Easy Meal Ideas

We have some easy meal ideas and tips to help because we all know having kids leaves little time for preparation during the stressful dinner hour! At dinnertime children are tired and hungry (and so are you!)and the last thing you or they want to do is wait. How can you cut down the stress and get dinner done faster and easier?

Preparing ahead of time is the key! Preparation goes a long way with kids!

1. Start early! The less work during the stressful dinnertime the better. To make dinnertime quicker, during the day when they are busy playing, in school, during nap time or anytime you have a few minutes, do your prep work.
   
   For example, if making sweet and sour chicken cut meat into cubes, cut up veggies and make sauce. Then put each in a separate bowl and store in the fridge until dinner. Do this with all your recipes. Look your recipe over and see what can be done ahead of time. Many dishes can be assembled and then refrigerated until dinner time. Even many side dishes can be done ahead of time like salads.



2. Another option is prepare all your vegetables and meat once a week after shopping. Do all your prep work once and store the meat and vegetables in the freezer or fridge. Carrots and celery can be cut into sticks and placed in a bowl of water. Meat can be cut into cubes if needed and wrapped in tin foil or a ziploc bag. Then placed in the freezer.



3. I find it is easier to save the harder, longer preparation meals for weekends when I have more time and my husband is here to help (whether in the kitchen or with the kids).



4. Shop once a week and have a menu planned out for each night. This will save you from last minute shopping trips. When you know what's for dinner each day your dinner preparation will save you time and make for a quicker dinner.



5. After dinner is over and cleaned up think about the next night. What needs to be taken out of the freezer, bought at the store or prepared early the next day? A little preparation goes a long way when it comes to incorporating easy meal ideas.



6. The crock pot can be a great easy meal idea. I just love mine. I have a larger one that can cook a whole roast chicken or double batch of soup and a smaller crock pot. Try at least once a week to use your crock pot especially on your busiest day. We recommend www.a-crock-cook.com for Easy Crock Pot Recipes.



7. Put your freezer to work!  Freezer meals can help immensely. Many recipes can be doubled or tripled and half stored in freezer containers for another day.



8. Once a week have a chef's night off. Buy a rotisserie chicken, frozen pizza (you can even make your own ahead of time and freeze), visit the salad bar or eat out. These nights can be a much needed break for the head chef and leaves you geared up to cook again the next day.



9. Take advantage of the convenience items at the store such as frozen chicken breasts, frozen vegetables, bagged salads, cut up grilled chicken. Just double check they are healthy convenience items not the meal in a box type that are high in salt and fat.



10. Keep your kitchen organized and the cupboards well stocked. If you want to get dinner done quick you need to have everything on hand and know where to find everything in your kitchen. Don't waste your time searching for your favorite saucepan or spatula. Learn what to stock in your kitchen?

Easy Meal Ideas: Monte Cristo Video