Cooking on a Weeknight Feels like a Shit Show

Do you want to cooking at home more, but you don’t have time during the 2-3 hours after work? or you’re so done eating the same 5-7 meals over and over?

I hear it often...you’re over the meals you’ve been making...but you’re not sure how to get cook without following a recipe.

As a parent…

• you want to provide the best for your family

• you really want to be able to cook healthy meals

…but you you're unsure of how to make healthy meals taste good, and something your family actually wants to eat. 

You already know that fast food & processed frozen meals aren’t always the best options, but they make busy nights easy...and you don’t have the time to cook every night.

I understand your frustration...cooking for hours after a long day sucks!!!

Especially when all you want to do is spend time with your family.

Which is why...I'm sharing with you my guide to easy weeknight meals.

I’ve taken the speed I gained working in restaurants & combined it with my knowledge of nutrition to guide you to make "healthy food" taste amazing!

Finding the Balance

The real key to all of this is finding the balance that works for you and your family!

The balance means that it works for more than a week or a month, what you choose to do for your family should be easy enough so that it just becomes a way of life.

3+ Tips to Making Weeknight Meals Quick, Easy, & Delicious!

Schedule time

Yes, this may sound like a no brainer...but actually take some time to look at what you have on hand, write a shopping list, and grocery shop/ or have it delivered. If you are choosing to prep some items ahead, go for it, but make sure that you schedule time out for that too!

Grocery Shopping

Bring your list, and shop geographically (follow the link to learn more about that)! When grocery shopping aim to purchase at least 3 types of proteins, veggies and grains.

We’ll talk about some quick cooking options in my next tip. You can mix & match throughout the week, and be sure to buy enough for several days, or however many days you plan to eat at home. This will reduce your time of having to run back to the store multiple times a week.

Cook!

Again…I get this is kind of a no brainer, but these are my go to methods to get a home cooked dinner on the table quickly! Preheat your oven to 425°F. 

1. Get your grains cooking; choose grains that cook quickly like white rice or quinoa.

• Build flavor — Add oil to your pot, then add your grains and toast them for 2-3 minutes until they smell nutty.

• Add in dried herbs, spices, citrus zest, or even a tea bag while the grains cook (for more flavor).

• When they are done cooking, fluff with a fork, finish with fresh herbs, citrus juice or vinegar. Learn more about using zest on the podcast.

2. While your grains cook, roast your proteins in your 425°F oven.

• Some of my go-to proteins for busy weeknights are:

  • pork tenderloin (cooks in 15-18 minutes),

  • boneless skinless chicken breast (depending on the size can cook up in 12-25 minutes)

  • sausage (cook for 20-25 minutes)

• To add flavor to your pork or chicken you can:

  • Marinade them earlier in the day in equal parts acid at fat

  • For a quick flavor boost...pat them dry, roll them in dried spices & herbs, and then drizzle with olive oil.

• My fav flavor combo for pork tenderloin is rolling it in a combination of paprika and cocoa powder! Learn more about using herbs & spices. 

3. At the same time the proteins are cooking, you can roast veggies in the oven.

• For super busy nights, I recommend using frozen veggies.

  • There is no prep & they’re just as delicious at fresh veggies.

  • My favorite frozen veggies that hold up well in the oven are broccoli & cauliflower.

• You can totally use fresh veggies, but you'll have to do a little bit of prep work...so if you don’t mind chopping up some veggies you can use any fresh veggie.

  • Some of my favorites to roast are asparagus, any root veggies, halved mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage...you can roast almost anything! I wouldn’t roast a cucumber though.

  • Veggies , that are bite size or a little bigger, will take about 20 min to roast...even the frozen ones!

Pro-Tip — if you’re using frozen veggies, oil and season after they come out of the oven, because in the frozen state, nothing will stick to them. If you are using fresh, oil and season before they go into the oven.  

If you follow the steps in this order...dinner from scratch will come together in 25-30 minutes!

That's pretty quick to whip up a dinner with two sides.

This is just a launch point!

Remember, there is so much more you can do when you learn & master the skills behind a recipe. You can figure out the balance that works for you & your family! 

Does this sound awesome, but you’re not sure where or how to start cooking like this at home?

Check out the Kitchen Confidence Resource Library. It gives you the bitesize cooking skills you need to get dinner on the table in 30.