5 Tips to Make Weeknight Dinners Easier
“What’s for dinner?” That seems to be the most stressful question of the day. Some may say trying to figure out what to eat at any point is a major stressor of their day. (If this is you, click this link to schedule a free 15-minute call to see if you would benefit from working with a dietitian!)
Going back to dinner. It seems like a lot of people are arriving to the end of the day exhausted and disinterested in doing the work of deciding what to eat, maybe going to to the store, putting it all together, cleaning up afterward, etc. At this point, going out to eat or not eating at all becomes much more enticing. There is nothing wrong with eating out; however, it can be frustrating for people who have a goal of cooking at home or eating more balanced meals to feel that they are continuously eating out because they just can’t seem to find the energy or motivation to cook at home at the end of a long day. This often leads to feeling frustrated with a lack of ability to commit to goals, worry about spending too much money ordering out, and irritability due to being overly hungry. Waiting to eat until you’re overly hungry and irritable can also lead to eating past fullness (or over eating), stomach discomfort, poor digestion, increased stress, and sometimes trouble sleeping.
Wouldn’t it be nice if dinner was just easy? Yes! I’m not saying that I have a fool proof dinner plan; however, I have a pretty good dinner plan that at least takes the guess work out and keeps you fed. It may take a few weeks to get into a new routine with dinners but it’s like building any other skill - it gets easier and more efficient with practice.
Plan your meals
Running a menu planning group was a part of my job in an ED treatment center and I always hated that group. I was so ready for it to be over. Now I find it to be critical to my own household running smoothly throughout the week and one of the best skills I help my clients develop. I’m a broken record at this point but planning is key! I know it takes time, it can be tough to think of ideas, and it’s a tedious task. It also works really well. Most of my nutrition counseling clients find that meal planning is key in their ability to make nutritious food decisions 3+ times a day, 7 days a week (that’s at least 21 food decisions in one week which can be totally overwhelming.)
The catch with menu planning is that you have to figure out what kind of menu planning works for you. Start with questions like: how many meals per day do I need to plan? How much variety do I need? What events do I have coming up that I need to consider?
2. Have food available
Go grocery shopping; order a meal delivery kit; stock up on freezer meals or pantry staples; have snacks around. Do what you have to do but PLEASE have edible food in your house at all times. Are you going on a trip in 3 days? Are you still going to be at your house 3 days prior to the trip? If the answer is yes, I understand that you don’t want to waste food but you still need to eat the 3 days prior to your trip so you need to have food in your house. Not having any food in your house that you can eat if you get hungry (and you will get hungry) is a great way to create a scarcity mentality around food. This is not advantageous when it comes to honoring your hunger and fullness cues, eating balanced meals, or eating on a regular schedule.
3. Start thinking about dinner before you think you need to
You probably need to start cooking dinner, or thinking about what you want to have for dinner, before you think you need to. For example, if you’re making something with chicken breast and you need to thaw it in the fridge you need to put it in the fridge at least overnight or it will not be completely thawed when you’re starting dinner prep. So you would need to think about dinner maybe 20 hours in advance. I know that sounds overwhelming but if you plan your meals and you know you have food available, it makes it much easier to look at the list of options and ask, “What should we do for dinner tomorrow night?” If you start cooking dinner when you are already very hungry and try to just power through, it’s going to make cooking unenjoyable and frustrating. If you often find you’re in a bad mood, overwhelmed, overstimulated, and hungry while you make dinner and you dread it - start cooking dinner a lot earlier. Another great option, that helps here is:
4. Have an afternoon snack
If you’re not eating between your 12-1pm lunch and your 6-7:30pm dinner - that is way too much time between meals. You’re going to be running low on fuel and if you’re like almost everyone I have worked with, a huge wave of hunger probably comes crashing down when you leave work for the day. This is a great sign that you need an afternoon snack - or maybe more than one depending on what activities you’re doing and how much time you have between meals.
5. Keep your kitchen and fridge clean
No one walks into a cluttered kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink, a haphazard fridge with a mix of old and new food, crumby counters excited to cook! That is not a regulated place to start and can be a huge reason why people find meal prepping taxing or they just avoid it all together. Starting meal preperation in a kitchen that’s ready to go will make a huge difference so take a few minutes to clean after dinner or clean before you start cooking.