Eight dinner time tips for busy parents

Life as a parent can get busy, which makes it tricky to balance planning and preparing nourishing meals for the family amongst other commitments.

We know it can feel like a bit of a juggling act some days, so we have thrown together some of our tried and tested tips to save you time on those busy days. 

Pre-cut your produce

When you find yourself with a little extra time, say a slow Sunday afternoon, cut up some veggies and put them in airtight containers for the fridge or freezer. That way, they are ready to toss straight into a meal when it comes time to cook. This could be dicing the carrots, celery, and mushrooms that you plan to use in a spaghetti or stew. You can pre-cut meats to save time too.

 Double batch and freeze meals or sauces

If you are making a curry, pasta sauce, or soup, double the amounts you need for one dinner and stock up for another night. Freeze the extra portion and you’ve got meals on hand that only require reheating.

Slow cooking is almost no cooking

Nothing beats getting home from your busy day and knowing dinner is already sorted and simmering away on the bench top. There are so many delicious recipes you can try in a slow cooker, and most dishes you traditionally make on the stove can easily be converted for a slow cooker too.

Make friends with long life veg

Most tinned and frozen vegetables are already cut and ready for you to add to any dish, saving you all that preparation time.

 Love the tray bakes

One tray, so many possibilities. Tray bakes are a great time saver as you can simply chuck everything on the tray, pop it in the oven and forget about it for a while. This means more time to play with the kids outside, take a shower or catch up on some life admin. An added bonus is once dinner is done, you only have one tray to clean! Win, win!  

 Lean on your list of go-to easy meals

Remember, not every meal needs to be restaurant quality, some just need to fill little tummies fast. Have a list of go-to quick meals that you can refer to when time is tight. Think eggs and avocado on toast, instant noodles with frozen veg and tinned tuna, quick cook steak and salad sandwiches. To get your list started, check out our 15-minute meal ideas, and explore the list below for quick protein and grain/ carbohydrate options.

 Get the family involved  

It may not start off as a time saving hack, but after a few goes in the kitchen delegating tasks to your kids and getting them involved can help take the burden off you. If weeknights don’t seem like the easiest time to introduce kids to the kitchen, then get them on other duties such as setting the table or stacking the dishwasher, it all adds up. Check out our podcast episode or blog about cooking with kids for more information around age-appropriate tasks.

y 

Online grocery shopping

While it's not quite a dinner time hack, doing a click and collect order and picking up the groceries on the way home from work or school can save you the hassle and time spent strolling the supermarket aisles, leaving you more time for the fun stuff.

 QUICK protein options

• Tinned tuna

• Egg

• Minute steaks

• BBQ roast chicken

• Canned beans

• Tofu or tempeh

• Cottage cheese

 QUICK grains / carbohydrate options  

• Microwave minute rice (or if you’re concerned with plastics, rice you’ve cooked and frozen in single serving sizes)

• Couscous

• Tortillas, pitas, and flat breads

• Potatoes cooked in the microwave

• Small pasta shapes