For better or worse, food and the routines that surround food are the things that keep me grounded.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that I need to whip up a big family dinner from scratch every night to feel a sense of normalcy. In fact, I take as much pleasure in routine in the kitchen when it saves time — having a few ingredients and strategies that streamline the work and I can deploy on a week-to-week basis. And that starts with a little upfront prep work on the weekend to set me up for success in the week ahead of family dinners.
Here are four things I do (and a few recipes to keep on hand) when I want to help make weeknight dinner more of a joy than a chore — not to mention more economical.