Dinner In A Dash
Rather than let fast food become an unfortunate way of life, take control of your weekday menu and your time by prepping a few meals for the week. No reason to spend the day slaving over the stove, instead use four tools to get you in and out of the kitchen in less than 90 minutes.
If you're a gourmet chef type, keep it moving. This post is for people like me who would be just fine eating from the grocery store salad bar every night. However, when you have more than one mouth to feed, this can get a bit pricey. Add on after-school schedules and you may just find that salad bars and other quick food options are not practical choices either.
Since the problem is time, you probably don't have big blocks of it to set aside for cooking. Here's an easy four-part solution to get it done in a reasonable chunk of time. Try using multiple tools at the same time to make dinner a consistent reality.
Slow Cooker
My go to cooking tool is the slow cooker. Even with my limited culinary repertoire, I have learned to cook lots of stuff in that little electric power house. My go to is red beans and rice. However, pulled turkey, pork roast, barbecued chicken, spaghetti and more are easy to whip up in 10 - 15 minutes of prep time and 4 - 8 hours of wait time. Cut down on cleaning time by using slow cooker liners or a generous covering of cooking spray.
Oven Meal
My Dad fusses me about my baking habits. I never let it bother me. I bake, bake, bake and I'm not talking pastries. My family likes flavorful foods so I can bake a family sized pack of chicken legs or thighs and hear no complaints. We usually just eat our baked chicken over rice or with a side of microwave baked potatoes. However, we've used leftovers to make quesadillas, lunch bowls and more. While you are baking up your entree, throw in a tray of your favorite veggies. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder (maybe red pepper flakes if you like), roast on 400 until perfect.
Jazzed Up Box Gourmet
Though box is quite narrow, pre-seasoned rices or pastas or meal helpers are a really good way to get a casserole-ish meal prepared on the stove top. Pre-cooked chicken, ground beef or vegetables can be tossed right into boxed jambalaya mixes, rice casserole mixes, or pasta boxes. Because we eat leftovers, I usually double the pre-packaged portion. Instead of doubling the meat when I double the box, I add canned tomatoes or veggies (low sodium only). My family actually likes Hamburger Helper meals. No judgement.
Freezer
My family appreciates pizza and macaroni and cheese. There are freezer brands of both that have few preservatives, reasonable amounts of sodium and taste great. To make both the guys and the gals happy, I usually get a meat and a cheese pizza. Thursday or Friday is a great day for pizza. Everyday is a great day for mac and cheese. I usually pop in a big tray of cheesy goodness and everyone digs in. If we have leftovers, we just mix it all together and enjoy food-inspired comfort.
Round It Out: Rice, potatoes, canned or frozen veggies and salad are great options for rounding everything out. We also keep fresh fruit and cheese in the fridge for snacking. As always, keep fixings for side salads handy and you're in for a great meal every night.