Dinner Strategies (Part 1 in a series)

Family Dinners. 

They can be magical ~ the starting point for discussion, family bonding, laughter and joy! 

They can be monotonous ~ because they happen every day. Rain or shine. 7 days a week.

How can we lighten the load? With shortcuts, of course!

1. Have a list of 10 regular dinners that meet the following criteria: (most people in your family like the item, it can be made in less than 30 minutes, the meat portion can be frozen, and it only involves 2-3 fresh fruits or veggies.)  If you have a recipe that qualifies, name it and laminate it. Seriously Sandra? Yes.  Laminated recipes don't need to be reprinted, retyped, etc because you can't take notes on them or spill food on them.

2. Add 1-2 new dinners a month. Where do these come from? The Wednesday food section in the Union Tribune, magazine articles that catch your eye at the check out stand at the grocery store, Trader Joe's cookbook, friends, etc.  Once you find a 'winner', rotate it in to your list of standby's. Don't forget to laminate it!

3. Be realistic ~ I don't cook dinner 7 nights a week! Plan to cook 4, allowing 1 night for take-out, 1 night for entertaining/being entertained, and 1 night for leftovers.  Plan and shop on Sunday. 

4. Take advantage of supermarket meat shortcuts: Vons sells marinated meats (I often buy their pollo asada chicken breasts), kebabs with veggies (steak or chicken with bell peppers and onions) and pre-formed turkey burger patties.  Trader Joes sells frozen marinated raw meat (my family loves to bbq their frozen beef Tri-Tip),  frozen cooked meats (precooked orange chicken just needs to be heated and served), and flash frozen seafood (you can get excellent, raw, frozen, wild salmon for around $6 per fillet year round).

5. Be adventurous with grains! Our family easily converted to exclusively whole wheat bread and pasta, and we generally use brown rice.  Shortcut: buy the TJ's brown rice which comes in precooked, sealed microwavable pouches.  Use alternative grains like quinoa (yummy, high-protein grain which is like cous cous),  soba noodles (buckwheat asian pastas that kids love), polenta (which is great in pasta, in lieu of chicken or beef) or Mediterranean flat bread. 

6. Use seasonal veggies: I hope your salads have pears in the fall and strawberries in the summer. Fresher ~ Local ~ Cheaper ~ Greener.  Recently, I have been cooking with beets!

7. Use fresh herbs. I instated a small herb garden in my backyard, and having access to fresh basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, cilantro and sage is priceless.  Most of these have made it to January and are thriving! I'm happy to replant the ones that have given up.

8. Be simple! Family dinners should be simple to plan, simple to prepare, and simple to clean up.  Save the time-consuming gourmet fare for dinner parties, holidays and special occasions. Simple dinners need only involve a lean protein, a generous serving of veggies and a light serving of grains.  And wine. And if the kids eat enough 'growing food' ~ let them have a treat!

9. Establish routines.  Our dinners always start with a simple prayer, showcase one member of our family using the "I am Special Plate", and end with a group clean up, Mike doing the dishes, and the kids selecting their treat.  (thanks mike!!)  

Stay tuned for further items in the series:

Part 2: Cooking with Chicken

Part 3: Where's the Beef

Part 4: Something fishy this way comes

Part 5: Vegaliscious

Part 6: The Other White Meat 

~ Short Cut Sandra