Today is the halfway mark in my Cooking Dinner Series! I hope you have gotten some inspiration and motivation. So far we have talked about meal planning, grocery shopping, prep-ahead hacks, and other time-saving tips.
Today we’re going to add another tool to our belts. It’s the power of the go-to meal.
What is a go-to meal? I am so glad you asked!
A go-to meal is a super easy meal that you can make quickly and easily in a pinch. It is a no-frills dish that doesn’t require any prep-work and only requires one or two steps.
Choose one. And keep the ingredients for it on-hand.
If you have chosen to give my monthly meal plan (try it!) a shot, then this go-to meal is your safety net. If you don’t want to try my monthly meal plan just yet, this go-to meal is even more important for keeping you cooking dinner at home, far away from the alluring fast food drive thru.
Because if you have a go-to meal at the ready, you ALWAYS have something to make. Even if you forgot a key ingredient in the meal you planned to make or you forgot to prepare something ahead of time or you thought you would have more time to make the thing you were planning to make and then life happened and suddenly you have a tiny 15-minute window and everybody’s starving. The go-to meal is there for you. Make it!
Remember: the point of all of this is NOT to beat ourselves up when we don’t stick rigidly to our monthly plan. The point is we are cooking dinner. Whatever it is. Because if you are truly trying to stop eating out, you are just as successful whether you cook your go-to meal or you cook the more elaborate thing you originally intended.
My October is pretty busy, so many of my meals are simple meals that are often my go-to meals when life is a little more manageable. Meals like quesadillas, cheesy eggs & rice, and mac & cheese all make excellent go-to meals. Keep the ingredients for your go-to meal on-hand. If your child’s practice runs a little late or traffic suddenly reduces to one lane instead of three or potty training a toddler keeps you from making that quick trip to the grocery store for a key ingredient, all is not lost.
If you are cooking dinner this week and sharing on social media, I’d love to
