by Shelly Mcrae

Created on: May 03, 2009   Last Updated: May 19, 2009

One of the deterrents to getting a homemade healthy meal on the table every evening is the time it takes to cook a meal from scratch. Having to do this chore every night is what sends people to fast food restaurants. But a little time management can reduce your evening cooking time to less than thirty minutes.

Set aside a block of time each week, approximately two to three hours. During this time cook your main courses and prep your side dishes.

For example, put a three-pound pork tenderloin in your slow cooker along with two or three celery stalks, three or four slices of onion, a roughly chopped carrot and a can of chopped tomatoes. Let it cook for two to four hours, depending on your slow cooker's settings.

Season two or three skinless chicken breasts with ground chili pepper and ground cumin. Season two or three with an Italian blend of herbs. Pan-fry them in olive oil in separate pans.

Cook up two to three pounds of ground turkey. Make a batch of chile and a batch of sloppy joes.

You now have the main courses for a roast pork dinner, a Mexican dinner, and Italian dinner, a chili dinner and a dinner of sloppy joe sandwiches.

A few make-ahead side dishes would include rice, pasta and beans. These can all be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.

With these main courses, you need a package of tortillas, a jar of spaghetti sauce and a can of sliced pineapple in your pantry. Have lettuce and a few assorted fruits and vegetables in your crisper.

When it comes time to get a meal on the table you can reheat the roast pork and the rice and serve it with a garden salad. The next night you can reheat the Italian seasoned chicken and serve it with the pasta and spaghetti sauce. Include a few slices of pears or peaches. Serve grilled pineapple with the sloppy joes and make burritos with rice and beans with the Mexican seasoned chicken the next night. The chili can be served with crusty bread and a salad.

Every one of those meals will take you less than thirty minutes to pull together because you've already done the cooking.

Make-ahead meals are the most efficient way to get a meal on the table, and the leftovers make great lunches. Managing your time is one way to beat the "What's for dinner" blues. Utilizing your kitchen tools can help you get more food made in less time as well.

Your slow cooker can be used for stews and soups, both of which freeze well. Use your food processor to chop veggies for salsa or shred carrots for salads, or to make coleslaw. If your food processor has a dough hook, take advantage of it and make pizza dough. Frozen pizza dough is great to have on hand for those simple weekend meals.

If you buy in bulk and cook in bulk, you save time in the kitchen. Cook your main courses ahead of time and keep your side dishes simple. Use every kitchen utensil and appliance you have to produce as much food as possible at one time. This will allow you to open the refrigerator and the pantry and pull together a meal in less than half and hour.

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