They don’t call it the ‘witching hour’ for nothing. That time from when the sun goes down to when food is placed on the table. It can be a nightmare for anyone. There are no hard or fast rules for how you get dinner on the table. You want less stress and fuss. There are some ways to be more organised in the kitchen for dinner time. Here’s how.
Now, don’t worry. I’m not going to suggest you spend the whole weekend cooking up a storm. Putting all that delicious food into a plastic container so that it can be warmed in the microwave. I’m not about that at all but if it works for you, that’s great.
I’d much rather you spend as little time in the preparation of your meal so that when it does come time for dinner, all you have to do is serve it. The more time you spend preparing it earlier in the day, the better and the less cooking processes involved.
1. Prepare it in the morning
I’m a big lover of the slow cooker. I don’t use it for every meal but I try to create meals that do use it. The slow cooker is great in the warmer months too because you’re not heating up your kitchen.
It doesn’t even really have to be done first thing in the morning. Most dishes will cook on high for 4 hours or less. If you’ve got the opportunity to put it on when you’re preparing your lunch, great. If you do leave the house every day, putting on in low for 8 hours is a better bet for you.
If you’re not using the slow cooker, what components of your evening meal could you prepare in the morning? So it’s ready for dinner?
- Chop vegetables ready for a stir fry
- Boil eggs, vegetables for a salad (eg potato salad), bake jacket potatoes for a stuffed potato meal or bake pumpkin or sweet potato for a warm salad
- Cook rice or pasta, or soak noodles
- Marinate meat for the barbecue
- Cook the roast so it only needs to be warmed up at dinner time
- Make dips or sauces to accompany the meal
- Make the stock for a soup that only needs vegetables and/or meat added at the last minute and warmed up.
2. Find meals that need little preparation
One of the best ways I’ve found is to discover meals, that your family loves, that need little preparation at all.
A big platter of salad vegetables and barbecued meat served with a variety of condiments is as easy as it can get. Everyone can help themselves to what they like. All you need to do is add meat. A barbecue is great in the warmer months. Tinned fish, eg tuna, is perfect for sprinkling over the top.
One of my favourite easy meals is Salade Nicoise. This French classic is so easy and so tasty to prepare in little time.
Ingredients like vermicelli noodles or couscous only need to be soaked in hot water before serving. (I add a little orange juice and/or zest to my couscous for a great flavour.)
3. Stock your pantry well
What I mean by this is if you have a well stocked pantry, you won’t be running to the store for that one ingredient you need to finish your meal. When you have the basics, you can make anything.
For example, I was going to have aCaesar Saladfor dinner one night. I didn’t have any ready made Caesar dressing (not that I have a lot of ready made ingredients).
I had all of the ingredients to make it from scratch. I did this in the morning and just cook the bacon before serving. Then I boiled the eggs during the day. The croutons as well so it was just a matter of tossing it all together. (Having anchovies in the fridge, that keep for ages, made it really authentic.)
Think about the meals you and your family like to eat and keep those basic ingredients on hand all the time. If you’d like to know more about how I do that, check out my Shop Smart, Eat Well Program and how I only spend $150 per fortnight on all groceries.
It also pays to have a good variety of dried herbs and spices in your pantry to add instant flavour without a lot of effort. A dry rub of say paprika, oregano, cumin, dried coriander, salt and pepper spread onto fish before frying takes a simple piece of fish, or chicken, to a whole new level.
4. Be prepared for an emergency to avoid buying takeaway
I’m don’t usually buy ready made sauces or packet meal mixes but sometimes, especially with young children or if you’re working full time, it doesn’t hurt to have a few emergency pantry items on hand.
I sometimes have a good quality pasta sauce in the cupboard that can be warmed up and served with pasta than waste my money on takeaway. Another one of my favourite meals is Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. It’s just plain pasta served with fried garlic in olive oil, optional red chilli flakes and parmesan cheese and it’s delicious!
Keep bread rolls in the freezer for burgers, pita, tortilla or Lebanese bread for wraps, ready crumbed chicken or fish, pizza bases, or whatever else your family loves to eat in an easy to heat and serve form so you can avoid takeaway and save money and still enjoy a good, home cooked meal.
4. Keep it simple
Meals don’t have to be complex or gourmet to be filling and tasty. In fact, the more simple you can keep the ingredients and the preparation the more nutritious and tasty they will be. You’ll rely on the actual flavour of the ingredients to make the meal tasty.
Limit your ingredients to as few as possible. Search for new recipes by adding the words easy or simple to your Google or Pinterest search. Speaking of Pinterest. Do you follow me on Pinterest? I have many food boards that cover just about every food group possible. Most of the recipes are simple and I don’t usually pin them unless I’m going to try them.
Baked vegetables drizzled with olive oil and served with crusty bread make a delicious meal. Soups, where you throw everything in the pot (especially vegetables that are looking a bit sad) are perfect for an easy meal. I get my family involved in the prep and make their own pizzas, for example. Make a bit of fun out of the whole meal experience. My kids love burger night at my place because I put the word McMurphy in front of the name of the burger. They love it!
5. When all else fails
Not that I’m hoping it does. That’s the least of what I want for you when it comes to meal prep and eating your meal. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things just don’t work out as planned. I know first hand what it’s like. Babies, toddlers, illness, trips to the hospital or you’re not well yourself can all contribute to how your evening meal pans out.
In times like these there’s no harm whatsoever in toasted sandwiches, baked beans on toast, brinner (breakfast for dinner) or a bowl of cereal. It’s all still food at the end of the day. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t get that meal out as planned. I’ve given my children a toasted sandwich and ice cream with fruit for dinner. It was one of their favourite things when they were little if I was either really sick with the flu or a single mother just trying to cope with the every day.
It’s only food at the end of the day and don’t be stressed at this important part of the day. Meal times should be a great time of the day to all come together, talk about your day and eating food should be an enjoyable part of the whole process.
