The Tools of Simple Weeknight Meals
A weekly meal plan
A well-stocked pantry
An uncomplicated kitchen
A weekly grocery trip
One extended prep time per week
Simple staples
Leftovers
Using the Tools
A Weekly Meal Plan
There is menu planning, and then there is life. The two don't go together very well. You can plan all you want to make that beef stroganoff and rice pilaf and chocolate mousse on Tuesday evening, but when the washer breaks and floods the basement on Tuesday afternoon, your dearest plans are (literally) washed away. We don't know exactly what a day will throw at us. After unexpected and stressful situations, there is nothing worse than realizing you have nothing to eat that will not demand an hour's prepping and cooking time. Not good.
A weekly meal plan is sort of like a menu, but allows for ahead-of-time preparation and flexibility. Assuming you will eat out one night per week, you are left with six nights that demand some sort of meal for yourself and your family. A weekly meal plan could be as simple as this: 1) Pasta, 2) Soup, 3) Chicken, 4) Sandwiches, 5) Fish, 6) Slow Cooker. You can have the same kind of pasta, soup, chicken, etc. every week if you want to, or you can mix it up a little and do a different pasta sauce and a new kind of slow cooker dish. You have six options, however, and you shop for and prepare for the six options each week. Then, whatever the day throws at you, you have food that is planned and somewhat prepared and requires little more time or effort from you.
A Well-Stocked Pantry
If you have a weekly meal plan that you follow, then keeping your pantry stocked with food that you will actually use is much easier. If you eat fish every week, buy more when it goes on sale and keep it in the freezer. Same for other meats and canned or dry goods you use on a regular basis. The key is to be sure you always keep your pantry stocked with at least one of each of the items you use weekly. That way, if you are sick or have an emergency and can't make it to the store when you planned, you can still have dinner. You must also exercise some self-discipline. A well-stocked pantry is not one that is packed full of random food items; say no to those great deals that you may never use, or buy only one and see how long it takes you to use it. It's fine, of course, to add new favorites as your simple cooking repertoire expands; just don't add too many new things at one time.
An Uncomplicated Kitchen
More is not always better. For the next few weeks, take an extra ten minutes while you're cleaning up from dinner and start cleaning out your cabinets and drawers as well. Cramped, messy cabinet space makes it difficult to find the dish or utensil you need. It's fine to have gadgets if you enjoy using them; make sure they each have a designated space and always return each one to its space. Do not buy more kitchen stuff unless you know you will use it and you know where you will keep it.
For the stuff you do have and use, try to group things together in a way that makes sense. If you like to make bread or muffins or cookies regularly, group all your baking items together (including those special baking ingredients like soda, powder, cream of tartar, and yeast). Put small items that are used at the same time into one larger container so you can get them out and onto your work surface in one quick motion. Stack your canned goods in groups: soups together, beans together, etc. Hang the utensils you use frequently on the wall where you use them: a magnetic knife strip over the cutting surface, ladles and whisks near the stove, scrapers and measuring spoons by the mixer.
A Weekly Grocery Trip
Frequent runs to the grocery store mean more money spent and more time wasted. Next time you are missing an ingredient, try doing without. If you have extra time and want to make something different, first check to see if you have all the ingredients. If you don't, find a way around or find another recipe. Never go to the store for just "a couple of things." You will, inevitably, come out with a cartful. Use your weekly meal plan to make your grocery list. If you are consistent in using the meal plan, your grocery list will also be fairly consistent from week to week. If you see something on sale that is on your list, stock up if you can, but don't buy extras of something you don't use often. Buy enough fresh fruits and vegetables to last the week. Use the ripest and most perishable ones earlier in the week.
One Extended Prep Time Per Week
The best time is when you get home from your weekly grocery trip and are unloading. Use the time to wash all fruits and vegetables, divide meat into meal-sized portions, and do some chopping and mixing. Salt and pepper and put the chicken in the oven to bake while you peel and dice the carrots for the soup and mix up some tuna salad for sandwiches. Put all your prepared food in separate containers or bags in the refrigerator; when dinner time comes, your work will be mostly completed.
This prep time is really the key to keeping your cooking simple and quick during the rest of the week. If you are a working Mom, you might want to devote one evening or a portion of your weekend to shopping and preparing. If you stay at home, designate one day as your shopping and food prepping day. Give yourself enough time to get all the possible ahead-of-time preparation for all six of your meals done. You don't want to rush and be frustrated. Have a list of the tasks to do and get through them at a steady, relaxed pace. You can enjoy the extended time because you know you are saving yourself that much and far more through the rest of the week.
Simple Staples
You need to build a repertoire of quick, simple main dishes and sides so that your weekly meal plan remains uncomplicated. There are a plethora of 30-minute main dish recipes on the internet and in cookbooks. If you collect and master a few different types, you will be able to prepare ahead for them and do the actual day-of cooking without much time or effort. The more familiar your recipes are, the more efficient you can be in using them.
Simple side dishes often don't even require a recipe. Think of things like fresh fruit, a salad, a good loaf of bread, or steamed vegetables. We all need more fresh food in our diet. Don't kill yourself making a complicated fruit salad that involves peeling and slicing multiple varieties. Just stick to a plate of apple slices, or a bowl of fresh pineapple, or sectioned oranges. You can have a different kind of fruit every night and appreciate all the different tastes and textures. Salads don't have to be complicated either. Some type of lettuce, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces, and a good dressing are sufficient. Add in a little cheese one night, some black olives another, sliced cucumbers the next.
Cooked side dishes can be equally simple: one kind of vegetable, steamed until it is tender-crisp, tossed in butter and salt and pepper, is satisfying to all the senses. Rice, any kind of noodle or grain, or a slice of bread will also serve your purpose. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to present a plate with four different colors on it. There is no need for more than one main dish and one side. Often even the side can be optional.
Leftovers
Planning for leftovers does not mean you feed your family the bottom-scrapings of old stew. It means that when you make that chicken casserole, you go ahead and cook a few extra chicken breasts which you'll serve as chicken sandwiches on the weekend or dice and freeze to use in tortilla soup next week. Planning for leftovers means that you will make an extra-large dish of the pasta your husband loves so he can have some to take for lunch. Leftover vegetables can be used in soups, stews, and casseroles. Leftover meats can be used for the same, or as filling for enchiladas and pot pies, or as the makings of a great chef salad or sub sandwich.
Get yourself adept at using the tools of simple weeknight meals and you can save (at least some of) your sanity and eliminate (at least some of) your stress. Start by putting together a weekly meal plan; it is the foundational tool for simple weeknight meals. Include simple staples as part of the plan. Build on that by stocking your pantry, and give yourself some time to declutter and organize your kitchen. The more you practice these principles, the more they will become second-nature.
