Quick dinners are the key during the week. Between busy work days and social activities we need things that are easy to make and are ready in about 30 minutes. I want to chop a few things, grab some spices, get one pan out and get cooking.
While I love to get creative in the kitchen, I save the more involved recipes for weekends. My dinners must consist of a three things:
- Protein (doesn’t have to be animal, even beans or tofu work)
- Fresh veggies
- Spices
You can create a base and change up the items to make delicious combinations. Go Asian with soy sauce, broccoli, beef or maybe Mexican with beans, corn, tomatoes and chicken.
It helps to keep a few staples around too! What is always in my pantry:
- Beans (black, chick peas, butter, great northern or cannelini)
- Soy Sauce
- Taco Seasoning (find a good organic brand you like, way less ingredients)
- Salsa
- Hot Sauce
- Spices like rosemary, thyme, oregano, ground ginger, sesame seeds
- Quinoa
- Pasta and sauce for really quick meals
- Diced tomatoes
- Chicken broth
I sit down one evening and think about what I want to make next week, write out my menu for the next week, make my grocery list and head to the store. My list is organized by the order of the store. A bit crazy but it helps me to picture each aisle or area of the store as I make my list. Shopping at just a few stores makes this easier, either Aldi or Target and know what is where and write out the list.
I stock up on pantry basics and then add specialty ingredients to the cart for specific recipes. There are a few things that always go in my cart:
- Chips of some sort
- Cereal
- Bagels or bread for Scott
- Fresh Fruit and Veggies
- Lunch Meat
- Cheese
- Milk and Soy Milk
- Yogurt
Having everything planned out helps me get in and out of the grocery store a lot faster. While I do love to grocery shop I want to be able to grab my cart, find my items, bag my groceries and go.
