Make Dinner a Snap

There never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done. I can start out with all of the good intentions – usually I get breakfast and maybe lunch done – but sooner or later the sky starts falling.

I’ve decided that it is partly do me getting up before sunrise. By 3 o’clock, I just want to nap. Starting dinner is not something I even let slip into my brain. My daydreams include my husband calling to say, “Don’t worry about cooking anything, I’m bringing dinner home with me.”

That doesn’t happen very often. So I have learned a few tricks to make cooking dinner a breeze.

1. Take one day and prepare pieces of meals (like brown the ground beef, chopping vegetables, baking a few chickens). Make sure the finished products are separated out into manageable amounts (I use the quart size freezer bags) and then freeze them. It’s easy to grab a pound of precooked ground beef, add some taco seasoning and water, and have tacos ready in under 15 minutes.

2. When you do go all out and cook, make two entrées. If you are cooking meatloaf, then make two. Freeze the second one whole, or even better you can slice it into servings and freeze it that way. The Glad Press’n Seal products are great for this. (It’s also nice to have these meals prepared incase you need to take dinner to a friend).

3. When you freeze uncooked meats (like chicken breasts or hamburger patties) make sure you separate them out individually. This way you only have to defrost what you actually need.

4. Crock pots are great for cooking a meal when you aren’t at home. I’ve always used mine for the traditional stew or pot roast, but recently found it is great for all kinds of dishes. There is nothing better than throwing a few ingredients into a pot – no fuss or mess – and then walking away. When we get back from a day of field trips, the meal is ready. (There are even great dessert recipes for crock pot cooking). Clean up is a breeze if you have some of the crock pot liners that are now sold in grocery stores.