Do you find yourself more like a chauffeur than a mom some days?

Taking your kids from activity to activity can be rewarding and exhausting simultaneously.

So you pick them up after a long day of work and you have just 30 minutes until they need to be at the next activity and …

Oh shoot – they want food too. Sigh.

Watch today’s video to get 7 tips on how to get a healthy dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.

Not interested in watching this short video? No worries, scroll down to read up on it.

7 Tips to Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less!

Let me start off by saying that to get a healthy dinner on the table fast – some work is still involved.

The only way you can make a meal faster with less work is by hitting up the drive-thru, and that doesn’t fly on my side of the web!

Here are some tips to help you manage your time and cut the overwhelm so you can get a healthy dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.

1. Prep the night before

If you don’t do Sunday prep, make sure you prep as much of the meal the night before as possible. 

That could mean marinading the meat overnight or pre-chopping veggies.

>> Try this simple Burrito Bowl recipe <<

Make the rice the night before and the rest will take you 10 minutes to throw together.

2. Use your slow-cooker, baby!

It’s like having a personal chef – seriously.

You can throw everything in it the night before or the morning of and you’ll come home to dinner. Woo-hoo!

>> Try this Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Pie recipe <<

3. Simplify your meal

Don’t over-complicate your meal! Choose a simple meal, or simplify the one you’ve chosen.

Knock your recipes down to around 10 or less ingredients and put it in one dish as often as possible.

>> Try this quick Tarragon Chicken Salad recipe <<

4. Pull it out of the freezer

When you make something you know your family loves, double or triple the batch, portion it out and stick it in the freezer for a night when you’re really in a hurry.

>> Try this Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Lime Chili <<

Double or triple this recipe so you can freeze some of it for a quick weeknight meal

5. Go vegetarian

Don’t kill me for that …

But meat takes a long time to cook and often vegetarian meals can be faster (not always, but often).

>> Try this Garden Veggie Frittata <<

Scoop it into muffin tins to cut the baking time in half

6. Pre-cut your veggies … like a boss

Pre-cut a container of veggies at the beginning of the week and you’ve saved yourself a ton of time every day and at every meal.

7. Eat the fridge meal

If you have any leftovers, you can try and combine them into one meal or incorporate it into your meal or give everyone a different leftover to finish.

It’s not fancy – but it works in a pinch.

Check out my store for more ideas (like my 20 Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less recipe book!).