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    Home » Kitchen Tips

    Make Dinner in the Morning to Save Time Later

    Published: Oct 14, 2013 · Modified: Jan 6, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

    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.

    Make dinner in the morning to save time

    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.

    « Cheese and Garlic Croutons
    Soup is Good Food (or How to Make Stone Soup) »
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sherrie

      February 27, 2019 at 5:24 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        February 27, 2019 at 1:58 pm

        Woohoo! Nicely done!

        Reply
    2. kristen

      April 22, 2014 at 10:55 am

      what is the recipe for the pasta salad you made? is it pictured above?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 22, 2014 at 2:29 pm

        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.

        Reply
    3. Kristin

      October 16, 2013 at 7:11 am

      Lunch in the crockpot AND dinner in the fridge completely made?? You ARE a rockstar! Thanks for inspiring me to think bigger!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        October 16, 2013 at 7:48 am

        I sure FELT like a rockstar that day. Now, to do it again and again. It was a great day of easy meals.

        Reply
    4. Megan

      October 15, 2013 at 6:42 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        October 18, 2013 at 3:37 pm

        Those days will come. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Melissa @ AVirtuousWoman.org

      October 14, 2013 at 9:01 pm

      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.

      Reply

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