Save Your Sanity by Maximizing Your Cooking Efforts

As moms, we know our time is precious, so when the holidays roll around it becomes even more critical to be organized and efficient in an attempt to maximize the little time we have.

If there's one thing you can do to help you and your family during the busy holiday season, serving a quick and easy family supper is it! By quick and easy I don't mean fast food, pizza or plain PB & J's. I mean planning ahead and maximizing your efforts so that your family will eat well, but without a lot of time put into it. Follow these three simple tips and you'll be able to serve delicious, healthy meals without spending extra time in the kitchen. This will allow you to focus on the things that make the holidays special!

1. Double the recipe of meals you're making now, and freeze half for later. If you start doing this today, you'll have meals ready to serve throughout the holiday season. This is a great thing for those hectic times when you've been out shopping all day or preparing for a holiday party or event. You'll have a delicious meal that you can easily pull out the freezer, thaw, and serve. (Remember to label everything so you can easily identify what you have.)

2. Use a slow-cooker to have a great meal without all the last minute prep work. This allows you to put everything together in the morning when things are typically a little calmer. If your mornings are crazy, then put the meal together the night before. You can prep everything in the pullout dish, and then place it in the fridge. In the morning, all you have to do is put the dish in the cooker, turn it on, and your meal will be ready to serve for supper. Knowing that you have a delicious meal ready at home will prevent you from being tempted to order take out or hit a drive-thru on those crazy days. There's also something heart-warming about walking into your house to the delicious aroma of a meal that's ready for your family without having to do anything but put it on a plate.

3. Cut your effort in half by preparing for two meals at once. To do this, you need to plan out your family's menu for the week. Maximize your effort by serving meals with similar ingredients to help save time. For example, if you're going to serve spaghetti and tacos the same week, you can brown all the meat you need at once and then save part of it for the second meal. Or if you're grilling chicken one night, double the amount you grill and use the extra meat for stir-fry or to top off a hearty salad.

These three simple suggestions will help you save time, while still allowing you to serve a great meal to your family. The few extra minutes it takes to plan ahead will save you valuable time that's at a premium during the wonderful, but hectic, holiday season!