MY DINNER GAME IS STRONGER THAN IT'S BEEN IN YEARS....

Here's what changed. Plus: 10 delicious dinners I've made lately.

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Hi friends,

After a stream of yummy baked goods, I’m coming to you today with a new strategy guide—all about dinner. If you’ve been around here for a while or listened to any of my interviews or podcasts, you know I’m not a dinner person—not in the way I am a breakfast or weekend brunch or baked goods kind of person (who isn’t?).

Dinner is not my favorite meal to make—not by a long stretch. I’ve talked about FAMILY DINNER VACATION (i.e., eating out frequently during long stretches of solo weekday parenting) and how often I start with big ambitions but fizzle just before the dinner bell rings.

But the other night, while popping into the kitchen to prep dinner—maki + hand rolls with soy and sesame oil filled with salmon, cucumber, and avocado (formally too ambitious for me for a weeknight) —I started thinking about how my dinner game is like 200% better this year than it has been in years. I’m not talking about splashy, elaborate meals requiring many recipes, shopping lists, or structure/organization. I am talking about consistency. When it comes to simple day-in, day-out weeknight dinners at home, long on flavor and high on satisfaction, my game is up, up, up!

But how?

It didn’t involve a new book, a meal plan, a meal-delivery service, or even delegating jobs to the family. My kids aren’t helping more (they have homework and sports and my husband is out of town for work), and we’re not less busy—in fact, the opposite is true: we have double sports every night of the week between the two kids, and I’m driving more than ever. And yet—except for a couple of casual dinner dates out with pals—we haven’t had a boring, boxed, or restaurant/take-out dinner since school started in September.

It turns out that just like there is no magic bullet when it comes to our health or doing the exercise required to feel good most days, there is also no one meal service, cookbook, or meal plan that will get us out of the act of standing at the stove and making healthy meals for our families each night (unless, of course, you have a private chef. Then, lucky you!).

The good news is that some hefty mind shifts and simple strategies can take us pretty far. Ironically, few, if any, of these strategies involve more time in the kitchen. Here’s exactly what I’ve done differently the last six weeks and how it’s helped:

THE NO-STRESS DINNER STRATEGY GUIDE:

TAKE A WALK: Every single morning, after I drop my kid off at school, but before I sit at a desk, I walk or hike or workout (basically: squats + sit-ups) with a friend. This has tripled my energy, which means I have energy left for the juggle between school and sports and bedtime, precisely when, for most families, dinner needs to be solved. And, because the morning walk/hike doubles as an adult social hour for me (before my work day begins!!), I don’t arrive at the dinner table starved for adult conversation and company, and I’m more relaxed and patient with my kids. Win!

BREAK FOR LUNCH: This year, I’m back to packing my daughter’s school lunches every day (last year, she had school lunch). We bought a couple of cool Bento boxes that are perfect for salads. Although this seems counter-intuitive (more work, right?), there’s an upside: this new routine has challenged me to have plenty of salad bar ingredients ready every day, creating more inspiration for me around my lunch. Most days, I’m making and taking a proper lunch break by 1 PM to sit outside and eat without any distractions, not even my phone (did you know that in France, it’s against labor laws to eat at your desk!!). As mentioned above, making a good choice early in the day builds momentum and motivation to keep going—now that I’ve had a healthy and satisfying lunch, why blow it all with a blah or unsatisfying dinner?

REFRAME YOUR PURPOSE: I’ve always felt proud to feed my family wholesome, whole-made foods, but in the past, it could feel like a laborious chore by about midweek—one I resented the busier my family life got. This year, I’ve re-approached my role as chief caretaker with new gusto, taking pride in investing in my family’s health—one small thing I can control in this crazy world. When I celebrate, even quietly in my head (and sometimes out loud to my daughter as I serve a particularly crowd-pleasing dinner: YES, I AM CRUSHING PARENTING! I say and then burst into laughter), I lean less on thank yous and praise from my eaters. Also, figuring out dinner is considerably easier than figuring out new math—so, win.

REMOVE THE GUILT: I have been a no white bread, low sugar, no sweets before vegetable kind of mom for most of my child-rearing years (13, so far!). I sometimes berate myself if we veer too far from the 80/20 rule (80 % healthy foods, 20 % relaxed indulgences). This year, I’ve dropped the guilt about indulgences when we have them (enjoy, enjoy—we’ll eat healthy again tomorrow), about waste when it happens (yes, it’s a huge problem in our country, but carrying around the burden of letting half-avocado go bad on the counter for the whole day also has a price), and buying white bread. After a decade of brown and whole grain bread only, we are all enjoying our sourdough toast era (see nutritional notes below).* The kids are alright. You are doing GREAT.

THINK PROTEIN, FIRST: I’ve started putting a bigger emphasis on having everyone’s choice protein in the fridge, at the ready: yogurt, chicken cooked into schnitzel (recipe below), cottage cheese, sliced salami, smoked salmon, or leftover herb-doused salmon from dinner the night before. The better the protein I eat and serve at breakfast and lunch, the less I snack on sweets and other sugary, carby foods in the afternoon as we approach dinnertime, which kills my motivation to cook. Win!

Overwhelm is paralyzing—a quick path to a defeatist mentality (“Well, I might as well just eat another cookie and order pizza!”). 

