Dinner time always seems to coincide with the time of day that our children always need us the most. Instead of juggling whinging tired kids and a stove full of pans, try these tips to give you more time in the evenings (and less stress too!).
1. Dinner preparation
Do your dinner preparation early in the day or even spend one day a week doing a big dinner preparation session.
2. Slow cooker
Consider buying a slow cooker, so dinner is all ready in the morning. There are a lot of slow cooker recipes available that are perfect for the whole family, try our slow cooked chicken wings recipe.
3. Cook in the morning
If you cook dinner in the morning, put it straight into a container and put in the fridge once cool enough. At dinner time when everyone is cranky and needs attention you have dinner ready to go.
4. Double each recipe
Make double of your favourite meals and freeze a serve for a future dinner. There are lots of meals that are perfect for freezing.
5. Label your frozen meals
Label all food that you freeze with the day it was cooked
Hopefully these ideas will help free you up in the afternoon, when your child is in need of a play mate.
If all else fails and you are spending the evening in the kitchen, why not set up a cupboard that is safe for your children to play in. In my house this cupboard is filled with Tupperware, some metal bowls and wooden spoons. Perfect for mixing, drumming and stacking.