Plan for your busiest evenings

The evenings that go wrong are usually predictable. Planning for those first, rather than for every meal, can make the whole week easier.

Short readAbout 1 minWritten from primary sources. Review by a qualified professional is pending.General information, not medical advice

A man placing two bowls of lentil soup on an evening table.

Find the hard evenings

Look at the week ahead and mark the late finishes, early starts and evenings out. Those are the nights to plan the simplest meals or leftovers, and to save cooking for calmer days.

Make leftovers safe and useful

If you cook extra on a calmer day, refrigerate it within two hours, or within one hour in temperatures above 90°F (32°C). Keep your refrigerator at or below 40°F (4°C). Leftovers are generally good for three to four days in the refrigerator, so freeze any portion you plan to eat later than that. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C).

Keep a backup

Some evenings will still surprise you. A few easy backups, such as frozen vegetables, eggs or a can of beans, turn an empty fridge into a quick meal.

An everyday example

Jordan has late meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. On Sunday Jordan makes a pot of vegetable stew, refrigerates portions for Monday and Tuesday in shallow containers, and freezes one for Thursday.

Your next step. Mark your two busiest evenings this week and decide now what you will eat on each.