What kind of cook are you? Are you an amateur gourmet whipping up culinary masterpieces daily with a flick of your whisk? Are you a down home, casserole, meat and potatoes, comfort food sort of cook or is Papa John’s on speed dial?
No matter what kind of cook you are (or aren’t) evidence shows that quality time spent over a meal shared together builds stronger families and more confident kids. So lets look at a few tips to help with meal prep (later on we’ll have a whole week or two devoted to meal planning and shopping and a linky party for recipes!) and getting a wholesome meal on the table with minimal fuss but maximum QT with the fam…
The biggest trick to a seamless dinner hour is deciding what to eat well in advance. Many people like to plan a week out and shop ahead of time, but my family is a little more spontaneous which sometimes leaves me a rushed. But, if I can decide what we are going to eat early enough in day then I have plenty of room to operate. I almost always have the staples of any meal on hand so all I have to do is make a quick run to the store for fresh meat and produce.
The next step is to know how to keep things clean as you go. Some people like to have a trash bowl on the counter ala Rachael Ray, but I find that takes up valuable counter space. I prefer to bring the trash can over and toss the trash as I go. It makes post dinner clean up a snap when the trash is already taken care of.
As you cook put the ingredients back in the pantry or fridge immediately….less to do at the end!
The more you cook the better and more efficient you become. Learn how to minimize your movements by keeping measuring cups and pots and pans in easy to reach places. I only have 3 main cooking vessels I use with any regularity. A 2 quart saucepan, a 6 quart stock pot and my electric skillet. Very rarely do I need any more than that to cook dinner…well maybe a cookie sheet or 9×13 pan for stuff in the oven. Using fewer pots and pans means fewer dishes to wash.
As for after dinner clean up…make sure you have good left over storage. Out of the Crayon Box has the ideal set up for that. The Kitchen Storage in a Box has containers with squared sides (remember square is better) that hold the left overs and stack easily to save space in the fridge.
Finally, remember what we said about it taking only 5 minutes to empty the dishwasher? Now is the perfect time to do this. Put clean dishes away….have the kids tackle the utensils and plastics…and in go the dinner dishes ready to be washed over night.
A quick wipe down of the counters and, voila, the kitchen is done. The more you can draw in the kids, the better.
This is just a quick overview and for many of you a no brainer. For me, though, it is a process I have to do consciously, otherwise I sit down after dinner, or get busy getting the kids through their bedroom routine and all of a sudden it’s 10 o’clock and the kitchen is still a mess! I will delve into the bits and pieces deeper in later posts, but I hope the quick look helps you take the hassle out of dinner time.
Make dinner a priority for your family…whether it comes from the microwave, the restaurant down the street or from the pages of Southern Living. Sit down, visit, listen to your kids, laugh a lot and enjoy each other’s company!
Now….Go forth and simplify!
Holly
Out of the Crayon Box 