Working a full time job can make dinner time very stressful. The goal is to spend as much time in the evenings relaxing with your family as possible. Here are some of my tips to save you time, money and energy while still putting delicious meals on the table for your family.
Tip #1 - Stick to a grocery shopping schedule
The easiest way to save time is to always do your weekly grocery trip on the same day every week. Doing this allows you to keep your weekly menus organized and allows you to save money by eliminating multiple grocery trips where you may buy more expensive impulse items that you don't need. I hate to admit this because it sounds pathetic, but grocery shopping is one of the highlights of my week! I find cruising the aisles and coming up with creative new menu ideas very relaxing. I really enjoy doing these trips with my husband and son so that I can get their input on breakfasts, lunches and snacks but dinner is completely my territory. Until my husband lost his job last September, we both worked during the week so our weekly grocery trip took place on Sunday mornings. With the job he is currently working, he doesn't have the weekends off so we moved our weekly trip to Friday evenings on the way home from work.
Tip #2 - Plan your menu around your schedule
When writing a weekly menu, one of the most important things to consider is how much time each night you will have to prepare dinner. Do you have a few nights a week where you work later or it takes you longer to get home? Do the kids have activities like soccer, dance or band? If you have kinks in your schedule, you want to choose meals that take the least amount of time to prepare. I stay home with Aidan while Ryan works on Saturday and Sunday. Since I don't have any time constraints on these two days, this is when I make my most time consuming meals of the week. Baked chicken dishes, casseroles or meatloaf are good options for these days. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are our late days. We only have one car and getting anywhere in Northern Virginia after 4pm takes a minimum of 30 extra minutes. On these days, I work until 4:30pm and my husband works until 6pm. My mother in law watches my son and happens to live close to a co-worker of mine. I ride with my co-worker to my in law's house and spend some quality time there with my son. My husband generally gets there about 6:45 and that's when we head home. I'm generally not in my kitchen working on dinner until 7:15 or 7:30 depending on traffic. For me this usually means pasta, sandwiches, baked fish with vegetables steamed in the microwave or crock pot meals that cook all day and are ready when we are. Thursday and Friday are a toss up. My husband has these two days off and watches my son. I can get home between 5:30 and 6:30 depending on traffic and any errands that I might have on these nights so I am not too restricted on what I can make.
Tip #3 - Save money by reusing ingredients
I have always been very budget conscious but given the fact that my husband had to take a significant pay cut to find work after he lost his job, I really had to cut down on the food budget. One easy way to do this is to select a few ingredients that you can use in multiple recipes. Buy it once but use it two or three times. If you want to have tacos one night put quesadillas or Mexican pizzas on the menu for another night so you can buy tortillas once but use them twice. If you are having baked or roasted chicken one night then put pulled chicken sandwiches or chicken and dumplings on the menu another night. This week, I really wanted to make tuna tacos which have a yummy Asian slaw on top. When putting my menu together I decided to add Asian marinaded chicken with slaw on the side as another night's meal. If your repurposed ingredient is a perishable item like a vegetable, a pre-cooked meat or a refrigerated sauce, try to make the meals that use it within a day or two of each other so that you are still using the ingredients at their best.
Here is this week's menu for my family:
Saturday - BBQ Chicken Drumsticks with Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Asian Chicken with Slaw
Monday - Tuna Tacos
Tuesday - Baked Bean Taquitos with Rice
Wednesday - Salmon with Cheesy Broccoli
Thursday - Lemon Pepper Chicken with Creamy Cauliflower
With dinner being one less thing to worry about I can concentrate on spending time with my son or cuddling on the sofa watching TV with the hubby.
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