How to get dinner on the table quickly? Oh boy, how I have struggled with this. I guess it is lack of time and we all have to deal with that, am I right? Especially when you have kids. After a long day at work, you pick up the kids, come home and then it hits you: ‘I need dinner on the table, like right now!” You don’t want take out, you want something healthy and you want something that everyone will enjoy (or at least eat without too much whining/crying/nagging); a quick and easy family meal. But how do you get dinner on the table quickly?
Tips and tricks to get dinner on the table quickly
Here are a few tips and tricks to get quick family meals on the table!
Just roll with this for a while and trust me. It might seem impossible at first and feels like more work, but once you have built up this routine, weekday family meals will be a breeze (or at least breezier)!
We all want quick and easy weekday meals right? Ok, let’s get started!
meal planning
I know, it doesn’t sound sexy. It sounds boring. But it will make your life so much easier. Plan your weekday meals in the weekend and buy whatever you can ahead of time. This is how you get dinner on the table quickly on weekdays.
Make large batches
Make large batches of food and freeze them. Use containers that are ‘your family’s size’; just enough for 1 meal. This can be an entire meal (for example lasagne) or it can be a time consuming part of it (for instance your own homemade oven roasted tomato sauce) so you only have to cook pasta on the day of the planned meal.
Keep it simple
When you are planning your meals, don’t plan a totally different dish for every day. You will be making so many batches of different foods on the weekend you will go mad. Do what I call ‘chameleon meals’. One dish converts into another the next day. Let me explain. For example you make a large batch of oven roasted tomato sauce. Large enough for one night of pasta with meat(less) balls in tomato sauce and another night of soup made out of the left over sauce. If you make a large enough batch of meat(less) balls (from beans from scratch) you can then use the left over balls in a burrito bowl another night. Make a bean soup with the left over from beans from scratch and ta-da! you have planned 5 meals! This is how you get dinner on the table quickly!
Let your kids help you out
Even though it seems to take longer when they help you, it will keep them occupied (less chance of a meltdown just before dinner). Give them an easy job; one that you don’t have to supervise. This will take a while, but once there is a routine they will start asking you if they may help. Trust me, it happened to me! Depending on their age (mine are 7 and 9) they will understand that when they help out dinner will be on the table faster. Also by making them help out in the kitchen, they are more likely to eat their (self prepared) dinner. Read all about why you should let your kids help out in the kitchen here.
How do you get dinner on the table quickly? Use my tips and tricks. Give it a try. I am sure you will be successful. No more stress in the kitchen!
Check out my blogpost on meal planning to get even more tips and tricks. Need more meal planning inspiration? Check out our 10 favorite family weekday meals. We are also mentioned together with 29 other meal planning food blogs on: https://blog.feedspot.com/meal_planning_blogs/
Let me know how you do. Have my tips been useful? Are you still struggling with it? Leave a comment and I will answer your question. Tag pictures of your weekday family meals @familicious.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #familicious.kitchen and #easyweekdaymeals #howtogetdinneronthetablequickly #mealplanning to share yours with others.
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