Time saving Ideas

These are some idea i got from the website http://www.lessstressdinners.com/time_saving_tips.htm  Copyright 2004.

i initially loved the name- less stress dinners. who wouldnt be drawn to that?

frozen veggies. Well i dont really have the time or energy to do this, but you can make your own frozen

veggies. in individual serves. for people who for whatever reason cant do this (or like me and j ust odnt want to!) there is always the option of buying 'steamers' individual bags of frozen veggies, usually four groups to a pack, could even serve two adults from each individual serve depending on the erst of the meal. come in pakcs of three. i swear buy them. they go in the microwav e (y best bud!) for three minutes, and taste and look like fresh veggies. i think the brand name is SteamFresh.

freezing. we have prfected our bolognese recipe which serves six. dinner, it can go in the fridge overnight for lunch tomorrow, and either dinner again or frozen for another time. great to send to work with the hubby/wife if they ar erunning late one day.

meatloaf in a hurry! this has got to be my favourite stress less dinner tip so far!! but you'll have to go to the wesite to see it!!

the website also reccomends keeping the following in your kitchen al the time:

Bottled Sauces, marinades and salad dressings-teriyaki, stir-fry, barbeque, marsala cooking wine

• Dry Seasoning, sauce and salad dressing mixes-sloppy joe, taco, spaghetti, gravy, pesto, honey-dijon, lemon pepper

• Pre-shredded cheeses

• Chopped vegetables

• Instant or quick-cooking foods like instant rice, potatoes and couscous: corn dogs, hot dogs, meatballs, minute steaks

but of course this should be changed to sut your circumstances. for instance, if your a vegetrian, you probably dont want hot dogs and meatballs!! i wouldnt be caught eating anything cooked with marsala, dead or alive! but something my kitchen seems to have anever ending supply of is pasta. ok, i buy the coles brand pasta at 50c a packet. you honestly cant tell the difference between that and san remo when it comes to pasta. unless you eat the latina types with the ravioli and fettucini kind of thing, and then i go for quality! mmm latina.... ok so i stock up on cheapo pasta.  i havent bought any since my son was born eight months ago, and it still takes up over a shelf in my cupboard. we eat pasta at least once a week. something i coudnt live without having in my cupboard. marsala? i can live without it.

This is one of my favourite recipe sites, it has a nifty serch feature that allwos you to search by ingredient, or for recipes WITHOUT an ingredient! its really good when you find you only have bits and bobs left over before shopping day. http://abc.net.au/backyard/recipes/

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcsite.nsf/pages/bhc_recipes?opendocument is a great site as well. its got a very comprehensive search tool, so you can search by main ingredient or by what meal your preparing! and the best part is that its all healthy stuff! 

now i dont cook, but i do look up the recipes to get me involved too! Youcant just leave the cooking to one particular person if your not  domestically inclined or whatever the nice way to say that you get lost in the kitchen is. we have to help out too! and i bet your ottom ollar your partner will really appreciate the effort that you put in. great way to get the kids involved to. maybe find a rcipe, write a list, go shopping, then cook! teaching thema life skill and that magical 'b' word again- bonding!

im going to go find me some muffin trays....