Today is tip Tuesday. I offer my time-tested tips for eating at home every night of the week.
Use simple recipes. Everyday cooking is not the time to pull out Julie-and-Julia-style recipes. Stick with simple recipes. Simple recipes use fresh simple ingredients and taste simply delicious. My Quick White Clam Sauce for linguine is a perfect example.
Cook in a double batch. Making soup for 12 isn’t any more complicated than making soup for 6. Eat 1/2 the soup and freeze the rest. Then, on a night in the not so distant future, thaw and reheat the soup, add some whole-grain bread, butter, and a quick salad and you’ve earned a cooking-free night.
Assemble ingredients for an interactive meal.Tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches, and salads lend themselves to a meal where ingredients are presented in bowls and everyone fills their own plates. Then don’t forget to turn off the TV, sit down together at a table, and talk.
Slow cook. With 15 minutes in the morning and a good slow-cooker recipe, you can take the guess work out of evening meal preparation. Deem one night a week slow cooker night and bingo – you’ve once again created a free night except for doing the dishes.
Cook and freeze on Saturday morning. Pick one morning or evening a week (I like Saturday) and cook several meals with abandon. Soup, chili, Quick Italian Meat Sauce, and meatloaf are all appropriate for cooking and freezing.
Ask kids to help. While they may look busy playing outside or doing homework, the younger people in your life learn valuable life-skills from spending time in a kitchen, doing a bit more than heating cheesy macaroni in the microwave. Set the table, tear lettuce, stir the pot, and pour the milk. Cooks of all ages are welcome.
Stock the pantry. I’d argue that by making a plan and working the plan we might not need a well-stocked pantry. Theoretically what you have in your pantry and freezer should be food for next week’s meals. However, even the best plans can be derailed. Some of my favorite ingredients to have on hand include:
- canned cooked beans
- canned reduced-salt diced tomatoes
- reduced-sodium crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- brown rice
- boxed chicken stock
- assorted shapes of pasta
- olive oil and canola oil
- frozen green peas, green beans, and whole-kernel corn
- frozen chopped spinach
- frozen lean ground beef
- frozen whole-grain hamburger buns
- basil, thyme, rosemary
- cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, curry powder
- salt and peppercorns (and a pepper grinder)
- one or two fresh lemons, one onion, and one head of garlic
With these ingredients I can cook a spaghetti, sloppy Joes, peas and pasta, chicken and vegetable soup, or red beans and rice without a second thought and we’re eating dinner in less than an hour. Read more here for a column I wrote on how I stock my pantry.