All of the above are good suggestions. I would add that if possible, buy a few premade frozen meals that can be microwaved. I know it seems really simple, but when I was a brand new mom, how many times I just didnt defrost something or time just got away from me,having those emergency type meals was wonderful.It may not be the most economical, but in the long run it is worth it.

This one is my favorite, but I love cabbage rolls and would be open to also trying all of the recipes posted above! Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage From Jane BrodyÂs "Good Food Book" 1 large head cabbage (2 or 3 pounds) 2 tablespoons butter 2 large onion, sliced 1 16-ounce can tomatoes with their juice, coarsely chopped salt, if desired, to taste ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided beef bones, about 1 pound (optional) 1 pound very lean ground beef ¼ cup grated onion 3 tablespoons uncooked rice (white or brown) 3 tablespoons water 1 egg 2 cups (approximately) boiling broth 1/3 cup raisins ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ to ½ cup honey, to taste 1. Boil cabbage in large pot of water, 5 to 10 min. When cool enough to handle, gently remove leaves. Reboil inner leaves, if necessary, to soften. Use just the tender, whitish leaves for rolling. Shred the tough outer leaves and small inner leaves for the sauce. 2. Melt butter in deep, heavy saucepan, Dutch oven or roasting pan. Add onions and brown lightly. Add tomatoes with juice, about ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, beef bones and shredded cabbage. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered about 30 min. 3. For cabbage, combine beef, grated onion, rice, water, egg, another ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place 1-1/2 to 3 tablespoons of meat mixture toward the stem of each leaf. Fold in the shorter sides, then roll from the stem to form a fairly tight, compact roll or "ball". 4. Add broth to sauce, mixing well. Add cabbage rolls to pan and cook slowly over low heat for 1-1/2 hours. 5. Add raisins, lemon juice and honey (start with ¼ cup and taste before adding more), distributing these ingredients as evenly as possible. Cook cabbage, uncovered, 30 min. longer. Makes 12 to 18 medium-sized rolls

Aha! I did find a cabbage-roll casserole in my files! Cabbage Roll Casserole, in the Slow-Cooker A filling, easy meal and no rolling of cabbage rolls! Can be prepared the night before. 1 1/2 lb ground beef 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp paprika salt and pepper 1 large can tomato sauce 1/2 to 1 cup water, depending on the consistency you like 1/2 cup rice 4 cups shredded cabbage 1/3 cup tomato juice or water In a large skillet saute onions and garlic until tender add the ground beef and cook until no pink remains. Add garlic, salt and pepper, paprika and any other spices for added flavour. Drain excess fat, add 1/2 the tomato sauce and the water. Mix well and add rice, stirring to combine. Place half the meat mixture in to slow cooker, top with half the cabbage, meat then rest of the cabbage. In a small bowl combine remaining tomato sauce and tomato juice (or water). Mix well and pour into slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours until bubbling and heated through.

I always cook my rice first, because my very lean homegrown ground beef just doesn't have enough fat/moisture to property cook the rice, and I don't want it hard and crunchy in there. Here's my favorite recipe: Stuffed cabbage rolls Filling 1 pound lean ground beef 3/4 cup cooked rice 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 large egg 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup milk Sauce 1 cans (8 ounces ) tomato sauce 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 tbls Worchestershire sauce Mix all the filling ingredients, stuff the cabbage rolls, mix all the sauce ingredients and pour over top. Bake at 350F for about an hour, or put them in the crockpot all day on low. I usually put a bed of sauerkraut under them. Elery just made a batch with burrito filling (no beans), and used enchilada sauce for baking and salsa and sour cream when serving. And there's this, which I haven't tried yet: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Bacon and Cheese 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1/4 cup minced onion 1 teaspoon ground sage 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup beef broth 6 strips bacon Mix beef, onion, sage, cheese, bread crumbs, milk and salt. Roll up into cabbage leaves, pour beef broth over rolls and top with bacon strips. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Sweet and sour? Yup, got that too, from America's Test Kitchen! Sweet and Sour cabbage Rolls 1 head green cabbage, cored 1/4 cup long-grain white rice 2 onions, grated on the large holes of a box grater 1 1/2 lbs ground beef pepper 1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes 1 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree 2 cups water 6 tablespoons light brown sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 onion, peeled 8 whole cloves 12 small gingersnaps, pounded into course crumbs 1/2 cup raisins (optional) DIRECTIONS Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to boil in large dutch oven over high heat. Add cored cabbage and cook until outer leaves just begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to gently remove leaves (outer 20) one by one and transfer to a colander to cool. Remove any remaining head of cabbage and let cool. Do not discard water. Return water to boil over high heat. Add rice and cook until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain the rice through a strainer, rinse it to cool, and let drain thoroughly. In a medium bowl, combine cooked rice, onion, beef, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Trim tough ribs from cabbage leaves and tightly roll 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture into each leaf. Shred the remaining blanched cabbage both the head and any remaining leaves. DIRECTIONS: Scatter half the shredded cabbage leaves in a large dutch oven. Arrange rolls seam side down snugly on top of the shredded cabbage. Sprinkle any remaining shredded cabbage on top of rolls. Combine diced tomatoes w/ juice, tomato puree, water (I use water left over from rice) 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pour liquid over cabbage. Stud peeled onion with cloves and submerge in liquid. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Discard clove studded onion. Sprinkle crushed cookies and raisins (if using) into the pot and shake to incorporate them without disturbing rolls. Simmer uncovered until sauce begins to thicken, about 1 hour. If you desire more liquid, add 1 cup of beef broth. Transfer rolls to serving dish and add remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to sauce and season with salt pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over rolls and top with sour cream and chopped parsley if desired. I like them all! Annie