If you’re following any health, wellness or cooking trends on social media, it’s likely you’ve seen abundant photos of perfectly stacked and labeled food containers in hyper-organized refrigerators. The #mealprep movement has attracted all kinds of people looking to eat healthier, save time and money, and get organized in the kitchen. For those of you who live by #mealprepsunday, then by all means, stick with it! I’m all about finding what works for you. But if the idea of meal prepping fills you with anxiety or makes you feel badly about yourself and your lack of boundless organizational skills, I’d like to offer some other ways of doing things. 

Over the years, I’ve talked to a lot of busy people about how they do their grocery shopping and meal planning for their families. I know at least one person who successfully meal preps on Sundays. One friend approaches her meal planning by following this framework: two nights a week, chicken or red meat for dinner, two nights a week some kind of fish/seafood, two nights of vegetarian meals and one night for going out or takeout. Others have become best friends with their instapot or airfryer. For some, mealtime has regressed into an overwhelming free-for-all consisting of a mishmash of takeout, leftovers and cereal for dinner. (It’s all good. Everyone was fed!) No matter where you find yourself in this broad spectrum, there are ways to manage the dinner hour that can help you save time, money, and stress, and still allow you to put a healthy meal on the table.

I’m not much of a pre-planner, and frankly I’m not always organized, so the meal prep method just isn’t for me. I typically only plan out a couple dinners at a time, and I definitely count on leftovers to fill the gaps. But I’m also resourceful and creative in the kitchen, and have found ways to make many meals simply from what I have on hand. The secret to doing that is having things on hand. I make sure to keep a well-stocked fridge and pantry, so I can either put together a meal on the fly without needing a recipe or make one of my standby favorites from ingredients I always keep on hand. You can do this, too.

My Approach—To make an improvised dinner, I begin by looking at what protein sources I have. This may be chicken, frozen ground beef, a dozen eggs or seafood. I choose one.

Then, I pick a starch. I always keep potatoes, rice, quinoa and sweet potatoes around. Rice and quinoa keep for a very long time, so there’s no reason to not have these in your pantry at all times. 

Next, I look at my fresh veggies. I consciously keep onions and garlic in my kitchen, as they add flavor and nutrients to so many meals. Carrots will keep for a long time in the crisper drawer, as will broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Greens don’t last as long in the fridge, but I do usually have these as well because I crave salads. (Don’t worry – I crave ice cream, too!) If nothing fresh is available, I go to the frozen veggies in my freezer. If you’re following my method, you’ll always have your favorite frozen veggies handy.

Once I’ve assembled my protein, starch and vegetables, I get out my roasting pans. Now, I’m just steps away from dinner. 

I slice an onion, chop my fresh veggies, place them on the pan, and toss with some olive oil, salt and spices. If there’s room on the pan for the protein (chicken works well with sheet pan dinners), I’ll put it all on the same pan and throw it in the oven at 400°. Sometimes, I cook the protein on the grill while the vegetables are in the oven, especially if the cooking times aren’t the same. Tossing every 10-15 minutes, the veggies are usually nicely roasted in about 30-40 minutes. I might have a second pan going with sweet potato wedges or potatoes roasting. Or, I’ll cook brown rice or quinoa on the stovetop. Organic barbeque sauces or things like pesto, tzatziki or spicy gojuchang in your fridge will easily keep flavors interesting. Note: Frozen veggies cook better steamed instead of roasted. If I’m steaming, I’ll finish them off with a little olive oil, salt and a squeeze of lemon if I have it, or a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. If I’m using eggs as my protein, I’ll make a frittata with my favorite veggies from the fridge. Think of this as a blueprint: one protein, one starch, all your veggies and a little creativity. Your improvised dinner is served.

For standby dinners, I make meal planning easy by keeping my kitchen perpetually stocked with specific ingredients for 1-2 standby dinners. On busy days when the dinner hour is fast approaching and I don’t want to run to the store, I always have the ingredients for these standby favorites on hand. These meals have changed over the years as the kids have grown and our diets have changed, but the concept has stayed the same. 

When the kids were little, I could whip up spinach, cheese and black bean quesadillas on any given night. Fresh or frozen spinach, shredded cheese, tortillas, a can of black beans and some salsa were on hand for a quick dinner without exception. I also kept a carton of chicken broth, packaged tortellini, frozen spinach, an onion and a can of diced tomatoes on hand to quickly put together our favorite tortellini soup. These two meals got us through many weeknight meals.

These days, it’s vegetable chili that I always have in my back pocket as the answer to “What’s for dinner?” It’s easy to keep cans of beans, diced tomatoes, and chilis in my pantry to pair with onions, garlic and frozen or fresh diced peppers and any other vegetables I feel like adding to make a hearty meal. The instapot gives it that simmered-all-day taste in less than an hour. Pro tip: Make baked potatoes the next day and top with the chili, shredded cheese and sliced spring onions for another easy meal.

I applaud those of you who are meal prepping for the week and I see the appeal, but I’m not so ambitious or organized to make all my meals on Sunday. We each have to find the methods that work for our lives and personalities, and I have found ways to put a healthy and satisfying dinner on the table most nights of the week. With the right staples in your pantry and refrigerator, you can always be prepared to follow my standard blueprint for improvised dinners or throw together one of your standby recipes without having to give it a second thought. Maybe we’re onto something; if you start seeing #improvdinners or #standbymeals on your social media feeds, you’ll know we’ve started the next meal planning trend!

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