6 Keys to Mastering the Evening Meal

Part One: Keys 1 & 2

Mealtime, a once honored and treasured family experience, has become challenging with our demanding and fast-paced lives. Between the demands of work, time spent commuting, responsibilities as a parent, etc., etc.; it is often hard to find the time or energy for preparing a meal. Cooking, however, can actually be a pleasant way to unwind and can have, as its end, a nutritious and satisfying meal that everyone will enjoy.

If you buy into the goal of getting a healthy and nutritious meal on the table for your family, then let’s explore six keys (just the first two today) for making mealtime an experience that you’ll look forward to and enjoy.

1. Plan Ahead – Planning ahead saves time, and reduces anxiety about what’s for dinner. Try planning a week’s worth of dinner menus in advance, compiling a shopping list with the needed ingredients, and making one trip to the grocery store. Save your plan, and soon you’ll have 4 weeks planned that you can alternate through—with minimal adjustments, or without further planning. If this sounds like too daunting a task, there are several cookbooks available that have already put together complete menus and shopping lists (see my Favorite Recipe Books & Websites). Once you start this routine, you’ll find that putting delicious and healthy meals on the table is easier than you every imagined. Also, you can read more about meal planning here: Why Plan a Weekly Menu.
   
   
2. Create a Cook-Friendly Kitchen –Zonya Foca RD, and author of Lickity-Split Meals explains, “a properly equipped and organized kitchen saves time by saving midweek trips to the grocery store and ending searching around for foods, tools, or utensils” that are hidden somewhere… The goal: place items so that they are close to where you’ll use them and easy to reach.

• Utensils: Keep frequently used tools (spoons, spatulas, ladles, tongs, whisks and scrapers) in an attractive container by the stove.
• Hang it: Consider hanging frequently used pots and pans above the stove and placing a lid rack nearby to keep from having to dig through drawers to find them. Strainers and colanders are convenient when hung near the sink.
• Shelve it: If you have room, adding some open shelves can be a great way of storing glass jars of grains, pasta, legumes, and attractive serving bowls; such an arrangement is pleasing to the eye as well as convenient.
• Clean & Organize your cupboards/cabinets, utensil drawer, refrigerator and freezer. Then let everyone know how it’s organized and ask that they try to keep it that way – you will have an easier time finding what you need.
• Equip yourself: Useful equipment includes a slow-cooker, rice cooker, microwave, mini food processor, blender, salad spinner, sharp knives, and plastic cutting boards (which can go in the dishwasher).

Tomorrow I will cover keys 3 through 6…

See you then!
-Dorene