How I Get a Homecooked Meal on the Table *MOST* of the Time

Eating out is a rarity at our house for a few reasons. First of all, we have to make our food budget stretch, and eating out is generally way more expensive than cooking at home. Second, eating at home is generally healthier than eating out. Third, we live in a small town without many options for eating out, so even if we wanted to, there aren't a ton of options to choose from. 

But let's be honest: making dinner everyday can be a huge drag, especially with a toddler pulling at my legs and crying. It's not practical to spend a lot of time making elaborate meals.

Still, it's important to me that I nourish my family with wholesome ingredients, and that my son grows up eating real food, not processed frozen or boxed dinners. 

Over the last few years, I've figured out a few tricks to help streamline dinnertime.

1. Double Recipes

I've seen people do the massive freezer meal cooking days, but I've found that I have a hard time actually executing those effectively. Major props to people who do it, but it just hasn't worked for me. I've found another method that works better for me: When making a meal that will freeze well, I double or even triple the meal. Think of things like soups, chili, meatballs, and burritos. I serve half of the meal immediately, while the other half goes into the freezer. To save space, I usually use a gallon Ziplock bag with the contents flattened out to save freezer space. For the burritos, I assemble them, freeze them flat on a cookie sheet so the don't stick together, and once they are frozen, I store them in a freezer bag. I also like to do this with pancakes for breakfast, and breakfast burritos. 

Mongolian Beef is one of my favorite things to double and freeze.

2. Precook meat

I like to set aside a few hours every once in a while when me husband is home so I can precook a bunch of meat and freeze it. I use my instant pot to cook up some chicken breast and shred it. I pre-cook several pounds of sausage in my dutch oven. I also cook up a roast (usually elk or deer) and shred it. I then portion the meat out and vacuum seal them in roughly 1lb packages. I use the meat to add to sauces, soups, pastas, pizzas, etc. It simplifies dinner because oftentimes the resulting meal is something I just have to assemble rather than cook. At the very least, it saves me a step and a dish to clean.

Shredded frozen chicken ready for soups, enchiladas, burritos, etc.

3. Marinate meat

One thing I try to consistently have on hand is frozen marinated meat. I usually do this either while I'm precooking meat, or, if I cook a meal that doesn't utilize an entire package of meat, I'll throw together a marinade for the leftover meat. It is a lot less time intensive than preparing a full meal for the freezer. I then just pull the meat out of the freezer the night before I want to use it, and it marinates while it thaws. The result is delicious meat without as much effort.

Several different meat marinades

4. Keep Frozen Veggies on Hand at All Times

Add them to your precooked meat and some rice for stir fry. Steam them with salt and pepper to serve as a side. Throw them into a soup. The possibilities are endless. Most are pre-cut, so you don't even need to dirty a cutting board, and they are often cheaper than fresh veggies. 

5. Create a list of meals divided by ease/time it takes

 My list is divided into quick and easy meals, "regular" meals, and meals that are a little more involved. I use this list when I'm planning meals for the week to cut down on decision fatigue. I made sure to plan at least two easy meals each week. I also try to keep in mind what is going to go bad and find a way to use it up first. Then I post my meal plan somewhere where everyone can see it, so I never have to be caught off guard at dinnertime without a plan.

My meal plan for the week on the fridge 

6. Make your husband cook ;)

If you're lucky enough to have a husband who can cook even a little bit, lean on him from time to time. As much as I would like to be a Domestic Goddess who cooks every single day, sometimes my schedule doesn't allow it if I'm teaching private voice lessons or have to help with my church's youth group in the evening. Sometimes I'm just plum tuckered out and in need of a break. Occasionally I'll utilize a slow cooker meal on days like this, but usually I just tell my husband he's in charge of dinner that day. I've been blessed with a husband who is good at cooking, but even if yours isn't, encouraging him to master something easy like breakfast for dinner or hamburgers can be a huge help. After all, we all deserve a break from time to time. 

A dinner my husband cooked when we were first married.

7. Give yourself grace

As much as I would love to cook everything from scratch, sometimes it's just not gonna happen, and I don't lose sleep over it. Sometimes skipping a step of having to make something from scratch not only saves time, but also my sanity. I usually have a couple store-bought things in the freezer for especially busy nights. One of our favorites is store-bought frozen perogies served with sautéed onions, kielbasa, and sour cream. I would love to get to the point where everything is homemade, but with my husband working weird hours, me working as a teacher, and our son being a toddler, this season just isn't it. 

Homemade beef shorts ribs over mashed potatoes... and a bagged salad.

I hope you found some encouragement in this blog post. If you have any dinner tips for busy moms, comment below!