1. Cook once, eat twice (or more). When you have time to cook, double your recipe and freeze the rest. It doesn't even have to be a fully prepared dish that is frozen. Having pre-cooked hamburger meat ready to toss into sauce and pasta is a great time saver.
2. Use the microwave. I cook nearly all my vegetables in the microwave, and I think I've baked a potato in the oven about 3 times in my 4 years of marriage.
3. Buy convenience products when they help. I buy mac & cheese in a box, even though I could make it from scratch. I buy "baby" cut carrots because I found that I never got around to peeling the whole ones before they turned moldy. I buy individually frozen boneless, skinless chicken pieces for making fast dinners. The convenience products can be worth the extra cost.
4. Optimize cooking times. Start the dish that takes the longest first. While it's cooking, do everything else. For example, scrub the potatoes and cook them in the microwave (poke with a fork on all sides for even cooking, cook about 5 min per potato, rotate half-way through). Start browning hamburger patties in a skillet, and in a small sauce pan, cook some veggies. Being able to do this takes practice. Just start cooking regularly, and you'll find ways to multitask.
5. Use a slow cooker. This can allow you to get dinner on the table almost as soon as you get home.
2. Use the microwave. I cook nearly all my vegetables in the microwave, and I think I've baked a potato in the oven about 3 times in my 4 years of marriage.
3. Buy convenience products when they help. I buy mac & cheese in a box, even though I could make it from scratch. I buy "baby" cut carrots because I found that I never got around to peeling the whole ones before they turned moldy. I buy individually frozen boneless, skinless chicken pieces for making fast dinners. The convenience products can be worth the extra cost.
4. Optimize cooking times. Start the dish that takes the longest first. While it's cooking, do everything else. For example, scrub the potatoes and cook them in the microwave (poke with a fork on all sides for even cooking, cook about 5 min per potato, rotate half-way through). Start browning hamburger patties in a skillet, and in a small sauce pan, cook some veggies. Being able to do this takes practice. Just start cooking regularly, and you'll find ways to multitask.
5. Use a slow cooker. This can allow you to get dinner on the table almost as soon as you get home.
