Here are a few tips to speed up dinner:

 1. Meal Planning

• Weekly Meal Plan: Spend a few minutes each week planning your meals. Knowing what you’ll eat each night reduces decision fatigue and keeps a home-cooked meal on the schedule. Make the meal plan before grocery shopping to ensure you have all the necessary ingredients or draw from the pantry and freezer staples you already have on hand. Put leftovers or your fastest meals on the busiest days.
• Batch Cooking: Prepare large quantities of staples like grains, proteins, and roasted vegetables that can be used in different meals throughout the week. Keep them lightly seasoned for the most flexibility or choose a flavor you will enjoy for several nights.

 2. Ingredient Prep

• Chop Vegetables in Advance: Spend time on the weekend or the night before to chop vegetables, making it quicker to throw together salads, stir-fries, or soups.
• Marinate Meats: Marinate meats the night before or in the morning, so they are ready to cook when you get home.
• Pre-cook Ingredients: Boil pasta, rice, or quinoa in advance and store them in the fridge for easy reheating. Extra cooked rice or quinoa can be frozen and used at a later date!

 3. Use Time-Saving Appliances

• Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker: These cook meals in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods.
• Slow Cooker: Start your meal in the morning, and it will be ready by dinner time with minimal effort.
• Air Fryer: Quickly cooks meals with less oil and in less time than traditional ovens. Many air fryers do not need to be preheated, further reducing the time until dinner.

 4. Simplify Recipes

• One-Pot Meals: Reduce cleanup and cooking time with dishes that can be made in a single pot or pan, like stews, casseroles, or stir-fries.
• Sheet Pan Dinners: Arrange protein and vegetables on a baking sheet, season, and roast for an easy, hands-off meal.
• Quick Cooking Proteins: Opt for proteins that cook quickly like shrimp, thin cuts of chicken, or fish fillets.
• Search 30-Minute Meals: Focus on recipes designed to be quick, such as stir-fries, pasta dishes, and salads.

 5. Utilize Convenience Items

• Pre-washed Greens: Save time by using pre-washed and bagged salad mixes.
• Frozen Vegetables: Frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh and come pre-chopped, reducing prep time.
• Ready-to-Eat Proteins: Rotisserie chicken, canned tuna or salmon, microwaveable lentils, frozen edamame, and canned beans are versatile and quick proteins that can be used in various dishes like salads, tacos, or sandwiches.

 6. Double Up

• Cook Extra: Double the quantity and freeze half for future dinners or portion into lunchbox-ready containers for the next day.
• Repurpose Leftovers: Transform leftovers into a new dish. For example, use leftover grilled chicken in a stir-fry or taco filling.

 7. Organize Your Kitchen

• Keep Essentials Handy: Arrange your kitchen so that frequently used items like knives, cutting boards, and spices are easily accessible. Keep a trash or compost container nearby to reduce trips across the room.
• Clean as You Go: Tidy while you cook to save time on cleaning after the meal. (It’s also more fun to work in a clean space.)

 8. Delegate

• Family Involvement: Get your family involved in meal prep. Assign tasks to your kids or partner to speed up the process.

Pick a few or all of these strategies to reduce the time it takes to prepare dinner, making it easier to enjoy home-cooked meals even on busy nights.

Need more ideas? Schedule an appointment with one of our dietitians today! (785) 560-2566.