How to Make Weeknight Mealtimes Easier #stressfreecooking #easyweeknightmeals #easycooking

Getting a healthy and delicious dinner cooked and served can be challenging on busy weeknights -- even for food bloggers and others who truly enjoy cooking! The good news is a few simple adjustments can reduce your stress on busy nights. The Weekend Gourmet correspondent is sharing some great tips that will make weeknight mealtimes easier -- even on the busiest of days. This article may contain affiliate links.

 

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Even if you love food, deciding what to cook after a long day at work can definitely leave you feeling completely uninspired. Even the most enthusiastic cooks sometimes find that creating a delicious meal on the weekend is much more appealing than making weeknight meals. 

Because life is so busy for many people, it's little wonder weekday mealtimes can be a lackluster affair. Do you eat the same meals on repeat every night of the week? Or maybe you often find yourself staring into an empty refrigerator and wondering what to cook. If you find yourself feeling like this, then it's time to take action. Making weekday mealtimes easier for yourself is essential. Here are some ways you can make weeknight cooking easier while still enjoying delicious food:

(1) Start Meal Planning

Meal planning has been popular for ages -- and there's a good reason why: it works really well! When your life is super busy, the last thing you want to do is waste time deciding what to eat at the end of an exhausting day. However, when you have planned your meals in advance, this is no longer an issue. It's so much easier to feel motivated to make dinner when you know precisely what to cook -- and know you already have ingredients ready to use at home. Spending a little time each week planning your dinner menus...and writing a list of groceries you need to buy to make the meals...is time well spent.

(2) Use Your Appliances Wisely

Most people have a variety of cooking appliances lurking in their kitchens. Now is the time to put them to use! While what you cook matters, how you cook your food is also important. Instead of relying on the oven for every mealtime, using your other appliances can make your life a lot easier. For example: Air fryers are everyone’s favorite kitchen appliance right now. If you have an air fryer, using it for weeknight meals can help you get delicious food on the table faster. Air fryers may be getting all the attention at the moment, but don’t overlook the humble Instant Pot. You can easily prepare tasty recipes using your pressure cooker with minimal effort. Learning how to make instant pot goulash is sure to bring excitement to your weekday dinners, since it's a flavor-packed dish. Making this meal a staple in your dinner meal plans will provide you a go-to dish to enjoy again and again.

(3) Stop Pressuring Yourself

If you're putting pressure on yourself to create imaginative meals for dinner every night of the week, you could be making life difficult for yourself. There's nothing wrong with easing the pressure and sticking with simple, tried and true recipes. Your weekday meals may not be gourmet, but if they reduce your stress levels and help you feel motivated to cook, they're definitely a winner.