Every day dinner time rolls around and it can often cause conflict, stress, and rushed decisions. You know what I’m talking about right?

It’s the “Let’s just eat mustard on crackers … I’m too tired to figure something else out” feeling that you get 🙂

However, if I have learned anything in the last 30+ years it’s that food doesn’t have to be so complicated to taste good and be simple to make. If you don’t feel like reading you can watch Emilio share tips on his interview with CTV.

Here are 5 simple tools that can up your game in the kitchen.

1. Basic Meal Plan — No groaning! I was the biggest anti-meal planner out there — until I tried it. Try this simple tool out with a pen and paper.  

   We personally use an erasable board on our kitchen wall – but anything you have will do the trick. Start with dinners and it’s ok to plan to eat canned soup or take-out pizza — remember the more your start using this meal planning muscle the stronger it will become and your meal plans naturally will flow towards healthier and balanced ideas.

   

2. Timer – the most underrated tool that a cook has in their tool belt. This little digital or wind-up keeper-of-the-minutes is not only helpful for freeing up your attention but guarantees things don’t get too burnt or overcooked. The timer allows you to focus elsewhere so that your overworked brain doesn’t need to worry about forgetting.
3. Set the Table – there is nothing more complete to dinner than having the table look like you put love and intention into your mealtime. This tool is also very easy to delegate to guests or family members. Setting the table provides you with a comforting place to enjoy your meal (no matter what you’re eating), it gives anyone sitting at the table with you a sense of togetherness and logistically speaking you have everything you need ready to enjoy.

   

4. Labels – what’s the mystery container at the back of the freezer you ask? Just read the label. Labels are a food safety must in all restaurants and I took that rule very seriously at home. There can be no arguments when food is clearly labeled with a date and name. No more sniff tests or guessing games when labels are used. It’s also suggested that by labeling you’re more likely to eat food before it goes bad as opposed to letting it sit at the back of the fridge. 

   

5. Small Appliances – depending on the foods you like to eat this will look different for everyone. For example, we love to eat rice and beans and rely heavily on our ricer cooker to cook those items for us. We simply plug in and switch on — no need to stand at the stove to make this happen. Finding the appliances that you love and that help you create delicious meals is sometimes a trial and error exercise, however, allowing those tools to cut down your meal prep time is worth it.

   Our go-to appliances are a toaster oven, Vitamix, magic bullet, crockpot, rice cooker, food processor, and sandwich press.