{image credit: Good Cheap Eats}
Feeding our families is an everyday reality and often a challenge! Here’s a favorite “What’s for Dinner” post from the past, that we hope will encourage you on those busy days and offer a healthy alternative to cooking every night! This is such a timely idea, both for lazy summer evenings and for the bustling beginning of the school year that is approaching:
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
What’s for Dinner: No-Cook Dinners
“You don’t have to cook every night. Just eat real food.”
~Chef Thierry Rautureau, as quoted in The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn
Most of the time I enjoy cooking. But I definitely have those nights where I'm desperately throwing together anything I can find that loosely resembles “dinner,” either because I don't want to cook, or don't have time.
Recently the idea of planned “no-cook dinners” has caught my attention. I read the above quote and felt it was worthy of re-posting, because it helps me realize that I DO have the freedom to embrace this once in a while and still know I'm nourishing my family. Yes, it may seem more like lunch or a snack, but tell your kids “It's Snacks for Dinner!” and they will love it.
With the rush of school starting and schedules changing, perhaps you can periodically incorporate this idea into your own dinner routine. A few of my favorite no-cook dinners are:
- A sliced sourdough baguette with cream cheese, turkey, olives or tapenade, served with raw veggies like snap peas and cherry tomatoes
- Chicken salad, tuna salad, or egg salad on crackers, with fresh fruit (Last week's recipe for Chilled Curry Chicken Salad works nicely here.)
- A fruit smoothie (with some veggies hidden inside), served with chips and guacamole
I love the idea of eating this way on those nights when we are out of time or energy, rather than relying on a box of processed food for a quick meal.
For more ideas on simple no-cook dinners, look here.
What do you do on nights when you don't want to cook? If you have some refreshing ideas for no-cook dinners, please post a comment and share them with us!
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