Make simple meals. One-dish meals can contain your meat, your vegetable and your bread.

Things to do the night before:

• Plan your meals.
  
  
• Put things in the refrigerator to defrost.
  
  
• Pack lunches.
  
  
• Set the table for breakfast. Prepare breakfast foods the night before. For pancakes, mix dry ingredients the previous night. In the morning, add wet ingredients and cook.

Cook Once, Cook Big:

• Make large batches of beans and store in 1- or 2-cup portions.
  
  
• Make large batches of granola and store in an airtight container. If used or lunches or snacks, divide into single-serving plastic bags or containers
  
  
• Brown a large portion of ground beef and store in 1-cup portions. You can also do this with roast, pork and round steak.
  
  
• Cut up extra ingredients for another meal when using onions, green peppers, etc.
  
  
• Cook double batches of rice or pasta to be reheated later in the week.

Buy staples that you use often in quantity.

Make double or triple the amount when you prepare main dishes. Freeze. Label with the name of the dish and cooking instructions. Later when you are too busy to cook, put in the crockpot on low or set the timer for the oven to start dinner before you get home.

Place all pre-made meals in one part of the freezer. That way your husband and kids can easily find the meals when you aren’t at home.

Try exchanging meals with another family. Cook double the amount and take half over to them. Later, they cook double and bring it to you. That is one less night you have to cook and it brings variety to your menu.

Have family members help. There is no reason why the kids can’t help out with the cleaning, including dishes and other chores, so that you have time to prepare meals. Have everyone remove his or her own dirty place setting from table and put away 4 or 5 additional items. The table will be cleared quickly using this method. Wash your dishes right away. If you don’t let them sit, the food will not get stuck on them. This will save you a lot of time-- you have to clean the kitchen before the next meal.

When unloading the dishwasher, set the table for the next meal.

Put away containers and clean up as you cook.