Getting Dinner Right Requires One Vital Step First Thing In The Morning

Becoming an adult means a lot of different things to different people, but the thing we can all agree on is that, suddenly, you must think of something to eat for dinner. Every. Single. Day. It's enough to make you regress into teenagerhood, we know. Nonetheless, we grit our teeth and carry on, poring over websites and social media for recipe ideas. Once you've found a good one, though, you'll want to take this essential first step the morning of the day you plan to make it.

It is of the utmost importance that you go over your recipe in the morning so you can be sure you have all the ingredients to make it. There's nothing worse than discovering that while the oven is preheating or the pot on the stove is bubbling, you're missing an essential component, and now someone has to head out to the grocery store. So, review the recipe in your kitchen and pantry area to ensure you have everything you'll need. And if you realize you're missing something? You have all day to grab it, order it and pick it up, or have it delivered (though financially, food delivery might not be optimal).

You can also set yourself up for dinner-making success in a few other ways. While you're checking to make sure you have all the ingredients, use that time to pull out any frozen meats you want to have thawed by the evening. With larger, thicker packages of meat, you might want to put them in the refrigerator overnight or even a few days ahead of time). Remember, it's okay to eat meat that's freezer-burned, but you might want to cut off the offending bits after it's thawed or cooked.

You can also prep certain ingredients hours before you're actually ready to make dinner. Doing the mundane tasks of chopping vegetables (and then storing them in the fridge in an airtight container until you're ready for them) or even measuring out spices into little bowls is a great way to get a headstart, and all of this saves you time later. Or, instead of prepping the veggies yourself, buy them pre-cut or chopped in their fresh or frozen form. Little meal prep shortcuts like these aren't "cheating"; they're working smarter, not harder.