1. The Good Ratio for Well-Organized Dinners
To make meal planning easier, plan your dinners based on the same routine from week to week, such as a number of new recipes to try and tried-and-tested recipes. You can also decide to return regularly to some food groups, like poultry, plant-based proteins and pasta. Finally, it’s important to keep some flexibility for those occasions when your schedule is disrupted by an unexpected invitation or to make space for the leftovers accumulated during the week.
60% tried-and-tested recipes that have been approved by the family
30% new recipes to try
10% improvisation and flexibility (restaurants, invitations, leftovers)
2. Get Your Appliances to Work for You
To spend less time cutting vegetables or preparing meat, don’t hesitate to get your small appliances out of their hiding places.
Quick Crunchy Vegetable Salad
For our speedy salad of crunchy veggies, just drop some kale, radishes, Nantes carrots and dried cranberries directly into your food processor to whip up a side dish that’ll be ready in less than 10 minutes.
Slow Cooker Beef and Prune Stew
For our beef and prune stew, your slow cooker is your friend. To make it even easier to cook, we’ve maximized spices so you don’t have to sear the meat in a frying pan beforehand.
3. Count on All-in-One Dishes
Skillet, sheet pan or baking dish; they’re your allies for recipes that can be cooked using only one container. They’ll save you a lot of time, especially when it’s time to wash the dishes.
Cod with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes
With its sweet taste, cod is an accessible fish—even for kids! It doesn’t completely take over the dish because it’s combined with strong flavours, like tomato and fennel. It’s also a fairly affordable fish and you can save even more money by serving it with a good-sized portion of pasta.
Quick Marinated Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
For this recipe, use two sheet pans instead of one: one for the chicken and the other for the vegetables. The sauce is the same as the marinade, except with the addition of yogurt. Calling all parents: it also contains ketchup, so your kids should love it.
When the week’s whirlwind takes over and you don’t have time to cook anymore, just turn to reliable store-bought products that’ll save your life. Here are our favourites:
- • Fresh or frozen dumplings
- • Naan bread for pizza
- • Ramen noodles
- • Frozen meatballs
- • Frozen fish fillets
- • Pasta sauce in jars
- • RICARDO Portuguese-Style Butterflied Chicken
4. Get Your Kids Involved
Your teenagers are constantly on their phones checking out the latest culinary trends? Why not make the most of their knowledge by asking them to make dinner? Give them the responsibility of preparing a meal that doesn’t require any complicated techniques. That should warrant a few likes on their social media accounts.
Pork and Cheese Casserole for Tortillas
For this recipe, cook all the ingredients in the same frying pan. First, sear the meat and vegetables, then sprinkle cheese over everything and finish the dish off in the oven. Put the skillet directly on the table for dinner, so that everyone can stuff their own tortillas.
5. Make Assembly Meals
With a few simple ingredients you don’t have to cook, it’s easy to put together beautiful plates in less time than it takes to say, “Dinner’s ready!”
Tofu Shish Taouk Plate
For this recipe, just coat pieces of tofu with a mixture of sour cream, spices and cornstarch, then pan-fry them. Serve them with store-bought tabbouleh, hummus and pickled vegetables.
VEGETARIAN
Tofu Shish Taouk Plate
- • Leftover cooked meat and seafood (chicken, pork tenderloin, roast beef, shrimp)
- • Store-bought hummus, sauces and dips
- • Pickled and marinated vegetables in jars (turnip, sun-dried tomatoes, olives)
- • A variety of breads (pita, naan, baguette for croutons)
- • A variety of cheeses (cheddar, feta, mozzarella)
Need other ideas to survive the back-to-school season? Check out our dedicated category: