6 Dinner Shortcuts to Save Time and Money

Suzy has dance,

Johnny has scouts,

you've volunteered at the school all day,

your husband's working late, and

everyone wants to know…what's for dinner?

Simplify dinner with these 6 dinner shortcuts that will save you both time and money.

1. Learn to Love your Crock Pot – The Budget Diet has a collection of crock pot recipes that require less than 5 minutes of preparation! That's it…5 minutes in the morning, and dinner is served in the evening!

2. Warming Oven – Most of us don't have fancy kitchens with warming ovens, so try The Budget Diet's frugal warming oven! It's a casserole warmer that will keep dinner hot for about 2 hours, and it's perfect for those nights when everyone needs to eat dinner at a different time.

3.Double & Freeze – This is your new rule for cooking! Get in the habit of doubling recipes…one for tonight, and one for the freezer. When you're too busy to cook, let your freezer handle dinner. Casseroles, Soups and Chili are best for freezing. Tips: Freeze Soups & Stews in freezer zip top bags, and freeze casseroles uncooked and wrapped in foil and freezer paper. Don't forget to allow 2 days to thaw in your refrigerator.

4.Frozen Chicken Breasts – They're budget friendly, you don't have to worry about expiration dates and there's no need to thaw before cooking!

5.Rotisserie Chicken – The ultimate dinner shortcut! Try The Budget Diet's 5 Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas Using Rotisserie Chicken…Chicken Tacos, BBQ Chicken Pizza, BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Quesadillas and Chicken Caesar Salad.

6.Breakfast for Dinner and Other Mindless Meals – Who says dinner has to be elaborate? Every now and then serve breakfast for dinner or try one of The Budget Diet's No Recipe Required Dinner Ideas.

What are your dinner shortcuts to save time and money?

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Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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