All of us occasional have bad days, and when we finally get home, the last thing we want to do is to go into the kitchen and start cooking a meal for a hungry family. Once in a while, ordering pizza may be the answer, but most people can't afford to call for take-out meals on a regular basis.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you knew exactly what to fix for a quick meal in this situation? Rather than frantically going through your kitchen cabinets looking for something you can prepare fast, you would know precisely what to reach for. This is easy to do if you follow the tips and ideas in this article. All you need is a little creativity and a well-supplied kitchen. Meat of any kind, accompanied with pasta and any ready-made sauce is all you need for a super quick meal, for instance. Add some vegetables or fruit and you'll have a satisfying, nutritional supper. The important thing is to keep your kitchen well stocked with simple food items that are easy and fast to fix.
Make a meal from ground beef and beef flavored quick cooking rice to fill a family of four. The pasta sides in a packet and a couple of pieces of chicken will make a meal in a few short minutes. A box mix of macaroni and cheese can be turned into a cheesy tuna casserole and any pasta noodles along with a jar of meat flavored pasta sauce will turn into a fast supper for the family.
The quick meal ideas described above are great for emergencies, but they could be more nutritious. Adding vegetables or fruit, especially fresh produce, is the simplest and quickest way to enhance a meal's nutritional value. Try to make sure your kitchen cabinets always contain canned fruits and vegetables and keep frozen packets of vegetables in your freezer as well.
When you next go shopping for food, make sure to stock up on time-saving items such as the ones described above. This will ensure that you'll be prepared the next time you need to fix a fast and easy meal. Most of the simple meal ideas mentioned above are easy enough for older children or husbands to fix, and that's an added advantage, especially when you are really drained out and tired.
You can even make kitchen clean up go much faster by cleaning while you're cooking. Instead of watching a pot until it boils, set the table. Instead of standing around waiting for something in the oven, wash the pots and pans that are dirty so far. Make crock pot casseroles whenever possible so you'll have fewer dishes to do when dinner is over. Slow cooker recipes are great because of the time saving factor. Incorporate your family's help after dinner so you can get out of the kitchen faster. Even the youngest family members can help you out.
So try to be prepared for a last minute meal by keeping something in the back of the cabinet just for that purpose. Encourage your family to help when ever possible, and make the very best of the time you spend in the kitchen by multi-tasking to get it all over with as quickly as possible. Sticking to this plan will allow you enough time to soak in a nice warm bubble bath before you hit the bed!
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you knew exactly what to fix for a quick meal in this situation? Rather than frantically going through your kitchen cabinets looking for something you can prepare fast, you would know precisely what to reach for. This is easy to do if you follow the tips and ideas in this article. All you need is a little creativity and a well-supplied kitchen. Meat of any kind, accompanied with pasta and any ready-made sauce is all you need for a super quick meal, for instance. Add some vegetables or fruit and you'll have a satisfying, nutritional supper. The important thing is to keep your kitchen well stocked with simple food items that are easy and fast to fix.
Make a meal from ground beef and beef flavored quick cooking rice to fill a family of four. The pasta sides in a packet and a couple of pieces of chicken will make a meal in a few short minutes. A box mix of macaroni and cheese can be turned into a cheesy tuna casserole and any pasta noodles along with a jar of meat flavored pasta sauce will turn into a fast supper for the family.
The quick meal ideas described above are great for emergencies, but they could be more nutritious. Adding vegetables or fruit, especially fresh produce, is the simplest and quickest way to enhance a meal's nutritional value. Try to make sure your kitchen cabinets always contain canned fruits and vegetables and keep frozen packets of vegetables in your freezer as well.
When you next go shopping for food, make sure to stock up on time-saving items such as the ones described above. This will ensure that you'll be prepared the next time you need to fix a fast and easy meal. Most of the simple meal ideas mentioned above are easy enough for older children or husbands to fix, and that's an added advantage, especially when you are really drained out and tired.
You can even make kitchen clean up go much faster by cleaning while you're cooking. Instead of watching a pot until it boils, set the table. Instead of standing around waiting for something in the oven, wash the pots and pans that are dirty so far. Make crock pot casseroles whenever possible so you'll have fewer dishes to do when dinner is over. Slow cooker recipes are great because of the time saving factor. Incorporate your family's help after dinner so you can get out of the kitchen faster. Even the youngest family members can help you out.
So try to be prepared for a last minute meal by keeping something in the back of the cabinet just for that purpose. Encourage your family to help when ever possible, and make the very best of the time you spend in the kitchen by multi-tasking to get it all over with as quickly as possible. Sticking to this plan will allow you enough time to soak in a nice warm bubble bath before you hit the bed!
About the Author:
Michelle is an accomplished contributor whose discipline is blogging about quick, but delectable, house cooking. Her content articles often stress the benefits of crock pot recipes like crock pot meals, which is among her absolute favorites.