My sister is a fantastic cook. Her social media shows a stream of evidence: Spicy pasta with lobster, perfectly plated and garnished, on a random Wednesday evening (captioned with something about cooking being a stress reliever on a busy day); a casual Saturday evening at home trying recipes from a new cookbook, including Burmese noodles with duck breast and glazed eggplant; a homemade hibachi-style steak dinner for two. She’s childfree, and despite having demanding careers, she and her partner have plenty of time and resources to allow for elaborate meals they often eat at a very European dinnertime of 9 p.m. or so.
She tells people I’m an equally good cook (maybe – I’ll at least accept the title of Better Baker). Dinner at my house, however, is much more likely to look like a lineup of chicken cutlets served with a giant salad, quick pasta dishes that definitely do not involve lobster tails, a super-fast improvised stir fry of whatever’s languishing in the fridge, or some sort of “board, platter, or bowl” concoction so everyone can help themselves around the evening’s schedule. We’ve always had to contend with sports, music, drama, school clubs and events, volunteering, and all of the other things that make up the life of a typically busy family with kids. In our world, dinner might be at 5 p.m. or it might be at 7:30, depending on the night. Leftovers are a regular occurrence. Nobody’s cracking open a new cookbook on a weeknight. In short, my sister and I are not the same.
I sometimes get…wistful? Self-conscious? A little jealous, maybe?…when I see what she’s serving on a given night. But of course, there are a hundred good reasons why our family dinners look totally different from hers, and especially as we head into May – historically one of the busiest times of year – I try to tell myself that dinner does not need to be complicated to be valid. Even if you like to cook, nobody’s got the physical or mental energy to make an elaborate restaurant-quality meal before soccer practice. And if you don’t like to cook, or don’t feel comfortable doing it, your best is absolutely good enough, whether that’s sandwiches or cereal or take-out.
So if you need a reminder, like I do, that it’s okay to get back to basics to keep family meals going in this busy season of life, try some of these suggestions to make the cooking and planning easier. That way, you can focus on the fun and conversation that make dinner together worthwhile.
- A simple sauce can save the day. If you’ve got a store brand you love, keep it stocked; if you want to try your hand at an easy homemade recipe, this Simple Tomato Sauce is the perfect building block for lots of dinners. Make a double batch and use it throughout the week for spaghetti, meatball subs, chicken parmesan, or spinach and feta cheese pizza-dillas. (The sauce also freezes well, so you can keep some on hand for dinner emergencies.)
- Use bread as a building block. Buy some English muffins and use them for make-ahead breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner) sandwiches one night, then quick mini pizzas another. A couple of packages of pita can become souvlaki, lamb pita pizzas, or the perfect vehicle for stuffing with chicken salad for dinner on the go. Or you can grab a loaf of your family’s favorite and fall back on “things on toast” as a fast meal option – avocado toast, scrambled eggs, these open-faced caprese sandwiches, or this crunchy granola toast are all quick, affordable ideas.
- Stock up on salads. Especially during hectic weeks, having ready-to-serve items on hand can help cut down on decision fatigue – and one of my favorite ways to do that is to make a couple of hearty side salads that keep well in the fridge. That way, we can just rotate through some different proteins during the week, set out the pre-made salads, and let everyone dish up what they like. Try ready-made quinoa and black bean bowls, lemony chickpea salad, dilled cucumber salad, panzanella, or corn and bean salad to round out grilled chicken or seafood, or even basic burgers and dogs.
- Be ready to build your own. With a little planning and prep work, a build-your-own strategy can make the nightly dinner routine faster and easier for everyone. Pre-chopped vegetables and toppings, shredded cheeses, hardboiled eggs, and already-cooked meats can become Raggedy Ann Salad, Build-Your-Own Baked Nachos, Savory Mug Cakes, or a Build-Your-Own Pasta Picnic throughout the week.
Remember, in our social-media-fueled culture, it’s easy to compare yourself to others and feel like you’re coming up short. But you don’t have to make everything from scratch or be Julia Child to have great family dinners. Sometimes the most memorable meals are the simplest ones, because of the quality of the time spent together.
Food
Need some additional inspiration? Try one of these popular Board-Style Family Dinners!
Fun
As the weather warms up, it’s time to get outside! Try a game of Dink Dink Dunk or What Can You Do With…? for outdoor family fun.
Conversation
May is for moms, the beginning of graduation season, and it’s also Mental Health Awareness Month. Try some of these conversation starters to mark whichever is most meaningful to you.
