Most people like home-cooked meals, but preparing them takes time that isn’t always available to everyone. If your work days are long or you’re a busy parent juggling a full-time job, activities for multiple kids, and a hectic household, sometimes something just has to give.

At Mid-life Musings we get it. There are only so many minutes and hours in your day, and there isn’t always a way to squeeze even one more thing into it — especially if it means spending an hour or more in the kitchen when you’re already tired.

That’s when many people, myself included at times, resort to frozen pizzas or other prepackaged foods that are faster to make or reheat. And sure, takeout is another option, but eating fast food or restaurant-cooked meals every night can empty your wallet while simultaneously increasing your waist size.

But the good news is that there is a way you can eat delicious, easy weekday dinners that are still homemade without spending a lot of time cooking each night. What am I talking about? The answer can be found in make-ahead meals or weekend meal prepping, and below I detail how you can start creating your own make-ahead meals to cut down on time spent in the kitchen.

Note: For the purposes of this post the word ‘meals’ means casseroles, soups, or other dishes that are truly a full meal by themselves. But, ‘meals’ also refers to dishes that are only the main course — like meatloaf — and still need salads or other sides to pair with them.

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I confess that I am not crazy about any kind of shopping. It’s a royal pain in the behind and I would rather clean my house, wash dishes, work, or do just about anything else. But when I begin running out of either ideas or food to fix it does become necessary to make a trip to the store.

Although some people correct this problem by growing their own food, I have not yet found the time to start my own garden. Since my husband and I own and raise cattle, though, we do “grow” our own beef.

But in addition to growing your own vegetables, there are people who make another choice. Some turn to grocery subscription services.

Grocery delivery companies have become popular in the past few years. I recently gave in to the trend too and tried Blue Apron. Although the meals were quite tasty, overall I decided grocery subscription services were not for me . Here’s why: