by Barbara Mitchell

Created on: March 08, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

We don't have a lot of control over the stress that comes into our lives on a daily basis, but a little pre-planning will go a long way toward taking the stress out of dinnertime. Here are a few tips that will help you get started in planning make-ahead meals:

1. Plan Your Menus A Week Or Two In Advance

Coordinate menu plans with paydays. If you grocery shop once every week, then plan out weekly menus. You might see what food items are on sale when you're planning your menus and design your meals around these items. It will help save you money and give you menu ideas.

2. Always Shop With A Grocery List

This may sound like a simple thing, but it will help save you time in the kitchen later on. It's no fun when you plan something for dinner only to discover you forgot to buy a key ingredient.

3. Make Extra Batches Of Food

When I make spaghetti, I cook twice as much hamburg, onions, and celery as I will need and freeze half to put in chili at a later time. When making a meatloaf, make two and freeze one for another meal.

When making something like spaghetti, soup, stuffed peppers, or chili, make enough to have it two days in a row. One thing I like to do is make a spaghetti casserole with leftover spaghetti. Just add some cubed french bread, shredded cheese, and extra sauce to the spaghetti noodles and bake. Voila! You have a whole new meal.

See if friends or coworkers would like to swap meals once in a while. You each make a double batch of something. Keep one for your family and give one to your friend. Your friend does the same.

4. Slice & Dice Ahead Of Time

If you're making a dish with something that needs to be chopped, sliced, or diced, do it ahead of time and store it in a container in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

5. Check Online For New Recipe Ideas

There are a lot of sites dedicated to quick & easy meal ideas. I look for recipes with the fewest number of ingredients.

6. BBQ More Often

There are so many marinades on the market now which make it really easy when you're going to barbecue. Just put the meat in a plastic bag or dish, pour the marinade over and refrigerate. When you get ready for dinner, just fire up the grill. You can even toss on some veggies to make a complete meal that's ready in no time. Another idea is to make enough potato salad and baked beans to last a couple of days. Just vary the meat you have with it each time to give your family some variety.

Dinnertime doesn't have to be stressful. With a little advanced planning, it won't be.

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