Take the hard work out of weekday dinner prep

You’ve worked all day, fought through rush-hour traffic and endured battles over homework, and now it’s time for dinner. You open the fridge, and suddenly dread settles in.

Sound familiar?

Don’t worry — there’s hope! Read on for tips, tricks and strategies you can use to get delicious, healthy dinners on the table every night of the week without feeling overwhelmed.

Plan to win

There’s no way around it. You have to plan ahead of time and decide what meals you will need and draw up a shopping list. Knowing what you need in advance can reduce stress, save money and improve your health. Ever heard of “Meatless Monday” and “Taco Tuesday”? Theming your weekly dinners is a great way to eliminate guesswork.

Stock up

Make sure you have plenty of basics on hand, such as canned beans, whole grains, pasta, spices and whatever else you like. Frozen goods like veggies, fruit, ground beef and other lean proteins are great to have on hand as well. Frozen produce in particular saves you a ton of time because it’s prewashed and prechopped.

Prep, prep, prep

You will need to carve out time (Saturday or Sunday? You decide when) to wash and chop veggies, cook grains, marinate proteins and more. Also you might want to plan on cooking extra portions that you can use for lunches or in a pinch.

Quick fixes

Stir-fry. Heat precooked rice or noodles, frozen veggies and protein in a skillet for a fast meal.
Double up. Cook protein and vegetables together in the same pan or skillet. It’s faster and cuts back on cleanup time.
Passive prep. Get a slow cooker. Plug in supper before you go to work, and it’ll be ready when you get home.

Ready, set, protein!

Need last-minute meals? No problem if you have rotisserie chicken. Pair it with green beans or shred it for quesadillas, nachos, wraps or bowls. Whip up some scrambled eggs with chopped veggies for an easy omelet. Or keep canned tuna, salmon and sardines on hand and put them on a salad or toast and you’re ready to eat.