In our {kind of crazy} life, dinner time seems to be one of those crux times of the day; more often than not, when dinner goes well, the evening follows suit. However, it also seems like managing dinner time, and keeping a good system in place, can be quite the battle. With that in mind, and partially as a charge to myself as I try a new family schedule this month, Jordan and I compiled our best tips for keeping it simply smart at dinner time.

1. Menu plan! This has changed my life (and our budget), y’all. The months when I have my menu-planning act together are always less chaotic, cheaper months.
2. Grow a garden. There is nothing better than eating food that you grew in your backyard (or in your neighborhood plot, etc.). Also, I think they should make a candle called “Tomato Plant.” It’s the best smell ever.
3. Use seasonal produce. Not only is it yummy, it’s cheaper! Find out which fruits and veggies are in season and organize your menus accordingly.
4. Collect a few fabulous go-to, crowd-pleaser recipes that always work for your family (and for guests). Mine are grilled pizza and butternut squash and goat cheese pasta. I probably makes these dishes once a month and I almost always have the ingredients on hand for either one.
5. Use local produce. Not only are you supporting your local economy, you are using in-season produce, which is so much yummier than, say, off-season shipped-from-Chile pomegranates (although pomegranates are always delicious, so that’s a bad example). (Also, I don’t think they’re grown in Chile.)

6. Utilize your freezer! Whether you are making and freezing pesto, making freezer crockpot meals, or using fresh produce from a local farm to make and freeze soups for the winter, your freezer is your best friend.
7. Make your own pesto. This little gem is so useful that it gets its own point. Whenever you have access to fresh basil (I even add spinach to mine to cut the cost), make and freeze a batch of pesto. You’ll thank yourself later when all you have to do for dinner is make noodles and chicken, throw in some pesto and sundried tomatoes, and pair with a salad!
8. Have a few go-to sides that pair with everything and are easy to make. My favorite is a giant salad (the variations are endless), but we also have a couple of couscous recipes, a couple of rice recipes, and a few potato recipes to add to the mix.
9. Pull out that crockpot. Like your freezer, your crockpot offers all sorts of “Keep It Simply Smart” solutions. Not only can it be used to heat up your frozen crockpot meals and soups, there are all sorts of crockpot recipes just waiting to be tried. Bonus: a yummy meal for your family with minimal time spent cooking.
10. Use your grill. I might be saying this because it’s summer and we use our grill almost every night, but there is something beautifully simple about great seasonal produce and great meat on the grill. Simple. And fabulous.

How do you Keep It Simply Smart for family dinner time? Tell me about it in the comments for the chance to win a $100 Cooking.com gift card!

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