Every mother, wife or cook wants quick meal ideas.  Healthy meals make happy families and keep every one well.  Quick meals require planning ahead and making use of ingredients or leftover dishes.  Just because something is leftover does not mean it is less than healthy or good.  Some of the best meals can be quick, good and healthy if the cook plans.

Many cooks prefer to prepare many dishes one day of the week and utilize them as the week progresses.  Casseroles are great for a core serving.  It can be meat or vegetable.  Often rice and canned soups make up and hold together the ingredients.

Fruit and vegetables found on the grocery produce counter can be table ready to eliminate additional prep time when the cook is in a hurry.  A large bowl filled with continuous running water and a colander or some form of draining dish can make speedy work of washing these items.  Lettuce needs to be used rather quickly after it is washed.  Washing lettuce ahead of time helps to make it crisp and allows excess water to drain from it.

Strawberries can be washed, drained and quartered for quick use.  They will most likely be better with a bit of extra sweetener added as they are layered inside a sealed container.  Grapes generally come in plastic packages with air holes and zip closures.  Try keeping several of the zip closures and wash your grapes just as indicated above, over running water.  Drain and return them to several of the zip closures.  

Cook a large roast in a crock-pot from morning until late afternoon.  Salt and pepper it on one side or both.  Add a can of beef broth and a package of French onion soup.  Start it on high and reduce the temp to med after the first hour.  You can add new potatoes and carrots the last couple of hours and your meal only needs you to thicken the gravy.

If you have enough liquid you will be able to reheat slices of roast and it will be just as good as the first servings.  The potatoes and carrots can be heated right along with the meat and gravy.  

This is just a start.  Come back for more quick meal ideas.  I can put dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes every day of the week if I plan ahead.