Today’s parents are busier than ever — and so are their kids! But this doesn’t have to steer you towards the drive-through each night. Although fast food can be convenient in a pinch, you can also make food quickly at home. To make wholesome, home-made meals your “go-to” food source, try these simple cooking tips!

Stock It Up!
Having the foods you need to make a fast dinner is half the battle. Stock your pantry, freezer, and kitchen with these items:

Meal Building Staples: Rice, pastas, and other grains such as quinoa, barley, and bulgur. Keep a variety of canned beans, tomatoes, and sauces, as well as canned meats such as chicken, tuna, and salmon.  Other canned vegetables, such as artichokes, pearl onions, corn or mushrooms can stand alone or become part of the entrée.

Flavor Enhancers: Broths and stocks (chicken, beef, vegetable) can enhance savory rice, homemade soups and quick stir fry. Jarred capers, olives and roasted red peppers are add-ins to pasta, pizza and salads. Experiment with soy sauce, honey and flavored vinegars. Onions, garlic, dried herbs and lemon are other flavor-enhancers, turning an ordinary entrée into something special.

Freezer Fillers: Frozen veggies and fruits are great additions to a quick meal and are just as wholesome as their fresh counterparts. Frozen fish such as shrimp, tilapia and scallops are great additions to stir fry, pasta classics and as a stand-alone main entrée.

During the Week, Emphasize Quickness
If you’re juggling work, child transportation, and homework, keep meals during the week fast and easy with these tips:

Use Theme Nights. Organize your week by dinner theme: sandwich night, pasta night, make your own pizza night, crockpot night (for super busy evenings), and meatless nights. Themes keep your meals stream-lined during the week, while allowing more variety with each passing week. For example, “pasta night” can mean pasta with red sauce, pasta with vodka sauce, pasta with sautéed veggies, stuffed shells and more!

Cook Ahead. Roast a big batch of veggies over the weekend. Add roasted veggies to soups, pasta, or rice dishes. Stuff them in a tortilla with egg or cheese. Add them to your favorite sandwich or just re-heat and serve with a meal.

Eat Brinner (breakfast for dinner). Eggs any style, pancakes, waffles, French toast, breakfast casseroles, or hot cereal are quick to fix and well-liked by most. Add in a breakfast meat, fruit and/or milk and you’ve got a complete, wholesome meal.

5 Time-Saving Tips for the Week

1. Outline a Meal Plan. Map out your dinner meals through the week and shop for the ingredients so you have them on hand. Identify breakfast items and lunch entrees and purchase them. Post your meal plan in an obvious location and follow through!
2. Use the Crockpot. A lifesaver on busy nights when family members are coming and going! Fill it and forget about it until dinnertime. Crockpots can do more than pot roast! If you’re unsure how to use it, invest in a crockpot cookbook or surf the web. Add a side salad, fruit, and milk and you have a complete, wholesome meal.
3. Cook More than You Need: When you have more time, make a double recipe (think casseroles, sauces, and soups). Eat half right away and freeze the other half for a later date. Also, use leftovers whenever you can! Chicken or beef from a previous meal makes a perfect filling for tacos later in the week.
4. Prepare to Zip. Clean and cut fresh fruits and veggies, then bag and zip ‘em up! They’ll be clean and ready to eat at any time. You can do this with lunch items, too — zip up pretzels, crackers, dried fruits and cookies, so they are pre-packaged and ready to go, saving you time.
5. Make it Semi-Homemade. Purchase pre-cooked meats, prepared pizza crusts, tortillas, shredded cheeses, pasta sauces, pre-cut veggies or fruit. Adding fresh components to a pre-made items increases nutrition and saves time. Great examples are pizza, Italian dishes and stir fry.

3 Quick Meal Ideas

1. Chicken Broccoli Pasta Alfredo
   Jarred Alfredo sauce + pre-cooked cubed chicken + frozen broccoli in a steamer bag + cooked pasta. Cook and drain the pasta, microwave the broccoli and add the chicken and sauce and toss. Add fruit and milk to round out the meal.
2. Chicken Caesar Salad
   1-2 bags of washed/torn romaine lettuce + parmesan cheese + pre-cooked chicken cubes + croutons + Lite Caesar salad dressing. Put everything in a large salad bowl and toss. Add bread, canned fruit in light syrup and milk.
3. Fresh Meat and Veggie Pizza
   1 large store bought pizza crust + 1 small jar of pizza or spaghetti sauce + low fat mozzarella cheese + turkey pepperoni + pre-cut veggies (onion, mushroom, green pepper, broccoli, etc). Assemble pizza crust with sauce, cheese, then meat and veggies. Cook in a 425 F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Add sliced cucumbers or a side salad, and milk.