Do you need to save some time in the kitchen, but are not quite ready to tackle a lot of freezer cooking just yet? Here are some shortcuts that work for my family, and might just fit with your family, too.

Most of the meals my family eats start with the basics, like chicken and beef. A lot of grocery stores lower the per-pound price on meat when you buy in larger quantities. I buy 5 pounds of beef and 3 pounds of chicken at a time. All 5 pounds of beef get thrown in a pot and cooked while I'm cooking dinner that evening. The chicken also gets diced up and cooked. I then divide the beef into sandwich bags, 2 cups each. The chicken gets divided into approximately 1 cups each. I never thaw out meat in advance now, because it only takes 4 minutes to thaw one of our pre-cooked bags in the microwave.

As our lives have gotten busier, we have definitely learned to simplify our meals. I am the queen of one-skillet meals and simple dishes. My family enjoys tacos in a pan, goulash, macaroni & cheese with hot dogs, and a ton of other easy dishes. Keep a family favorites cookbook, and add to it when you find any new and easy recipes you would like to try. Determine the ingredients that you use on a regular basis, and keep stocked up on them.

Make vegetables the easy way. Most dishes are even better when veggies are thrown into the mix. We try to eat vegetables every evening, so I have become pretty creative in slashing the task in half. Don't be afraid to throw vegetables into skillet meals, or mix them up with dishes. This will save on washing an extra pot. My family just recently discovered steam fresh vegetable bags. They steam in the microwave in a matter of minutes, which makes the task of adding veggies to the menu even easier. Look for them in your grocery store's frozen vegetable isle.

There are plenty of ways to save you time in the kitchen, and spend a little more time enjoying meals with your family. Try out different techniques, and stick with what works. You don't have to feel guilty for not making fancy dishes, as long as your family enjoys what you cook. In this day and age, you should feel good about the fact that you are cooking for your family, instead of eating out.