27 Sep Quick & Easy Dinners!
Schedules often get crazy for families when falls comes! Between back to school, sports practices and games, nonscholastic activities, jobs, and playing cab driver as you run kids around to where they have to be, it can seem like you’ve ran a marathon at the end of every day. It’s not easy to find balance, or even trickier to get dinner on the table (or even choose the time to make it!). If most of this seems familiar, listed here are some techniques for how you can generate dinner time a little less stressful.
The one where you’re managing all day long, have to get one kid to soccer practice, another kid to dance, and still another couple of kids to gymnastics? (Oh, and don’t forget homework to make sure the kids finish, too.) That’s the day, every week, to feel just fine about getting pizza on the way home. It’s worth it to not have to stress about dinner prep or clean up on a day that is already crazy full.
Make use of the crockpot. Frankly, the crock pot is genius. You can throw some ingredients in it at the beginning of the day, come home at the end of it, and serve something that tastes like you slaved most of the day in the kitchen. Throw some ribs in with BBQ sauce and allow them to go all day, cut a roast for simple tacos, or throw the ingredients for your family’s desired soup in there. Being able to walk in the door, set the table, open a bag of salad and dressing, and put it on plates alongside something yummy and warm from the crock pot makes dinner a snap.
Do you prefer to cook but never enjoy doing all the grocery shopping? Or, are you among those people that stops by the store to grab food every night for dinner? Or not having enough thoughts of what to make? If these instances resemble you, you might consider signing up for a meal subscription service like Blue Apron, Gobble, Peachdish or Plated. (Honestly, there are numerous out there, so you’d need to do the research to get the one that best fits the needs of your family.) Get the headache out of planning the menu or looking for the food by having everything delivered to your door, ready with information for how to cook it and put it together. Voila!
Have one low-prep meal every week. Regardless of it is, think of a few meals that are family staples and only take a short time to prepare, and choose one of those once a week.
Turn it into a grill night. Tossing some meat on the grill lessens the dishes you use in cooking, shortens clean up time, and you can easily open some cans of baked beans, heat up a bag of frozen vegetables, or open a favorite bag of potato chips to round things off.
Create a bunch of meals up front. This requires that you reserve a chunk of time (a morning and afternoon, for instance), but getting ready a bunch of meals in advance and putting them in the freezer can be a godsend when schedules are super busy during the week. Being able to come home and grab a lasagna from the freezer to put in the oven while you set the table and help your son finish his homework makes things a little less disorganized. Soups and casseroles taste scrumptious when you reheat them, and you won’t have to feel like you’re jeopardizing on taste or texture.
When you’re cooking for your brood every day, it can be easy to run out of meal ideas and get burned out. If you’re looking for a way to bring some new flavors and meals to your table, you might consider signing up for one of our culinary tours. These tours with our bus rental Maine are a great way to learn new cooking techniques, be introduced to new flavors, and inspire fresh meal ideas when you need a change.
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