Helpful Hints . . .

I had a co-workeer a couple summers ago tell me how she tackled the supper rush each night. She had 2 small children and both she and he husband worked full time and went to school. They NEVER ate out. She had some awesome hints and she's the one that got me to prepare better for meals. Here are some things I learned from her, sprinkled with a fewe things of my own . . .

1. Buy disposable pans. I don't do this all the time, because I am a tight wad with my money, but I do it with some of the more messy meals. Any baked pasta, or cheesy potatoes can get so baked on and difficult to clean. What's the point of doing a quick and easy dinner if you are in the kitchen for 3 hours scrubbing a pan? They are also far easier to stack in the freezer if you are doing a batch of stuff at the same time. You can also get pans on clearnace after the holidays. The pans with the printed christmas designs get clearanced out cheap at the end of the season.

2. Pre-brown hamburger or sausage. I've already posted about the hamburger, but you can also pre-brown sausage for pizzas, gravys, and pastas.

3. If you are making spaghetti for dinner, make twice as much sauce and freeze half. It doesn't take any more time than a regular batch and then the next time you have saved a bunch of time. Same thing with chili or soups.

4. My friend would cook one Saturday a month and make about 15 meals for the month. I don't have the time or the energy for that, so I do it on a smaller scale. If I have extra time on a Sunday evening particualrly after my weekend grocery shoppingtrip, I make about 3 meals for the week and either freeze them or simply pop them in the fridge. That way most of the prep is done and all you have to do is heat it up.

5. When I come home from the grocery, I always make a list of meals that we can make with the food I purchased. That way you don't have to stand in front of the fridge with your mouth open in a daze for 20 minutes trying to decide what to make for dinner. (Come on, I'm not the only one who does that) It's way easier to look at the list and decided what sounds good or what works for the time you have.