Tips for dinner
I know cooking dinner can be an overwhelming task for many of us. So I wanted to share some ideas about how cooking dinner has become a little easier. Dinner is a big deal to me...I have great memories of family dinners from my childhood. Plus, it not only provides a meal for my family that night, but sometimes Josh and Mark take leftovers the next day for lunch.1) Plan ahead and prepare. It's so much easier to prepare a meal if you have everything you need for it. It's hard for me to make something out of nothing or just try and throw random ingredients together. I am not crafty enough to make something out of random stuff. Before I go grocery shopping, I list 5-6 meals I would like to make and then write down what ingredients I will need on my shopping list to make these meals. I look at my list throughout the week to decide what we will have which day.
2) My easiest dinner times are when I have done stuff to prepare for it earlier in the day. At lunchtime, when the kids are eating, I do a few things to get ready for dinner. Whether it's assembling a casserole, putting something in a crockpot, cutting up veggies, or defrosting meat, doing these things at noon rather than at 4:30 makes life easier.
3) I try and have a few convenience meals around for days when life is hectic. Frozen lasagna from Costco or frozen pastas from Trader Joes can be very satisfying and easy to prepare. Also, we call in for pizza at least once a month and if Dad's out of town or having dinner with clients, we'll go out for a bite or do something simple.
4) I enjoy making new things, so I look for recipes in magazines, cookbooks, on blogs, etc. If I add a couple new meals into our rotation, then I don't get bored.
5) We have to have dinner without Dad most nights. This is not our ideal, but it's the way life is. We save him a plate in the fridge, pack up his leftovers for lunch, and try to have family meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on the weekends.
I'd love to hear your tips for dinner!
posted by Kathryn @ 6:01 PM
2 Comments:
This is GREAT! You always have such awesome tips about everything. The planning ahead really does work. I got on the computer tonight to look for some new things to make so I can be ready to hit the store tomorrow morning. I find that I even save money that way, too.
ah, I so needed to read this. my least fav time of the day really can be a lot better if I plan.
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