BUY ROMAINE: It’s wild, but after years of growing/buying/serving kale 3 x a week, which takes work to de-stem, shred, and massage before it is tasty, I’ve bought two packs of organic Romaine every week instead. This has inspired a lot more salad eating and healthier packed lunches. Yes, there’s still kale happening in smaller doses. But Romaine has the charming habit of needing little more than a rinse and quick chop before marrying beautifully with nearly any dressing, from Ranch to Tahini Dressing. Bonus: Romaine is high in minerals like calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium. It’s naturally low in sodium and packed with vitamin C, K, and folate.). Use it for Caesar or Greek salads, shredded inside tacos and burritos, and as a bed for leftover salmon or steak.

LOWER THE BAR (just a little): I used to cook everything from scratch, buy 85% organic food, compost every biodegradable scrap from our kitchen, and stress about the time/food costs lost if my kids didn’t finish their plates. These are valid goals on their own, but combined, they add up to an impossible standard, especially while juggling work, homework, and the endless kids’ sports schedules. Overwhelm is paralyzing, and a quick path to a defeatist mentality (“Well, I might as well just eat another cookie and order pizza!”). Instead, I now celebrate small wins, like local vegetables on the plate (even if they aren’t all organic) and leftovers waiting for Dad.

STOP OVER-PLANNING: As I always tell my kids, break big projects into bits before you start (see overwhelm > paralysis, above). I don’t plan a week of menus, write detailed shopping lists, or waste energy thinking about what dinner will be tomorrow, let alone next week. Each day, I set the goal to make one simple, delicious evening meal with a starring protein and at least two vegetables. Tomorrow’s a new day!

SHOP EUROPEAN-STYLE: Instead of striving to fit a giant shop into our packed schedule (with enough time to haul, wash, and put away masses of food each week), I break my grocery list into quick stops that piggyback on something we’re already doing (bonus: these groceries take no more than 10 minutes to put away).

Monday may be a quick dash into the Spanish market after ballet drop for tortillas and super-ripe produce (mangos, bananas, avocados). A protein run happens mid-week at the local grocery (with the freshest meat and fish) across from our doctors and the pet store, where we pick up bunny food and hay. And we can build a farmer’s market stop into our family bike ride on Saturdays—coming home with breakfast in our bellies, fresh bread, veggies, and other seasonal dinner surprises. There may be a grocery delivery early in the week for lunchbox staples, and our monthly subscriptions from Thrive Market fill in the gaps with pantry goods, tinned fish, vitamins, cosmetics, and portable snacks.

It’s all good; Dinner will get done. Less Stress, Less Mess (emotionally).

Friends, you’ve got this. Try to remember it’s just dinner. Scroll a little more for ten delicious dinners I’ve made lately that you can riff and repeat all month.

xx, Sarah

10 DELICIOUS DINNERS I’VE MADE LATELY: Here’s how the above strategies have played out lately on our table, with links to recipes when helpful.

1. Classic Chicken Schnitzel (soak the chicken overnight in buttermilk first, which keeps it super juicy). plus Creamy Root Vegetable Mash

2. Big, Chunky Greek Salad (hooray, Romaine!) with tinned fish, these canned Dolmas, and leftover schnitzel

3. Romaine Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing (like Caesar, but different), Avocado and Crispy Chickpeas

4. Easy (Any) Squash Soup with Dill, Radish, and Avocado (or a drizzle of yogurt or kefir) with toasted sourdough

5. Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Spiced Chickpeas and Herbs (repeat with potatoes, celery root, celery or a blend of root veg).

6. Side of salmon slow-roasted with Japanese BBQ sauce served over rice bowls with avocado, seaweed, cucumbers, kimchi and sesame oil (serve leftovers later in the week as irresistable hand rolls)

7. Red Lentil Soup (Dal) with Naan or Tandoori bread.

8. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs over polenta/pasta with a romaine salad

9. Roasted Beets, sliced radishes, Za’atar Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini, prepared roasted red peppers and a big ole’ dollop of prepared Eggplant Hummus (like this or this) or Tahini Sauce

10. Instant Pot Cacio e Pepe Risotto (turn leftovers into Arancini), or my favorite stove-top cheesy risotto with shaved vegetables (below), roasted mushrooms (top), or saffron and seafood (grilled shrimp or seared scallops)

✨ This is WILD, but I just learned how to make some of these posts shoppable for you, so if you want to load these ingredients into your grocery cart, you could have the bulk of these groceries delivered to your front door via InstaCart* as soon as today. Check the ingredient list below for amounts and veto or search alternatives if you prefer a different brand/style (organic, conventional, etc).✨

OTHER FAMILY DINNER STRATEGIES (And more thoughts on letting go…)

Family Dinner, Yes-Day-Style

When One Famly, One Dinner Fails You

One Small Change

TWO TOOLS FOR WEEKNIGHT DINNERS (that I lean on heavily right now):

RICE COOKER: Plug this in at least 2 x a week for rice to serve with rice bowls, hand rolls, stir fry. Also doubles as a fast breakfast porridge maker for school days.

INSTANT POT: In steady use for making vegetable soups (the Cauliflower or the Squash Soups, above), Dal, quick veggie mash, risotto, and saucy cooked apples with cinnamon for healthy weeknight desserts.

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Risotto photos by Harrison Lubin. Styling by Sarah Copeland. Schnitzel photo by Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food styling: Vivian Lu. NOTE: *I receive a small commission for groceries delivered to your door via InstaCart, using the links I’ve provided. This keeps my lights on and helps me pay back my time for creating free Substack posts like this one!