Weekday dinners can be quick and easy giving you more time for other activities. Parents who work will find that their dinner efforts can be minimized by doing some of the cooking on the weekends. You don’t have to spend lots of time cooking on the weekend – your time to relax – but you can prepare some things that will make life easier throughout the week.
Plan your menu then see what things are duplicated throughout the week. For example, if you’re making a dish that requires hamburger on Monday and Thursday why not prepare the hamburger ahead of time? Fry hamburger for two or three meals in the same skillet. If each recipe requires onions to be added put them in the skillet as well. After the hamburger has cooked simply put it in the freezer until you’re ready for it. As a matter of fact, you can cook a very large skillet full of hamburger and section it out for five or six meals. Why fry five times when you can fry once? Use one portion for tacos, one for spaghetti, and the rest for other quick recipes.
Many other things can be prepared in advance. If you have a couple of recipes that will take raw onions through the week chop them and keep them all week long in a zipper lock bag. Prepare pizza crusts on weekends and put them in the freezer. Make a large pot of spaghetti sauce and freeze half. Things that you can do ahead of time will save you lots of time throughout the week.
With the hamburger and sauce already made all that’s left is to warm it up and boil the noodles. You can have a great spaghetti dinner in about half an hour. The spaghetti sauce can also be used to make quick goulash or other dishes.
One quick and easy recipe that’s easy to make and tastes great is meatloaf. People make meatloaf many different ways and you can make your own recipe or add to this one. Dump a pound of hamburger into a bowl and add chopped onion, green peppers, one egg and some crackers. Or eliminate all the additions and put in a packet of Taco Seasoning instead. Mix it all together and bake for an hour at 400 degrees. Throw in some baked potatoes as a side dish. Before taking it out spread tomato soup on top and melt cheddar cheese. Making two meat loaves will save you time. You can either mix the ingredients for two and freeze one to bake at a future date or bake both but save the toppings until the night you warm it. Bake it until barely done then freeze until the night you want to prepare it. Warm it on 325 and microwave some baked potatoes to go with it.
Kids love hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza. Plan on slipping these meals into your weekly menu plan and you’ll save time and have happy children. One way to save yourself loads of time on making pizzas is to purchase inexpensive frozen pizzas and add your own toppings. Kids love to participate so they’ll do most of the work themselves. Let them add the toppings while you supervise. On hot dog night put the wieners in a skillet with a tablespoon of oil and drop some french fries in the deep fryer. Add another side, like applesauce or fruit, and you have an easy menu that kids love.
When you patty hamburgers spend the extra time to do a second pack. The next time it’s hamburger night you’ll be all set. Or purchase hamburgers already made into patties for an easier menu still. Try adding two different cheeses to the burgers for a unique taste.
Make a pot of chili and freeze half of it for another night. It takes little extra time to make the pot of chili larger than usual yet saves quite a lot of time in preparation the second time. The same can be done with vegetable soup and stews.
On summer nights consider just making salad and garlic bread with fruits or cheeses on the table. These are all quick and easy particularly if you purchase salad in a bag from the grocery store. Add your own toppings to the bagged salad in only a few minutes. Put a loaf of garlic bread in a toaster oven or on the grill.
Bake rather than fry many of the dishes you normally make. It allows you extra time to do other things rather than standing over a skillet. Pork chops, thin steaks, even hamburgers can be baked. Sprinkle a little seasoning on, throw in some potatoes whole or sliced, and you’ve got most of your meal in no time. Set it on the table with a microwaved veggie and your meal is complete.
Canned fruits and vegetables add a lot to a meal and don’t take much time to prepare. The same goes for various breads. Try purchasing a loaf of french bread and putting meats and cheeses on it, then wrapping it in foil and baking. Or forget baking and go with cold cuts, lettuce and tomatoes instead.
To save time on dinners prepare as much as you can over the weekend without spending too much time on the project. Use fruits with whipped cream or other easy yet healthy dishes as desserts. Make double the amount, when possible, to save yourself lots of time on another night. After you’ve figured out ways to save lots of time cooking your next thought should be what you’ll do with all your spare time.
