How To Have the Night Off Cooking and NOT Eat Out!

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If you’re anything like me, making dinner can get old, real quick. It is one of those things that we have to do every day, and for that reason, it can be super mundane, especially in the heat of the summer. What if I told you that you could have the night off cooking?

Intrigued?

Keep reading.

I am guessing that just like the people who live in my house, the people in your house need to eat. But, I’ve got a way that you can “cheat” a little and still get a meal on the table without eating out.

Here’s how you can have the night off cooking, too.

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Stock your freezer

You can stock your freezer so easily these days. In fact, you can get ten meals in the freezer in an hour or less. Check out how I do it HERE.

Freezer cooking doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming, but it sure can be a life saver. Even just having simple things like taco meat already made and ready to take right out of the freezer can have a meal on your table in three minutes or less.

Organize a meal swap

This is something that is so genius, really. Grab a few friends who all want to participate. Organize a meal schedule when each week someone is bringing a family an extra of the meal they made. Then, the recipient has the night off.

For instance, if it is your turn to deliver a meal to a friend, you just make double of whatever you are making and bring the second meal to your friend.

It takes little to no time for you to double up on that meal, but when you are the one receiving a meal, you get the night off entirely. Totally worth it.

Teach your kids to cook

Kids generally love to cook, and in my family, they love the added responsibility of being in charge of the meal from start to finish.

It will take some time for you to teach and train them, but the reward is so worth it. I only end up cooking a meal or two a week because I have kids who cook the meals, too. My nine year old can handle making a meal completely on her own. Even my teenage son takes his turn, and my seven year old makes lunch nearly every day.

Wondering about the best way to teach your kids to cook?

I was, too. Teaching them to handle knives especially scared me, and I was never quite sure at what age or in what order to teach what.

So, when I met Katie Kimball, who is a teacher by trade, I was thrilled to hand over the reigns to her. She actually lives a few blocks away from me, too.

Katie has created an amazing cooking course for kids called Kids Cook Real Food, and it is all done online.

She makes learning fun, and safety is emphasized first and foremost.

Katie has fun names for things like measuring cups and spoons, and she teaches them all kinds of tricks that even taught me a thing or two!

As a mom I am always looking for something fun for my kids to learn, and this not only fit that bill but it also paid me in spades!

That’s the best kind of learning.

You can check out Kids Cook Real Food on the graphic below.

We all want a break from cooking, but unless you have limited funds, eating out often isn’t an option. These are three amazing ways that you can have the night of cooking – several nights a week!