It’s important to me to make dinner for my family more often than not. During the week, however, I don’t want to spend an hour in the kitchen when we only have a few short hours to spend as a family between Justin getting home from work & going to bed. I’ve figured out a few shortcuts that allow me to cut down on the time I spend in the kitchen- from start to finish.

1. Plan ahead. Spending twenty minutes scouring the pantry for inspiration of what to make isn’t ideal. I like to sit down the night before I go grocery shopping & plan my meals for the week. I don’t assign specific days to specific meals as our tastes {and amount of free time} change from day to day, but knowing that I have the exact ingredients for my chosen meals allows me to choose from just a few options quickly & without worrying if I’m missing an essential ingredient.

2. Get out all ingredients before cooking. It seems like such a small thing, but it really can cut down on a lot of time in the kitchen. You can spend two minutes retrieving each ingredient from the pantry or fridge, or you can repeatedly take the time to stop cooking, go to the fridge, and locate the ingredient over & over again. It may only shave a few minutes off of your prep time, but on weeknights especially, even a few minutes is precious time.

3. Purchase premade ingredients. This is not always the best option, but it really depends on the food. All of the grocery stores around me sell pre-shredded chicken which is great for using in recipes like enchiladas & pre-chopped chicken too, which is great for things like chicken salad. Canned or frozen vegetables are a great idea too since they are already chopped.

4. Let your oven do the work. For weeknights, opt for meals that you can quickly prep & then pop into the oven, like casseroles. While your food is cooking, you can spend quality time with your family- help the kids with homework, watch a favorite family show, or just catch up on each others’ day.

5. Cut down on dishes. Avoid spending too much time doing dishes by choosing meals that can be made in as few dishes as possible. Casseroles are great for this since they typically only require a casserole dish as opposed to other meals. Think about it- even a simple pasta dinner requires a pot, a sauce pan, and a colander. That’s three times the dishes- and that’s not even including a side of garlic bread {which takes another bowl & cookie sheet}!

Enter to win!

You can tell that I like making casseroles, so I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I’m excited about the Country Crock Stars contest! Country Crock is giving away cookware to 12 semi-finalists, and the 3 finalists will each win $5,000 and a trip for two to New York City. All you have to do is share a photo of your favorite casserole, and share in 100 words how you demonstrate creativity & resourcefulness in the kitchen.

How do you save time in the kitchen?

Note: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.