Archive for the ‘Tips, Tools, Tutorials’ Category
8 Tips for Making Dinnertime Easier
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1. Plan…but just enough
We all know that taking time to plan your meals really cuts down on that “oh my gosh it’s 5:00 PM and I have no idea what to make for dinner tonight!” stress. So why don’t more of us do it? I think we tend to get too detailed. We think we have to plan out every single recipe and side dish for the week, at which point meal planning becomes more stressful than that “oh my gosh it’s 5:00 PM” feeling.
Keeping it simple it the trick to meal planning that really works. For example, you might try and plan for several dinner “categories” (like a pasta night, a chicken night, a fish night) and then at the same time aim to have several side dishes on-hand that can mix-and-match with your various entrees.
This post over on Simple Mom has lots more great easy meal planning ideas.
2. Make a recipe binder
Having a set of simple, go-to recipes organized and in one place makes it easy to walk into your kitchen and whip something together. Conversely, flipping through cook books after a long day of work, trying to figure out if you think you have the right pans/ exotic ingredients/skills to make certain recipes can be incredibly frustrating.
So take a Sunday afternoon to print our or photocopy all your favorite easy recipes. Then, fill them into a binder, using divider tabs to organize them into different entrée and side dish categories. Make notes about what side dishes and vegetables go well with what entrees.
3. Balance your workload
If cooking an entire meal seems like too much some nights, then try making an entrée from scratch but then serving it with a store-bought refrigerated side dish, like Reser’s Sensational Sides Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Macaroni & Cheese, and more.
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Posted by Lacey
5 Easy, Low-Stress Ways to Save Money on Groceries
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Trimming your grocery budget usually means cooking from scratch a lot more often. But what if you don’t have much time for cooking in the evenings?
Check out these 5 tips for trimming your grocery budget while still enjoying the convenience of prepared foods: (more…)
Posted by Lacey
Easy Ways Keep your New Year’s Food Resolutions
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Happy belated New Year, everyone!
Between the holidays and moving, my blogging vacation lasted a bit longer than I intended. But now that Christmas is over and all (okay, most) of our boxes are unpacked, I’m ready to get back in the kitchen.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be featuring easy menu planning ideas and quick recipes to help you with your New Year’s resolutions, like:
- Saving money on your food bill
- Eating more nutritiously
- Reducing mealtime stress
- Eating together as a family more often
Make sure to check back here soon for these posts plus some awesome coupon and product giveaways!
Posted by Lacey
7 Cook-Ahead Tips for an Easy, Relaxed Thanksgiving
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If you’re like me and you’d rather spend most of Thanksgiving having fun with your family instead of working in the kitchen, try getting some—if not most—of the cooking and prep done the day before:
1) Measure out ingredients ahead of time. This is especially easy with the dry ingredients; just cover your mixing bowl(s) with plastic wrap and label with sticky notes.
2) Prep your turkey Wednesday night. Assuming your bird won’t need to be thawed in cold water in the morning, you can get it ready for the oven the night before. Rinse and add butter and seasonings according to your recipe of choice, place in a roasting pan, cover well with plastic wrap, and then place in the fridge overnight. Just make sure that your turkey isn’t out at room temperature for long.
Posted by Lacey
About This Blog
Hi, I'm Lacey Werner. I write Fun Times Made Easy, a blog that helps people enjoy delicious food with friends and family without spending long, laborious hours in the kitchen.
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![Three_Cheese_Rigatoni_Side[2]](http://funtimesmadeeasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Three_Cheese_Rigatoni_Side2.jpg "Three_Cheese_Rigatoni_Side[2]")
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