Ways to Speed Up Dinner-Prep Times

Sort groceries before you get home. At the grocery store, ask the bagger to put all the perishables in one bag, the snacks in another, the canned goods in a third. You can help the process along by loading like foods together on the conveyor belt. At home, unloading will go far more quickly and be easier to delegate.

Prep meat. Take a moment to trim, cut, cube or pound meat. Meat can sit in an oil-based marinade for about 24 hours in the refrigerator, so you can set up the next day's dinner the day before. When you use a marinade made with an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, which actually begins cooking the food, pre-prep may or may not work for you, since meat should sit for less than 2 hours, fish for only 30 minutes or so.

Chop vegetables. Onions, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, squash―they can all be chopped ahead, (I recommend using The Pampered Chef Food Chopper). Cover the chopped vegetables with a damp paper towel to keep the cut ends from drying out, then refrigerate in a plastic ziplock baggie. (Onions and other frequently used vegetables can be chopped, then frozen in plastic freezer bags for up to a month).

Measure up. Measure ahead of time, combining all the spices you need for a dish in a plastic bag or a small bowl. This gives you a head start and helps keep you from forgetting a spice or a garnish when you're rushing to put the meal together.

Have a plan!

Menu planning doesn't have be complicated. A small investment of time can reap great rewards:

A menu plan saves money. Reducing trips to the supermarket, a menu plan reduces impulse spending. Using leftovers efficiently cuts food waste, while planned buying in bulk makes it easy to stockpile freezer meals at reduced prices.

A menu plan saves time. No dash to the neighbors for a missing ingredient, no frantic searches through the freezer for something, anything to thaw for dinner.

A menu plan improves nutrition. There will be time to prepare side dishes and salads to complement the main dish, increasing the family's consumption of fruits and vegetables.