Cooking under pressure

I'm wondering if any other families out there find it difficult to make time to prepare meals.  Our toddler isn't in school yet and must be watched every moment.  He sometimes takes naps, so I have learned to use those times to best advantage.  I have also learned that it's easier to cook casseroles, where I can put everything in one dish, than to cook a traditional meal.  I try to cook a couple of meals at a time when I do get the chance to be in the kitchen.  

If you have any ideas or suggestions, please share them!  I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, too.  It can be a challenge cooking for a family that has different nutritional needs and food allergies, not to mention food aversions.  I will list a few of the things I do to streamline my cooking:

• If I'm cooking ground meat I try to cook several pounds at once.  I can then either refrigerate or freeze what is left over.  Then, when I'm ready to cook a meal requiring ground meat, I can just defrost it, warm it in the microwave for a bit, then mix up my recipe.
• I bake chicken breasts or strips in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so.  I usually season them with a seasoned salt or some type of poultry seasoning.  The chicken is very versatile and can be used in anything from chicken salad to chicken casserole.
• I like to mix up casseroles while my toddler is napping.  I then refrigerate the casserole until about thirty minutes before I need to cook it.  I let it sit out until time to bake it.
• The crock pot can be a time-poor cook's very best friend.  There are many easy recipes that you can start before your family wakes up in the morning which will be ready in time for supper.
• I also try to prepare enough so I have left-overs at each meal.  I just refrigerate them for a couple of days, then we eat them again.  Sometimes I'll change the left-overs up a bit by adding some ingredients or eating the left-overs with rice.  For example:  I take baked chicken and veggies, add some cream of chicken soup, and place it all in a dish.  I then put a ready-made pie crust on top and pop it in the oven.  Instant chicken pot pie made from left-overs!

I'll try to find more tips and post them later.  Again, please share any tips you might have.  Thanks for visiting our South Texas Autism!!!