 |
| Our older daughter on her first day of 8th grade |
As we come to the end of this first week of school, I'm finding that the time between our arrival back home after picking up my daughter from school and our supper time - especially on days she has after school activities - seems very short!
While I've practiced these seven tips off and on over the years, I think I'm going to need to use all of them to keep our schedule running smoothly (unlike last night, when I underestimated the time our food needed to cook, which meant that we were all pretty hungry by the time it was ready!)
 |
| Source |
1. Plan ahead. I was slack this summer about planning out a weekly menu. No more! My goal is to sit down on Saturday and write out all of our breakfasts and suppers for the coming week.
2. Use the slow cooker. This is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. Here are some of my favorite slow cooker recipes.
Italian Pot Roast3. Allow yourself some shortcuts. I'm feeling okay about using a few shortcuts while we get back into our school year routine. For example, I normally like to make my own cream of chicken soup, but I'm using the canned version right now.
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Chili
Spicy Shredded Pork
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
4. Keep it simple. This week's menu included hamburgers and BLT's - both meals that are liked by the family and easy to prepare. My goal right now is to serve a main dish along with a vegetable and/or fruit each night.
5. Take a couple of minutes in the morning to look over the night's menu. See if you need to defrost meat or chop an onion; do anything that will make it faster to put the meal together that evening.
6. Multitask. While I'm waiting for water to boil, I might slice some cucumbers to put in my daughter's lunch the next day or brown sausage for tomorrow's breakfast casserole.
7. Factor in cleanup time. One pot dishes (like Red Beans and Rice or One Dish Mock Chicken Pot Pie) mean easy clean up. I also try to clean up as I go so that there's less to do after supper. And it's yet another reason I love the slow cooker - I get most of my clean up done ahead of time!
What other tips do you have for getting meals on the table quickly on a busy night?
I hate for you to change you comments moderation for me, but thank you!
ReplyDeleteI follow several of these tips like making a menu for the week, using my crock pot, and keeping it simple. If I have meat to thaw, I even write that down on my "to do" list the day before so I don't forget.
These are good tips! I've been struggling with dinners lately - just in a rut. I've decided to go back to menu planning and using my trusty crock pot too!
ReplyDeleteOne way I save time on cooking is by making double the amount needed (or triple!) and either using the leftovers the next couple days (if everyone can cope with eating the same meal more than one day in a row - which my family absolutely loves), or putting some in the freezer so all you have to do is (defrost if necessary) reheat and eat (maybe throw a few extra frozen vegies in the steamer to cook while the meal reheats). :) When I make slow-cooker meals, I always make enough to last at least 2 days, if not more. My chili recipe makes enough for us for 5 days!!
ReplyDeleteThis is even better with things that don't need to be reheated - for example, I make enough coleslaw to last two days, so all I need to do is serve it with whatever else we're eating! :)
DeleteI need to get better about doing that - even if it's just browning extra meat when I'm preparing one meal so that I'll already have a head start on another meal. Great tip!!
DeleteOne pot is my fave - I hate dishes more than any other chore!
ReplyDelete