Dinner Ideas for a Stress-Free Evening
What’s for dinner tonight? If you’re like most people, you ask yourself that question every day. Making quick, healthy and tasty meals can often feel like a daunting challenge. Everyone has experienced the 5 PM dread of “What do I make for dinner?” Here are some tips for making tonight’s dinner easy, delicious and stress-free:

Pantry Staples
Keeping a stocked pantry with basic ingredients can be your saving grace when it comes to a last-minute meal. Think versatile items like rice and quinoa, a variety of beans, canned tuna and salmon, pasta, pot barley and cornmeal. Don’t forget plenty of fresh vegetables- they might be the most important pantry staples of all!

Prep Ahead
One of the best ways to make stress-free dinners is by prepping ahead. You might use Sunday night to do large-batch preparations the night before, or you could prepare some ingredients for the week’s worth of meals. Having prepped ingredients on hand will make it easy to whip up tasty meals without the stress.

Simple Solutions
When you don’t have much time or energy- or both- simple meals using seasonal ingredients can be really satisfying. A few go-to phrases can help get you started: “big salads” (prepared with a grain, protein, and lots of crunchy veggies), “fast pasta” (a sauce made of canned tomatoes and fresh herbs), and “one-pot wonders” (soups, stews, and casseroles made with frozen vegetables). Don’t forget to keep breakfasts and lunches simple, too!

For tonight’s dinner, you might opt for a simple vegetable stir-fry, a big sloppy joe-inspired sandwich, or a hearty vegetarian chili. Using ingredients from your stocked pantry, you can easily throw together a meal with minimal effort. Best of all, the leftovers can be turned into something new for tomorrow’s dinner! However you choose to end tonight’s dinner, the most important thing is that it gets done with ease.