9 TIPS OF HOW TO MAKE WEEKNIGHT DINNERS EASIER
1. Meal Plan
I know it seems like a drag – the last thing you want to do on a Sunday (especially after a few wines on a Saturday night) is to plan and shop for meals for the week ahead. But my goodness it makes life so much easier.
If you can spare 1-2 hours on a Saturday or Sunday, plan out your meals for 3-4 weeknights, create a grocery list and do the shopping. When Monday morning rolls around, you’ll give yourself a mighty pat on the back.
An even better tip, create your grocery list and then place an online order to have the items delivered to your door on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning.
Meal planning might take a little time out of your weekend, but you’ll gain so much time during the week ahead because of it. It will help you save money, as you aren’t heading to the shops 2-3 times a week where you are constantly adding unnecessary items to your trolley. It keeps food wastage to a minimum, as you are simply buying what you need without the excess and BONUS – it will ensure you make healthier choices as you’re sticking to your list (and not aimlessly heading down the junk food aisle to realise a quarter of your trolley ends up being junk food).
2. Start using your slow-cooker!
Slow cookers don’t only need to be used in Winter! You can make some ripper dishes in them at any time of the year. They have been around for a very long time and they are becoming more popular every year, the busier we get, the more useful they become. Throw ingredients into them before you head off for work or throughout the morning and voila! You have a beautiful dish ready for you when dinner time comes around. Try our absolute winner lemongrass beef curry. Honestly, it’s amazing!
3. Choose recipes that don’t have too many ingredients
It’s so frustrating when you see a beautiful photo of a curry dish that you want to cook, only to look down at the thousand ingredients that are needed for the recipe, honestly who has that time? Make sure you choose recipes with around 12 ingredients or less to make the prep time way less time consuming. Delicious recipes like this One Pan Fish dish that doesn’t have many ingredients, but still hit the spot with lots of flavour.
4. It is absolutely ok to buy pre-packaged products
Years ago, I was amazed when I walked around supermarkets in Europe and America because of all their convenience and pre-packaged food to make the life of the customer easier. It’s taken us a while, but we are finally catching up. Pre-packaged slaws, sliced veggies, chopped veggies, frozen veggies are a great way to save time and make a meal in minutes simply because you’re not spending time chopping and preparing them yourself. Try to include some of these in two weeknight meals to bring a meal to the table in half the time.
5. Get some help if you can
Many hands make light work. If you have kids, get them involved. They can wash and chop veggies, grate cheese, set the table, help stack the dishwasher – it makes the process a little more fun anyway, while teaching them some great life skills along the way.
6. Have set nights for certain dishes
Half the battle is trying to work out what you’re having for dinner each weeknight yes? So why not make it easier by assigning a night of the week to a certain dish. We do Taco Tuesdays in our house. We keep it interesting by changing up the meat and fillings each week, but it makes the selection easy!!! Crispy chicken tacos, grilled beef tacos, fish tacos, poached salmon tacos – whatever you want! You can do this with curries, stir-fry’s, wraps, tray bakes and pasta. It also encourages you to try different recipes that you might not usually try.
7. Tray bakes or one pot dishes are lifesavers!
When you’re completing your meal planning for the week ahead, always include a one pot dish such as our Amazing One Pot Lasanga or a tray bake recipe such as our Teriyaki Salmon & Broccolini Tray Bake. They usually don’t have too many ingredients and don’t require too much meal prep at all. And they keep the dishes to a minimum. WINNING!!!!!
8. There is nothing wrong with eggs for dinner!
I have no idea why people still feel guilty or think negatively about having eggs for dinner. They are quick, full of nutritious goodies and you can nearly always find them in the fridge/pantry. A good old egg on toast with a side of whatever is fine! Or rummage through your fridge and whip up a delicious omelette – capsicum, corn, grated cheese, ham, spinach, red onion, mushrooms – all make great fillings for an omelette.
9. Don’t forget the freezer
The freezer is great to keep a few back-ups in for those busy days/weeks when you don’t have time to cook dinner. Next time you have the time, make a double batch of a curry, soup, casserole or pasta dish. Portion it up and freeze it. On those days when you don’t have time to get to the shops or have no bloody idea what to have for dinner, you can pull it out and enjoy a beautiful meal simply heated up.