10 Helpful Tips on Cooking Meals Easier

When you are as busy as most people, you’re always looking for methods to feed your family in a convenient and quick way, yet not overly pricey. Consider the following options:

1. Make several meals at once for the entire week. This may take a few hours of your time up front, but it will pay off in the long term when you return home each night to a ready-to-eat dinner made in a short amount of time. Consider roasting a roast and serving part of it as a main course while the other half is used for sandwiches, beef stroganoff, or stir-fry. To freeze and use later, roast several pounds of hamburger and make casseroles, taco meat, and chili.

2. Clean as many fruits and vegetables as you can when you get home from shopping. When it’s time for a meal, all you have to do is cook them or add them to a salad or soup.

3. Take inspiration from television cooking shows. There are a number of excellent shows that demonstrate how to prepare a nutritious dinner in a short period of time.

4. Create a recipe file that can be rotated. The recipe index is for you if you become overwhelmed by the prospect of planning 30 dinners every month. Choose a few of your family members’ favorite dishes and keep track of them in a monthly file. The dish is ready to be prepared whether you flip it to day five or day fifteen.

5. Involve your family members in the process. Divide up the cooking tasks as soon as the kids are old enough. Have everyone take turns doing certain tasks or preparing the entire meal. Combine these meals with fruits and vegetables that have already been washed and cut, and you are ready for dinner.

6. Share the cooking with friends or neighbors. I know people who cook the same meal four or five times and then swap with four or five other people. This works best when people have the same basic ideas about what they like and do not like. It’s a brilliant idea for a very quick and easy weeknight meal.

7. Save coupons for these convenient items at the grocery store. They have whole main dishes and dinners either fresh or frozen. They can be very pricey at times, but with the right coupons, they’re a terrific option for an evening when everyone is running late and everyone is running out of time.

8. It’s fine to go out for dinner from time to time. Clip coupons for those occasions, and if you have kids, look for establishments that offer special rates for kids. Some fast food restaurants also make an effort to provide healthier eating options.

9. In many larger cities, there are companies that prepare food for dinner. They may seem expensive at first glance, but they are so convenient and available for one person or whole families. There is a wide variety of menus and meals prepared for special diets. If you’re on a budget for how much food you buy and how often you dine out over the week, this might be for you.

10. Combine several of the suggestions above to develop a plan that works best for you.

With a little planning, it is possible to cook meals that are quick and easy without spending hours in the kitchen each day.

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