Cooking Up A Storm

 

How many of us have gotten to Wednesday and realized that there is nothing for dinner? Or, if you need to make dinner you will have to stop at the grocery store first and then go home to start dinner. Weeknights can already be so busy with working late and kids activities, so let’s simplify our life by not worrying about dinner. And I don’t mean getting take out, which is nice once a week but not all the time. I mean planning ahead of time and getting ready for the week.

The best way I find to do this is to plan my meals on the weekend, before I go grocery shopping. Yes, it can be time consuming, but it is so worth it during the busy week. First, I figure out dinners and what everyone is taking for lunch. Then I make my grocery list and head out the door. Most weeks I like to keep Sunday evenings for cooking. I like to find some recipes that are quick and easy to make or have at least one recipe that uses the crock pot. Another great tip is to cook in bulk and freeze some of it for a rainy day.

Make sure that the recipes you pick can stay in the fridge without getting spoiled. If a dish will get spoiled then at least you have bought the ingredients for it and they are there for when you get home from work. You can always take a look at the recipe and see what it requires and do the prep work ahead of time.

A little bit of planning ahead of time can allow your whole family to start eating healthy. Of course, there will be some weeks when it might not be possible to be so organized and that’s what take out is there for. Or, check in your freezer for what you have kept in there from your bulk cooking.