Roundup: Speed Dinners

When people used to tell me they couldn’t cook, I thought they meant that they didn’t know how. Maybe there wasn’t a food culture in their family and they didn’t pick up recipes through osmosis the way many people do. Maybe they tried and failed and never enjoyed it. Now I realize, when I’m talking to working parents anyway, that what they mean is, they don’t know how to cook as well as do everything else that’s required of them. That I get. Big time. Add to that the pressure to make food that is delicious and healthy? It’s a lot. Just yesterday there was a tweet in my Twitter stream talking about the dinner-time anxiety that starts at around 3:30 everyday – I knew exactly what this friend was talking about.

One of the best ways to deal with what at SPC we’ve lovingly named The Six O’Clock Shit Show is to have a roster of meals that, a) your family loves and will eat without complaint, b) you can make in your sleep, c) have some basic health benefits, and d) are fast. In fact, one of our early posts was called the Six O’Clock Shit Show and the response to the name and the recipe was so great we realized how great the need is on this issue! Don’t worry about repeating meals over and over. If your family loves Laura’s Parmesan Tilapia (recipes below), make it every Monday until you’re all sick of it. Oh, and here’s another thing, don’t feel guilty about cutting certain corners. Pick up a roasted chicken on the way home from work and finish the rest of dinner at home. The main thing is to stay in the game. I know, I’m sounding like a trainer here. But it is like working out, you always feel better once you’ve made dinner.

Let us know what you cook on your busiest days – we love hearing from you!

Six O’Clock Shit Show (Bacon and Mushroom Fritatta) The post that started it all! So fast and once you’ve mastered the basic method, this recipe can be changed up any way you like.

Lasagna Roll-ups Turn a classic on its head. Well, actually on its side. In any case, it’s so easy to make and a great one to get the kids involved with.

Parmesan Tilapia An SPC favourite, this is an easy-peasy fish dinner.

Chicken and Asparagus Salad (picture above) You really don’t have to do it all yourself. Pick up a roasted chicken on the way home and you’re more than halfway done.

Fresh Tomato Pasta This may be the fastest dinner of the bunch: a pasta you can make in the time it takes to cook spaghetti noodles.