cooker requires meat, I cook it the night before and refridgerate it in a tupperware container. Then, on Sunday morning, I arrange all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook them on low till we get home from church...then VOILA....we have a meal when we come home!
Ace #2: Electric Roaster- I use a roaster to cook turkey,chicken, pork, beef, or venison roast. I need large amounts of meat to feed the crews I end up with and the electric roaster is ideal for this. For this, I put the meat with seasonings and some water/stock in the cooker on low all night long. I check it the next morning and usually it's fine to be left till after church. If I want carrots and/or potatoes, I add them to the roaster in the morning. Then, when we come home, VOILA! a meal!
Ace #3: Rice Cooker- If I cook chicken the night before, I can come home, put rice in my 20 cup rice cooker and cook some veggies. Then, 20 minutes later, POOF a meal! Or, I dice up the chicken, then mix it with cream of mushroom soup, cooked veggies and top with cheese and pop it into my bean pot or a large cake pan and cook em in the oven for a few and YUM-a LUM-a Ding-Dong!
Ace # 4: Sub Day!- A quick, fun way to eat together on a Sunday is to get some sub rolls, different kinds of veggies, meats , and cheeses and spread them out on the table for a Sub free for all!
Ace #5: Pre Cooked Casserole- A lasagna, tuna noodle casserole, spagetti pizza, shepherds pie, or the such-like can be prepared and cooked the night before or the morning before church and then re-heated after church!
These are just a few of the aces I keep in my sleeves......God has allowed me to learn these tried and true methods to allow Sunday to be a day where we focus on the Lord, not food!
