When I was home on mat leave with my first kid:
Naps were short, and there were 2-3 of them.
I "prepped" during one of them. So, whatever I decided to make (and I did spend time thinking about it too, checking out recipes), during one of the naps I would prep. This might be:
marinating meat
chopping vegetables
making a sauce
Cooking rice or pasta
The goal was that I could finish making dinner in 20-30 min after my husband got home.
Planning here was key. I needed to make sure I had *enough* to get through a few days. However, I would walk for exercise, so often I would walk 1.5 miles to the grocery store if I was missing anything.
After I went back to work, esp after kid #2, I had a SYSTEM (we were both working FT).
Saturday: Cook a big meal
Sunday: Cook a big meal
Saturday or Sunday: Cook something for lunch.
Examples of meals: chili, lasagna, pasta, beans and rice, roasted chicken, enchiladas, soup. Big pots or pans of things.
Examples of lunch: burritos, sandwiches, beans and rice, stir fry, homemade pizza
For lunch I would actually portion out the 8-10 servings as soon as I made the stuff. If I didn't think it would "keep" for the week, I would freeze half. Added advantage here: we were eating the same thing every day, so it was good for weight loss. By Thursday each week, you are tired of chili, or burritos, or whatever.
So, generally the "big pot" of stuff that I made for dinners Sat and Sun we would eat Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue. By Weds, we were getting low, but maybe had a serving or so left.
So, Weds was "crock pot day". Every Weds I'd put the Sat/Sun meals in the freezer, and throw something into the crockpot. We'd eat that Weds and Thurs.
Friday was "whatever we had leftover" from everything else. Sat/Sun freezer stuff, or crock pot day.
I think I did this method: 2 big meals, one lunch for the week, and crock pot Weds for 6 months.
Other things that I use/ have used:
Frozen pizza
Frozen chicken fingers
Frozen vegetables
Veggie burgers
Quesadillas
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Scrambled eggs
Pancakes
These are all "crap, what's for dinner" meals. And we use them at least once a week!