If you make dinner in the morning when you have a spare minute, you’ll save time later in the evening when you don’t.
Saturday evening was full of hockey games. Full. In two cities. At dinner time.
I spent Saturday morning in the kitchen, making breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was brilliant, if I do say so myself. I got lunch started in the slow cooker and in the bread machine, and then I started supper on the stove top. I was already in the kitchen; why not maximize my time?
It wasn’t anything extravagant, a 2-pound batch of pasta salad. I slid it into the fridge to chill and went about my day.
At 4:30 when I came home from hockey game #1, I was able to feed the crew in minutes. In minutes, I tell ya! The kids gobbled down plate after plate of pasta salad, telling me how wonderful it was, what a great mom I was, and would I please do this again?
Well, that was easy.
Here are some of our favorite make-ahead meals:
- Lawnmower Taco
- Fresh Basil and Garlic Chive Lasagne
- Easiest Mac and Cheese
- Chicken and Wild Rice Bake
- Bacon Cheddar Egg Bake
- Chicken, Bean, and Cheese Burritos
- Easy Chicken and Cheese Flautas
- Pesto and Feta Pasta Salad with Cranberries
Make-ahead meals can save you loads of time. If you make dinner in the morning, dinner will happen in a matter of seconds. Like magic, but not.
Melissa @ AVirtuousWoman.org says
I love doing this. Such a great tip! Even putting together casseroles to bake later or throwing something in the crock pot… always makes for a more relaxing evening.
Megan says
I look forward to the day when I hear any of those compliments from my children!!! They’re 6,4 and 1 so they don’t give me any of the good stuff like that. Such a great idea, I will have to try it.
Jessica Fisher says
Those days will come. 🙂
Kristin says
Lunch in the crockpot AND dinner in the fridge completely made?? You ARE a rockstar! Thanks for inspiring me to think bigger!
Jessica Fisher says
I sure FELT like a rockstar that day. Now, to do it again and again. It was a great day of easy meals.
kristen says
what is the recipe for the pasta salad you made? is it pictured above?
Jessica Fisher says
That’s this vinaigrette: https://goodcheapeats.com/2013/10/basic-vinaigrette/ over a pound of shells with a can of black olives. I usually add tomatoes and cheese, too.
Sherrie says
I made dinner in the morning yesterday and it was so awesome. I am a stay at home homeschool mom who also has kids in school 30 miles away so by the time I am done picking them up, the last thing I feel like doing when I get home is cooking dinner. And on top of that, more often than not, I just leave the dinner dishes overnight and wash them in the morning because I am so tired. .When I cooked in the morning, I had more energy to tackle the dishes after eating dinner (and there weren’t a lot since I had washed the cooking prep dishes when I was done cooking). I sure would like to make this a daily thing.
Jessica Fisher says
Woohoo! Nicely done!