{"id":41041,"date":"2015-09-11T06:30:46","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T10:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplehomeschl.wpengine.com\/?p=41041"},"modified":"2026-01-28T16:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T21:09:18","slug":"make-dinnertimes-easier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/make-dinnertimes-easier\/","title":{"rendered":"Make dinnertimes easier this school year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dinnertimes1picmo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Written by Jessica Fisher of Good Cheap Eats<\/a> and Life as Mom<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

S<\/span>everal times during a school year, the thought hits me: I just can\u2019t do it all.<\/p>\n

I can keep a perfectly tidy home, or I can rock an awesome homeschool, or I can make healthy, three-course meals three times a day, or I can run a great home business.<\/p>\n

Did you see the\u00a0or\u2019s?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I simply cannot do them all, all the time. When school lessons are going great, the house is often a mess. When I am writing great content and keeping up on all aspects of my writing business, I might end up skipping science for the week. When my house is spotless, it\u2019s probably a sign that everything else has fallen by the wayside.<\/p>\n

There are only so many hours in a day. None of us can do it all on her own.<\/strong> We all have areas where we need to simplify, pull out a few tricks, and delegate.<\/p>\n

You gotta eat, right? Thankfully, my desire for good meals has helped me identify shortcuts to meal times that mean I can do at least two things well in a given season.<\/p>\n

Is dinner prep one of those tricky spots for you? Consider these tips for making dinner quick and easy this school year:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"dinnertimes3\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

1. Plan your meals.<\/h4>\n

Meal planning is not difficult or time-intensive, but it can really help you make dinner without a lot of fuss. If you spend ten minutes each week jotting down meals you can make, you\u2019ll have a better idea of how to shop, when to thaw stuff from the freezer, and you\u2019ll know exactly what to do when you wrap up school for the day.<\/p>\n

A meal plan also lets you delegate dinner prep to someone else in the family.<\/strong> (This is key to doing more things that you can accomplish alone.)<\/p>\n

2. Prep ahead.<\/h4>\n

Sunday\u00a0afternoons spent chopping and dicing for the week\u2019s meals can save your bacon when it\u2019s time to make dinner, but you\u2019re too tired to make it.<\/p>\n

By planning and prepping in advance, you set yourself up for success. All you need to do is assemble \u2013 or make one of your minions do it.<\/p>\n

3. Shop with time-savings in mind.<\/h4>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to buy that slightly-more-expensive-but- easier-to-serve item. While my kids can, indeed, go through a box of cereal every morning, that two bucks is well-spent. It buys me at least 30 minutes each day to spend on other things.<\/p>\n

Pre\u2013washed baby spinach, pre-cooked bacon, and shredded cheese are other real food convenience items that help me save a few more minutes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Make it in 30 minutes.<\/h4>\n

Think about the quick meals and focus on those for school night dinners. Pizza, while delicious, often takes a couple hours when I make the dough from scratch. But, I can buy fresh loaves of French bread or a package of pita bread and have a delicious pizza night in a lot less time.<\/p>\n

With a few tweaks, you can put your favorite recipes into hyper-drive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A note from Jamie: If making meals more quickly, yet still on a budget, appeals to you (uh, yes please!), I urge you to check out Jessica’s newly released cookbook,\u00a0Good Cheap Eats: Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"dinnertimes2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In it\u00a0you\u2019ll find 200 recipes that you can cook in 30 minutes or less.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These meals are kid-friendly and easy on the budget. They\u2019ll help you take a shortcut to dinnertime over the course of the homeschool year without sacrificing good taste or time with your family.<\/p>\n

Do you have tips for making dinner time easier during the school year?<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Jessica Fisher of Good Cheap Eats and Life as Mom Several times during a school year, the thought hits me: I just can\u2019t do it all. I can keep a perfectly tidy home, or I can rock an awesome homeschool, or I can make healthy, three-course meals three times a day, or I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":41050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[342,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-relationships","category-home-management"],"yoast_head":"\nMake dinnertimes easier this school year - Simple Homeschool<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's hard to do it all when you're also homeschooling -- dinner can become messy and unhealthy fast. 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