Are you sick and tired of waking up in the morning and your very first thought is, “What is for dinner?” Nevermind that you have 10+ hours to figure it out, it still causes stress + anxiety often before you even open your eyelids. It can feel defeating…have you been there too? Our solution to dinner time stress is the combination of one kitchen appliance, one small shift, and one big idea.
Once we started utilizing these things in our own home kitchens, we felt like we started winning dinner time again. Less stress. Less prep. Less guesswork. Less mental load. More freedom. Better dinners.
The Kitchen Appliance: An Air Fryer
Air Fryers have been a top selling product on Amazon since 2018. They made the top seller list this last Christmas season, as they have done the last 4 years. There is a reason that this kitchen appliance has earned a coveted spot on kitchen counters just like yours all across the country. It makes dinner time quick and easy, period.
Air Fryers are affordable, add the perfect crust to seafood without the hassle of deep frying, and are capable of serving up many different types of proteins, vegetables and more in lots of healthy ways! We have dedicated an entire Pinterest board to our love affair with this dream machine.
And we have an entire section in the Fish Fixe Kitchen committed to air frying your seafood. So when you forgot to take something out of the freezer and are running out the door for carpool duty like your hair is on fire, stop stressing…you can rest assured that with this tool in your arsenal, a real dinner with your family can still be part of your evening plans.
The Small Shift: Utilize Your Freezer for Good
Convenience is the name of the game. When you have small kids, a busy work schedule, or evening activities galore, we get that dinner can feel like a scramble or an afterthought. Whatever is stashed in the freezer is what often gets served. So the idea is to make this one small shift; stash your freezer for good. You can still have it loaded with convenient grab and heat options, but with just a little effort the food in your freezer can actually create a healthy, beautiful, balanced dinner. Here are the things we reach for over and over that have made this practice a huge success in our households.
Perfectly portioned, premium seafood delivered right to your front door. You simply select your favorite healthy seafood options and fill up a box of dinner possibilities…then wait for it to arrive!
Every portion of seafood comes with thaw and cook instructions right on the bag so there is no hunting around for a recipe at the last minute. We have broken the entire process down into something manageable; thaw, prep, fixe, repeat.
Frozen, yes. But endless health benefits for the whole family, also yes!
This newcomer to Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle stole our hearts the moment we tried it. It is pretty simple, chubby spaghetti noodles + a creamy sauce. It is perfectly wonderful and makes for a fantastic mid-week meal. It will remind you of mac n cheese but feels elevated. Just close your eyes when you take a bite and you might be able to convince yourself you are eating in a Roman trattoria.
Kidfresh Frozen Chicken Nuggets
The chicken nugget craving is real, at every age. So go ahead and stock up on this brand’s chicken nuggets or chicken meatballs. Your kids will love them and thanks to the 12 grams of protein and the hidden veggies in every single bite, you will too. We keep these stocked in the freezer because our kids prefer them to any other nugget on the market, and trust us, they have done the leg work!
Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper Burger Blend
Frozen burgers are super convenient. But often the taste leaves much to be desired. You will not have to make any sacrifices with these burgers from Teton Waters Ranch. They are 100% beef, grass-fed, and patties come pre-seasoned. Throw them on the grill or in a skillet and dinner will be ready before you know it.
The Big Idea: Grace
Every single one of us has the best of intentions when it comes to feeding the people we love.
If you are putting dinner on brightly colored plates for your kids or you are breaking out the good china for a date night; we know you are making a real effort to serve something healthy, fueling, and delicious to the people around your table. That matters. But often our dinner plans get thwarted when baseball practice runs late, traffic abounds, or an unexpected fever puts you on the sofa with a sick kiddo instead of in the kitchen at dinner time.
You intended to cook up something balanced and instead landed on something out of a brown bag. Grace.
You wanted to introduce an exciting new meal but instead served up the same old thing. Grace.
You thought you made something your kids would eat but they turned up their nose and refused to take a bite. Grace.
Hold your expectations with an open hand. Give yourself permission for life to happen and don’t let it derail you when it does. Grace.
So this week get out the air fryer, stock your freezer, and give yourself large helpings of grace…it might just be the perfect recipe for a stress free dinner.