When it comes to Valentine’s Day, most people go out for dinner. If you have a family this can get expensive. Try a few easy recipes to prepare a nice dinner for your loving family in no time.

Crock Pot

Get those slow cookers working. We often use it when we know we’ll be late getting home so dinner will be ready. The slow cooker is an asset on Valentine’s Day also. Most of the crock pots on the market today have a removable inner pot that is fashionable enough to serve at the table.

Cooking with a crock pot will free you up to do other fun Valentine’s Day things instead of standing in the kitchen. Some meal ideas for the slow cooker: beef roast with vegetables, chicken cacciatore, roasted chicken with vegetables, Swedish meatballs. The crock pot can be set to cook slowly (ten hours) or a bit faster (4 hours).

Cook-ahead meals

Dinner can be harried even on Valentine’s Day. Watching boiling pots and hot skillets not to mention something in the oven can absolutely fry your brain. Free your mind to enjoy this day of love by trying a dish that is easy to prepare ahead of time and just needs to be baked on Valentine’s Day.

Casseroles are the easiest make-ahead dishes. They can feature beef, chicken, or pork. Even fish like salmon or tilapia can be marinated and dressed the day before and wrapped in foil to bake on Valentine’s Day. Avoid adding milk or eggs before you are ready to cook the meal. If the dish calls for cooked meat, cook and cube the meat the day before and combine all ingredients in the casserole dish when you are ready to pop it in the oven.

Five or Fewer Ingredients

Another alternative to the slow cooker or cooking ahead is using a recipe that has five or fewer ingredients. When you have fewer ingredients, prep time is cut dramatically. While the food is baking you can occupy yourself with spending time with the family.

With so few ingredients, kids can even help with dinner. To further cut preparation time, if anything such as vegetables need to be cubed, diced, or sliced so that the day before and refrigerate them.

Pasta dishes fall into this category. Besides the pasta, you usually have sauce and some sort of meat or seafood. The pasta, sauce, and meat can all cook at the same time which saves time.

On Valentine’s Day, you want to be occupied with family and/or your sweetie. Slaving in the kitchen is not in the game plan. With a little pre-planning, you’ll spend less time in the kitchen and more time having fun.