Sunday Dinners on Saturday

I have thought about doing a series like this for a while because I am from the old school where I think it is nice to have a Sunday that is actually restful and at least somewhat reflective.  I won't promise that I am the best at being reflective but I do try to have food ready to be made quickly so that it can be restful for me (mom) as well as everyone else.  All the while I still like to have a nice home cooked meal but without all the work!  So I will be sharing some ideas for you in the weeks ahead.

This week's menu is as follows:

Meatloaf (regular or mini)
Baked Potatoes in the slow cooker
Salad or Green beans
Fruit Salad
Buttery Bread Machine Rolls

Saturday Preparation for the Sunday's menu:
Meatloaf - whatever meatloaf you choose can be mixed and shaped and baked and frozen for future use.  If you do this, put the  meatloaf into the fridge for thawing on Saturday  night and reheat in the oven as soon as you get home from church (or reheat in the  microwave).  If you do not want to freeze then just mix up the meatloaf the night before and bake it until it is almost done, cool and refrigerate and then bake it the rest of the way (15-20 minutes) when you get home from church.
Baked Potatoes - Scrub potatoes clean, poke with a fork and wrap in aluminum foil and place in the slow cooker BUT do not turn the slow cooker on.  This way all you have to do is plug in the slow cooker and turn it on in the morning!
Salad or Green beans - I just wait until I get home to throw the salad together.  If you are doing green beans, just put them in a pot with oil and seasonings and cook on the stove top while you are warming up your meatloaf.  This should only take about 15 minutes or less.
Fruit Salad - Saturday night chop all of your fruit and drizzle honey over it and refrigerate it overnight to be served the next day.
Buttery Bread Machine Rolls - Put the ingredients in the pan and run the dough cycle.  Form the rolls and put them in a 9 x 13 inch pan and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  Take them out and bake them at the same time as the meatloaf on the bottom rack as per recipe directions.


According to the above instructions, with a little pre-planning, you will be able to have a delicious meal in about 20 minutes after you get home from church.  Have the kids change their clothes and set the table and get drinks ready and you will be all set!

This obviously does not have to be done at 8:45pm on Saturday  night.  You can do it during short snippets during the day on Saturday. 

I hope this helps you and encourages you to have nice sit down family dinner on Sunday.  

This post is listed at Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes.