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After an exhausting day of work, it can be hard to find the energy to make dinner. And with all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, who has time? Nearly everyone is tempted to grab the phone and order a pizza or make a stop at the local drive-thru on the way home. While this is an easy solution, it is not usually the healthiest or the least expensive one. Fortunately, fast food does not have to be the answer. With a little planning, you can reduce the time it takes to make daily meals and avoid the stress of having to ponder the answer to the million dollar question, "What's for dinner?"

First, plan out your weekly menu ahead of time. On a calendar or notepad, write down what you plan to have each day. After the menu is planned, make a grocery list and get your supplies.

After you have the items you need, you can cook the meals ahead of time at your leisure. Consider using a day when you are not working or an evening when things are less hectic, to make some or all of your meals for the week. The key is to do the majority of the heavy cooking on one or two days, so that the rest of the week will be quick and easy.

Here are a few make-ahead meal suggestions:

Casseroles - Casseroles are a simple and healthy choice. When you have free time, mix your casserole ingredients together. Then cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator or the freezer. When it comes time for casserole night, all you have to do is place the dish in the oven and let it bake.

Slow cooker meals- Having a slow cooker is a must for anyone who wants to create make-ahead meals because there is very little prep time involved, and the slow cooker does the majority of the work for you. You can do the cooking the day before or cook the meal over night. Use the slow cooker to prepare soups, roasts, beans, and entrees.

Frozen Entrees - There are a lot of great choices in your grocer's freezer. The majority of these are ready to cook, straight out of the box, with little to no prep work. And most of these meals have multiple cooking methods that you can use at your convenience.

Leftovers - On your weekly menu try have a large entre that will last through two meals. Or consider having a leftover buffet night toward the end of the week, where you pool together leftovers from all your meals. I recommend Thursday or Friday for this, but you might want to pick a day that is most hectic for you.

Make-ahead meal planning may seem like a lot of work at first, but a little planning goes a long way. After just a few weeks of practice, you will be surprised at how much time you will save.

Learn more about this author, Jerri Rivers.
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