Back-to-school-week meals to make right now: Try and tweak these tonight, thank yourself later
Quick recipes and all the tips you need to make next week’s meals go super-smoothly
With one week to go until Labour Day, if you have kids, you're already probably in back-to-school mode, at least mentally. You've got the homework stations and the studying strategies laid out, but what about the meals? Weeknight dinners can quickly become a cooking conundrum when things get hectic, but with a little work this week, you can make things a lot easier on yourself next week and in the weeks to come. Here's an idea: practice a few recipes now to make sure they'll work for your family before adding them to your weekly rotation. You'll have a chance to see what tweaks you need to make for everyone's tastes, and any favourites will be eagerly anticipated after a long day for all. Plus having already made the dishes one time around, any new recipes snags will be identified which allows you to avoid disaster when it matters most — showtime!
Here are a few other tips to help you survive September's sudden switch, and kick out meals even on the busiest of nights.
Opt for quick cooking things like eggs and pasta. Include enough vegetables and quick-cooking proteins like diced chicken or shrimp, and you'll have an one pan meal in no time.
Mix up the spice mixtures ahead of time. Shake them up in a mason jar and label them so you know what recipe they belong in. You'll be amazed how much quicker recipes come together.
Cook more one-sheet or one-pot meals. Less dishes is one reason, sure, but probably more flavour too. The juices meld together and coat everything in one big flavour wave.
Prep vegetables when you buy them, or at least the night before. Many veggies will keep at least a couple days cleaned, cut and covered with a damp paper towel and sealed in an airtight container in the fridge.
Choose thin cuts of meat or fish. If you want something like a chicken breast to cook quicker, cut it in half crosswise and pound it flat. The easiest way to do this is seal it up in a resealable plastic bag and pound it with a mallet or the bottom of a wine bottle.
Marinate meat in the morning or even the night before. With some recipes you can even freeze the meat IN the marinade and defrost as you need.
Give yourself a focus by assigning theme nights. Implement Meatless Mondays and Taco Tuesday and ok, you get the drift. Routine meets variety!
Give yourself a break and serve sandwiches for dinner. No, really — repurpose leftover chicken in a pesto-smeared bun or add a spoonful of ricotta on thick sourdough with slices of tomato and your best olive oil. Now who's going to complain about that? And if the kids do, you'll most likely win them over with some good ol' grilled cheese. And don't think twice about it.
And of course we have some dinner suggestions for you to test out and master. Pick a few below (or four, five, six!) and your future self will thank you.
Chicken Sesame Cashew Stir-Fry
Low-Prep, High-flavour Porcini Risotto
Joy McCarthy's Sweet Potato Goat Cheese Frittata
Massimo Bottura's Mint and Breadcrumb Pesto
One-pan Egyptian Chicken Dinner
