I Make Dinner At Home Almost Every Single Night, And Here Are The Cooking Habits I Swear By

I find that making a meal plan at the beginning of the week (usually on Sunday before the work week begins) helps me with grocery shopping, planning, and sticking to a schedule. I'll look at my calendar and determine how many nights I want to cook at home, and then I'll put together a handful of recipes to make throughout the week. This is the most strategic part because I like to find recipes that use some of the same ingredients so I can cut down on waste, but I also like to keep things diverse enough that I don't get bored. 

Generally, I'll pick a grain or pasta and keep that constant in two or three meals throughout the week, several vegetables I can prepare in different ways, and at least one protein like shrimp or chicken that I can use in more than one recipe. If I'm going to open a non-perishable like canned tomatoes, chickpeas, etc., I also incorporate those ingredients into multiple dinners. 

Everyone has those days when you're just feeling uncreative or just plain lazy —  you don't feel like coming up with something interesting to cook, and it would be easier just to resort to takeout. I've found a solution that works for me, which is that I keep a short list of some of my favorite, easy  recipes (complete with all the necessary ingredients) in the Notes app on my phone. That way, I can just pop into any grocery store and grab the few things I need to whip up one of these simple yet satisfying meals. 

For me, these are things like baked salmon with maple mustard glaze (just five ingredients), the easiest tuna pasta, Italian baked eggs in tomato sauce (I usually already have 90% of the ingredients), or quick chickpea curry paired with whatever veggies are in my fridge.

Look, microwaveable rice exists for a reason, and you shouldn't feel bad when instead of busting out the rice cooker you just toss a pouch of Uncle Ben's into the microwave. It's OK to use shortcuts to save time and effort when you're cooking, and those little cheats won't take away from your home cooking. I almost always have a bag of frozen naan and some stir-fry vegetables in my freezer, chicken bouillon cubes in my pantry, and minced jarred garlic in my fridge that I can rely on when I want to save a little bit of time in the kitchen. These helpful food products exist, so you might as well take advantage without feeling bad about it.

While I usually end up cooking a vegetarian meal more than once per week, I always commit to at least one weeknight when I cook a plant-based dinner . This goal usually helps save money on groceries, it's good for me and for the planet, and it helps me discover new recipes and cooking techniques. I've loved learning how to cook tofu so that it actually tastes really good, figuring out how to make mushrooms so that they're a savory and satisfying alternative to meat, discovering how to turn canned jackfruit into a delicious main dish, and how to roast a whole head of cauliflower into a hearty meal. 

When I cook, I'm usually making dinner for me and my husband, although I'll sometimes cook for larger groups of friends and family (something I really really love to do). But I find that experimenting with new recipes and trying new things comes easiest when I'm just cooking for myself. Because there's no one else at stake, there's no one to "impress" and no risk involved. I often try out new recipes for my husband, but when I know he has dinner plans or will be working late, I take those evenings as opportunities to cook things I probably wouldn't otherwise try because I'm afraid of messing them up. Once I try out a new recipe on my own, I can figure out how to improve upon it next time when I'm cooking for others. Or I'll know for next time if it's garbage and not worth making again!

This has been a dinner lifesaver on so many occasions. I pretty much always have eggs in my fridge, which means I always have something to make for dinner. Whether it's mashed avocado on toast with a fried egg, a soft-boiled egg in some Instant ramen, shakshuka, scrambled egg tacos, or a crispy fried egg over rice, a humble egg can instantly become a satisfying meal. 

Thinking of something to cook for dinner every night can be exhausting, which is why I love keeping a running list of recipes. I have a note on my phone and a Google Doc organized by old favorites (recipes I've tried and loved) and some other dishes I can't wait to try. Next to the recipes I've made before, I also keep notes about ingredient substitutions, additions, or just general tips that will help me in the future. I even keep these recipes organized by keywords such as vegetarian, seafood, meat, pasta, quick and easy, etc.

You could print out recipes in a binder in your kitchen (aka your very own go-to cookbook), on Pinterest, or whatever works best for you!  When I wake up in the morning and can't decide what to make for dinner, I just open my handy list, and I have tons of options. 

Home cooks, and especially those who don't feel super comfortable in the kitchen, tend to follow recipes to a T because they're afraid of messing up and ruining the whole dish. But it makes cooking more fun and exciting when you allow yourself to be creative. Go ahead and use Monterey Jack cheese instead of feta, swap the onions for leeks, or add a bunch of fresh cilantro, dill, and chives instead of basil. It's fun to experiment.

It also makes cooking less stressful when you resign yourself to the fact that you don't need every single item on the ingredient list to whip up something delicious. If you don't have a particular herb or spice, don't stress. Let your preferences and what you have on hand guide you, and let cooking be a form of art.

Everyone is different, and you know your meal prep and cooking style best, but for me, freezing perishable foods just never works out the way I intend it to. I hardly ever go back to defrost and cook those frozen chicken breasts or the meatballs I made too many of. Instead, when I go to clean out my freezer, I find an assortment of year-old frozen foods I've forgotten about entirely. As a result, I've started to buy smaller quantities of perishable foods and use them while they're fresh rather than buy in excess and freeze the leftovers. It works better for my lifestyle and my habits. That being said, I buy certain frozen foods like shrimp, instant rice, veggie burgers, and things that I can heat up when I'm in a pinch.

I've made this a hard and fast rule for myself, and it's saved me so much money on groceries. I've given up paying for the convenience of buying pre-shredded carrots, diced onion, sliced melon, etc. Sure, it will take an extra few minutes to cut my own fruits and veggies, but those prepackaged convenience items are a real rip-off. Plus, I find they don't stay fresh for nearly as long. 

I love doing a lot of things with my husband...but food shopping is not one of them. Taking him into a grocery store feels sort of like babysitting a small child who wants to grab anything and everything from the shelves, especially in the snack aisle. I much prefer to grocery shop alone when I can focus and go through my list efficiently. I also avoid grocery shopping on an empty stomach, because when I find myself hungry in a market I feel the urge to buy everything that I'm suddenly craving and nothing that I actually need. The best way to grocery shop is with an organized list and a plan of attack.