Remember that game, Diner Dash? I used to play it whenever I was bored and had a little time to kill. And I could never seem to win. My customers would always start pouting and then disappear in an angry poof of smoke before I could figure out what kind of icing I was supposed to put on their cake or whatever…
Little did I know that game was perfect preparation for those days when I’m trying to prepare dinner with a baby on my hip, a screaming toddler at my feet and all manner of hell breaking loose around me. I used to dread dinner time, but with the following tips I have managed to get our evening routine under control. That doesn’t mean that those crazy days don’t still rear their ugly head. It just means that it happens every once in a while and not every night. Here’s how I keep it together through bedtime.
- Meal plan. I must admit that I don’t always do this, but when I do our evenings go much more smoothly. For the most part, I cook all our meals at home per day every day and meal planning helps me save both time and money. If I have fresh spinach that’s about to go bad, I will sautee some with eggs for breakfast, add it to salads or sandwiches at lunch and then cream some as a side dish for dinner. Never meal planned? Check out this post from MAMC blogger Kristen Sarich for tips on how to get started.
- Make multiple meals at once. Take advantage of blocks of time to prepare several meals at once to save time over the course of the week. For example, you can cook ground beef and use it to make several different recipes like tacos, chili, and spaghetti. You can also bake several chicken breasts at once and portion them out for use in multiple recipes throughout the week. For the super savvy, you can cook once a week or even once a month! Check out this Pinterest board for ideas.
- Prep fresh produce immediately. After grocery shopping, I’ve made it a habit to go ahead and chop fresh fruit and vegetables before putting them away. We received this Cuisinart mini food processor as a wedding gift and I love it. It works well and has held up well for almost 5 years. I use glass containers like this Pyrex Glass Storage Set to store fruits and veggies. To keep the moisture from spoiling cut produce, fold a dry paper towel and place it in the bottom of your container.
- Repurpose leftovers. I’m not a huge fan of leftovers. I can usually eat them once, but twice is pushing it. To make leftovers more palatable, I turn them into a new meal. I might make tacos one night and then the day after, use some of the ingredients to make black bean soup. That cuts down on waste without redundancy. Looking for some inspiration? Read Kara Elder’s Washington Post article, “How to Reuse Absolutely Any Leftover.”
- Make meals ahead to save time and sanity. Freezers are not just for slow cooker meals and casseroles. You can actually make your own mini frozen pizzas, tacos and other quick meals and snacks that are perfect for those days when you’ve had a rough day wrangling littles and just don’t feel like spending an hour trying to whip up a culinary masterpiece. You can create frozen pizzas that should last in your freezer for up to 12 weeks. For step-by-step instructions, check out this simple diy frozen pizza recipe from the Momables website.
- Slow and steady wins the race! I love a good slow cooker meal and cook mine in a Crock Pot similar to this one. I usually cook in my slow cooker on Sundays because when I get up in the morning, I just turn it on and go about my day. Depending on the recipe, we either have lunch or dinner ready with minimal effort on my part, by the time we get home from church.
