How to Cook for Your Family Without Losing your Mind

Before kids, cooking was luxurious. To relax I would spend the evening experimenting with Piroshki recipes. I could peruse the markets for exotic ingredients. I cared about wine pairings.

After kids, cooking became utilitarian. I had hungry people I needed to feed, and at a certain hour lest cranky chaos ensue. I still enjoy cooking tremendously, because I don't need to do it all the time. There's no 5:00 rush around here to figure out what's for supper. I'm not apron-clad, at the stove with a toddler tugging at my leg every evening.

How, you ask? It's easy. Here are my secrets. 

Cook in double batches. It usually takes only a few extra minutes to double a recipe. Eat the second batch the next night or freeze for the following week if you don't like eating the same meal two nights in a row.

Go grocery shopping once a week. Seriously. If you commit to only shopping once a week, you will be forced to plan what you're eating in advance. I plan to cook two meals each week in double batches, for a total of 4 dinners at home. The other 3 nights we eat leftovers, eat out, order takeout or just reheat something from the freezer. It allows a little flexibility but still ensures that we have balanced meals most of the time.

Don't cook "kid food." If you make a separate meal for the kids, you're doing double the work, plus sending the message that they won't enjoy the things that you're eating. I guarantee that the kids can eat exactly what you eat for dinner (and every meal, for that matter). Serve one familiar thing alongside new dishes (even if it's a hunk of bread) and they'll be more likely to try that Pasta Puttanesca.

Keep your pantry and freezer stocked with items you use frequently. Use these as your backup plan when you're at a loss. Even if it's spaghetti noodles, a jar of pasta sauce and some frozen green beans, it's quicker and cheaper than the alternatives.  

Occupy the young ones, or invite them to cook with you. Keep a special box of toys or an activity he loves reserved only for the times that you're cooking. Or better yet, pick up some child-safe knives and have him join you in the kitchen!  

Cook when it's convenient for you AND the kids. It's probably not at 5pm, is it? Save those fancy, fresh-from-the-skillet meals for company and make things that reheat well for weeknights. I find that around 10am while the baby is napping is prime time to get in the kitchen. Nothing on the calendar Sunday? Think of something dreamy to cook for Monday night's dinner.

How do you manage to get dinner on the table with kiddos around?