3 steps to help busy families tame the dinner beast

Back to school or back to chaos?

In mid-August, the slow jog of summer suddenly turns into a sprint. School starts up; there are practices to make, games to play, projects to labor over. The social season turns a page.

With or without kids, life quickens for nearly everyone in the fall with its burst of happenings and the approach of two major holidays. Every minute must be wrung from the day, it seems, and we start looking for shortcuts.

Don't sacrifice the family dinner to the frenzy. Nostalgia aside, we simply feel better when we eat better, and we have more energy. Add to that the well-documented benefits of the nightly meal together: Kids are less likely to drink, do drugs or smoke, and more

likely to have better grades, self-esteem and sociability.

So what to do when you want it all — quick, easy, relatively healthy meals that taste good, too?

Let time be your ally, not the enemy. Make a plan and stick to it. If that seems daunting, know that the process will become much more automatic once you've run through it a couple of times.

"I advocate making a resolution or a pact with the family involved that you are going to make some plans for mealtimes," says Susan Nicholson, a nationally syndicated columnist, registered dietitian and cookbook author who lives in Atlanta. "If everyone is involved, there is more of a commitment to make it happen. It should be a family affair."

Call a family meeting to formulate a strategy. Nicholson advises using a large sheet of paper to make a grid that covers four weeks out. Fill in the days with family members' scheduled activities first, then write in a menu for each day. Get input about the family's favorite meals.

Everyone should have a stake in the plan, including children, Nicholson says.

"I think kids at a certain age, maybe 10 or 12, can show some responsibility for getting a meal together. I would encourage ... to let the kids choose dinner one night and prepare it. I'm not talking about peanut butter and jelly but pasta and sauce and some lettuce." Children still shouldn't be left completely on their own, she cautions.

More detailed suggestions for developing a beat-the-clock plan accompany this story. They are compilations of ideas gleaned from a number of sources.

You can find complete plans or nuggets of good information from these Web sites and books:

-- sevendaymenuplanner.com.

-- parents.com.

-- familyfun.go.com.

-- busymeals.com.

-- realsimple.com.

-- "Homemade in Half the Time" by Shea Waggoner (Rodale, 2006).

-- "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann (Harvard Common Press, 2005).

--"Cheap. Fast. Good!" by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross. (Workman, 2005).

--"The Best 30-Minute Recipe" by the editors of Cook's Illustrated (2006).

--"Don't Panic — Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead" by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell and Bonnie Garcia (Revell, 2005).

1. Make a plan

-- Make a list of meals and/or recipes that your family regularly enjoys that aren't too involved and that are reasonably balanced nutritionally.

-- Find recipes that fit your ideal time frame, say, 30 minutes or less. Work in some that can be thrown together super-fast, perhaps in as little as 10 minutes.

-- Be sure to include "double-duty" dinners, those that are cooked once, but tweaked for a different meal the next day. For example, turning leftover flank steak into a steak-and-potato salad or using leftover grilled chicken for wraps.

-- Identify meals on your list that you can double or triple and freeze for later use.

"Say Sunday is chicken, and you're going to grill it," says Susan Nicholson, a nationally syndicated columnist, registered dietitian and cookbook author. "If you're going to grill four pieces, then grill eight, or as many as the grill will hold. Eat, then save what's left, label and date it, and put it in the freezer. Begin to think in the terms, 'I'm cooking for two meals.' "

-- When considering recipes, look for ways to make them more efficient or healthier.

-- Keep variety in mind. You should try new meals over time. Add them in if the family gives them a thumbs-up.

-- Make a calendar, at least a week at a time. Set it up with cycles of harder and easier dishes to prepare.

--Save the menus from each week and have the family critique them. Favorite meals will begin to emerge.

2. Go shopping

-- Make and work from a list of all ingredients you'll need for the week. Group like items to make the shopping go faster once you're in the store.

-- The main shopper for the weekly haul should go alone, Nicholson says, to avoid being distracted by the wants of others. Also, don't do the big shop on the way home from work. Find a time that's less taxing.

-- Don't forget to shop for the pantry, more so if you are not as systematic or faithful to a daily plan. You want to ensure certain foods always are on hand. Nicholson's Top 10 are a variety of pastas; canned beans; canned tomatoes; oils such as canola and olive; Parmesan cheese; lemons; garlic; rice, couscous or quinoa; balsamic vinegar; and reduced-fat cheddar cheese.

-- Also consider the fresh basics you use often, such as eggs and milk, and keep them stocked. You might have to do a quick shop once or twice for them during the week.

3. Get cooking

-- Check the calendar and defrost food if needed.

-- Chop vegetables ahead whenever possible. Get a head start on a meal later in the week by chopping extra onions, peppers, carrots or squash.

-- Combine tasks if possible, cooking two things at the same time. Make good use of the microwave and a slow cooker.

"If you don't have a slow cooker, save your money and buy one," Nicholson says. "It's wonderful to come home and have your dinner waiting for you.

-- Get organized for a faster flow. The French have a name for it, "mise en place" (pronounced "meez ahn plahs"), which means having everything in place when you're ready to cook. It saves time when the ingredients already are washed, chopped and/or measured out in individual bowls, so the cook doesn't have to stop in midstream.

-- Give and take: On a day when your main dish will take a bit of work, plan an easy vegetable and/or starch. If your main dish will be easy, then maybe you have time for harder-to-prepare side dishes.