Many working parents endeavor to cook hot, hearty meals for their families but with limited time and sometimes limited cooking skills, this can be a challenge. They need meal ideas that are quick to prepare and flavorful enough to satisfy the whole family.
 
The first rule is to go for the easy fix. There’s no reason you have to make a five course gourmet dinner on a hectic weeknight when you’re beat and you don’t have much in the refrigerator or pantry to cook with. Almost anything you can think of can be wrapped in a tortilla to make a meal – beans, rice, leftover chicken, pork, steak or fish, scrambled eggs, cream cheese - even peanut butter and honey. Or you can top a Boboli pizza crust or a loaf of foccacia bread (sliced in half horizontally), with mild salsa, shredded cheese and a few of your favorite vegetables for a quick pizza that bakes in ten minutes.

When it comes to cooking easy and fast, “cheating” is definitely allowed. Make something out of the ordinary, like breakfast for dinner. It will be every bit as delicious at 7:00 p.m. as it is at 7:00 a.m. and the kids will get a kick out of it (especially if you make pancakes with smiley faces made out of blueberries or chocolate chips). Chicken salad sandwiches, a usual lunch staple, or grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, can easily be part of an evening meal when served with a big dinner salad and a bowl of soup. Don’t be afraid to be creative and step outside the box. You’ll keep things interesting – and easy.

Whenever you cook, reach for your spice rack. If you plan ahead and keep it well stocked, you can have a world full of seasonings within arms reach. Part of the reason we like the taste of fast foods and prepared foods is because they’re so heavily salted. You can create that same kind of flavor “pop” by using ground peppers such as a dash of cayenne. Fresh ground cinnamon and nutmeg or fragrant herbs like basil, dill and rosemary give a punch to any dish.

Just because you have limited time doesn’t mean you’re limited in what you can make. Free online cooking videos are a treasure trove of ideas for delicious and often very easy recipes. You can watch them anytime; whenever you have a five or ten minutes in your schedule. They’re convenient and available when you are. Plus, unlike just reading a recipe, seeing a demonstration of the whole process will help you prepare meals faster because you already know what steps come next and what the food should look like at every stage.

A time crunch doesn’t have to mean a crisis in the kitchen when you know your options. Ideas for easy recipes are only a mouse click away. Making meals delicious or inventive is simply a matter of thinking creatively. Even on a tight schedule, can and should be, fun.