Dinner

Ahhhh, dinner the one word that can either bring to you a calm feeling because you know exactly what you are having or a feeling of panic because although it something that comes along everyday about the same time, you have no clue what's on the menu that evening.  I truly believe that if a plan is in place and items are stocked in the pantry this part of your day will be smooth and you can take the time to focus on coming together as a family to enjoy the meal that has been prepared.

Now having read the above you and I both know that this plan is not going to magically happen on it's own.  You have to schedule a time to sit down and plan accordingly.  Everyone is going to be different on how far they can plan out.  I personally have done it a week, two weeks or even a month at a time.  I've also read an article where one lady in Texas planned out her meals for the whole year!!  Although we all will be different in this, I believe the basic guidelines I will share can work for any schedule.  Also remember it takes time.  Don't just expect it to all come together and run smoothly first time out.  Cut yourself some slack, you can always pop a bag of popcorn. 

First sit down and make a list of your families favorite meals.  Next, gather up some of your favorite cookbooks and browse through them and write down your favorites or something you would like to try on this list as well.  Don't forget to notate the cookbook it came out of and page number.  Finally go grab your family calendar and get busy planning.  Personally I have a calendar that hangs on the side of my fridge with meals as this a nice central place to know what's on the menu that evening without my family asking me several times.  Now that you're armed with meals and a calendar start assigning meals to a particular day.  Take into consideration what's happening that day/evening so you can cook accordingly.  To help with assigning meals you can categorize such as Casserole Monday, Taco Tuesday, Chicken Wednesday, Pasta Thursday, Pizza Saturday.  If your day has a category, it might be easier to assign a meal by always having a theme and not repeating a main ingredient back-to-back.  A meal blueprint to use is have a main dish, two sides (one veggie and a starch) and some bread unless of course it is a one-pot meal.  Try and make your meal colorful.  Don't have mashed potatoes and cauliflower together, throw some green or orange on that plate with those potatoes.  You eat with your eyes first so make it appealing.  Fill in your meals from the list until the time frame you have decided on is complete.  Remember to add in some out-to-eat meals if it's in your budget and if you like leftovers a leftover night.  Now that you have a plan, your grocery shopping list will be easier to make.  Consult your meal calendar, your pantry and then add to your list what you need from the store.  Making the calendar has not only helped you in saving time at dinner but will help you save money because you will be buying exactly what you need and not throwing away food because it went bad before you got to use it. 

All of us will have a day when even the best laid plans don't work.  Before you call and order pizza try and have some go-to recipes that can be ready in 30 minutes or less. For this to work your pantry should contain ingredients that can work together to complete a fast meal.  Another option is to have quick-ready food such as frozen chicken patties, chicken nuggets, a box of quick make macaroni, frozen pizza or a frozen lasagna.  The following is a list of ingredients to have in your pantry, courtesy of Taste of Home's Casserole Cookbook, and you can pick and choose according to your likes/dislikes:

Pantry

• Canned soups including tomato and quick cooking soups such as cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and cream of celery
• Chili and kidney beans
• Chunk white chicken
• Cream-style corn
• Diced tomatoes, Stewed tomatoes
• Dried bread crumbs
• Green chilies
• French-fried onions
• Instant and Long grain rice
• Mushrooms in cans
• Pasta (Egg noodles, Spaghetti, Elbow macaroni)
• Sliced olives
• Slivered almonds
• Spaghetti sauce
• Stuffing mix
• Tomato paste and sauce

Freezer

• Stew meat
• Vegetables (broccoli, corn, spinach and mixed veggies)
• Ground beef
• Ground turkey
• Shredded or cubed hash browns

Fridge

• Bulk cheese
• Flour tortillas
• Parmesan cheese
• Crescent rolls and biscuits
• Sour cream

Well there you go.  My hope is that this post will arm you with the tools you need in order to take back dinner hour in your home.  Remember it's not about fancy ingredients and fancy meals, it's about coming together as a family and sharing the time no matter how short or long it may be.  I heard on the news the other day that by simply having family meal time together can reduce your child's risk of trying drugs, alcohol or cigarettes.  Now there's a reason to make the time to plan.