Here’s how to build healthy dinners your whole family will eat without spending your whole evening cooking.
Quick Takeaways
These shortcuts are all about smart convenience. They help you save time and effort in the kitchen without sacrificing nutrition.
Pre-prepped or ready-to-use ingredients are an easy way to save time without losing any of the nutrition. Spice World’s ready-to-use garlic, onions, and ginger add flavor and immune-boosting benefits without extra calories, salt, or additives. Skip the peeling, chopping, and dicing, and still get all the nutrition and rich flavor.
Premixed flavor blends or seasonings are a quick way to add tons of flavor or give an old favorite meal a fresh twist! Look for blends with simple ingredients and minimal added salt, like Spice World Italian Herb & Garlic Seasoning Blend or Chili Onion Crunch.
Frozen vegetables have all the same nutritional benefits as fresh! They help prevent produce from going to waste, often come precooked to save time on chopping and cooking, and can be easily added to a variety of meals. To avoid unnecessary salt and calories, look for frozen veggies that don’t have seasoning blends or sauces.
Carbs can sometimes take the longest to prepare, but quick options make dinner come together fast. Whole-grain bread, microwaveable rice, and high-fiber tortillas are great choices to get a nutritious meal on the table in minutes.
A little planning goes a long way! Here’s our recommended five-day dinner lineup that uses the convenience of Spice World products to cut down on prep time.
| Day | Main Meal | Time-Saving Ingredient | Leftover Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | One-Pan Garlic Chicken & Veggies | Spice World Minced Garlic | Chicken wraps |
| Tuesday | Weeknight Beef Tacos | Spice World Easy Onion | Taco bowls |
| Wednesday | Easy Ginger Noodles | Spice World Minced Ginger | Cold noodle salad |
| Thursday | Sun Dried Tomato Flatbread | Spice World Italian Herb & Garlic | Pizza breadsticks |
| Friday | Garlic Fried Rice | Spice World Squeezable Garlic and Ginger | Portioned for meal prep |
Why it works: Each dinner is built to stretch into the next day’s evening meal, so you’ll be fully cooking only a couple of times a week instead of every single meal—plus, the kids will love these meals!
The easiest way to simplify weeknight cooking is to find methods that do more of the work for you.
Everything roasts together in a sheet pan, so cleanup means washing one pan instead of several.
Try This Recipe: Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Salmon comes together with just a handful of ingredients.
Stovetop dinners made in a single pot or skillet cut down on both cooking time and dishes used.
Try This Recipe: Easy Weeknight Chili is ready in about 30 minutes using just one pot.
Prep takes just minutes in the morning, and dinner is ready when you walk in the door.
Try This Recipe: Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Chicken needs just a few minutes of prep time before the slow cooker takes over.
Preparation can make all the difference! This PubMed Central peer-reviewed study of more than 40,000 adults found that people who plan meals ahead report higher diet quality, more food variety, and lower rates of obesity than those who don’t plan. Here are some of our favorite ways to stay ahead in the kitchen.
Prep Meal Components Instead of Complete Meals
Chop, season, or portion individual ingredients like meats or vegetables ahead of time instead of committing to full recipes. It saves time while keeping weeknights flexible.
Create a Short List of Reliable Family Meals
Keep five or six family-fave dinners on rotation. Familiar meals come together faster since there’s no guesswork involved.
Keep a Backup Meal Available
Stock one freezer or pantry meal for nights that don’t exactly go according to plan. If you run out of time to cook, you can lean on these meals for a quick weeknight dinner.
Cook Once, Use the Ingredients Twice
Batch-cook a protein or side and then repurpose it into a second meal later in the week.
No! Smarter convenience foods can be part of a balanced diet for the whole family without sacrificing nutrition. Look for options with limited ingredients and minimal added salt and sugar.
Spice World uses fresh, whole ingredients with no unnecessary fillers. Unlike many seasoning blends or marinades loaded with hidden sugar, salt, and calories, Spice World keeps it simple to save you time while incorporating deliciously healthy benefits.
Yes, when chosen thoughtfully! Convenience foods that save a cooking step but still include whole foods with real nutrition are a dietitian-approved choice.