Time-Saving Sunday - Short Cuts in the Kitchen

We love our weekend family time, but Sunday often becomes my day to prepare for the upcoming week. This will be the day I’ll call upon some fabulous mama friends to share their expertise on how to keep our homes running smoothly and our families well fed while still leaving plenty of time for school.

So ready or not, we're finally starting school tomorrow. I feel like I'm leaving a lazy (ha!) summer behind and scrambling to remember how to be organized. For example, getting my kitchen prepared for the week always helps take the stress out of cooking, especially when I'm doing it in bits and pieces around schoolwork.

One of my favorite tips is the Sunday night veggie tray. And one of the reasons it's my favorite is that it's made by my husband, Jim! Seriously though, having an array of veggies washed and prepped is not only great for snacking but also helps tremendously with meal preparation. I'm much more inclined to make salad when all I have to do is chop up the veggies and put them on top of lettuce.

Other kitchen chores I try to get done on Sunday are soaking beans, baking bread and making hummus or whatever spread or dip we'll have for our veggies during the week. This week it's a roasted red pepper cannellini bean dip - and sadly, it's not made quite yet. After all, I still have two more hours until I officially call an end to summer vacation.