Parenting Win of the Week: A Time-Saving Dinner Hack

Cut out the stress and add more flavor to your family’s evening meal.

November 08, 2021

By: Samantha Lande

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Cooking vegetables in real, rustic kitchen. Natural light, short DOF, a little bit noisy.

Photo by: Floriana

Floriana

I love to cook, I truly do. But I am also a mom with two kids, and our weeknights can be very hectic. There have been a few nights this week where I threw up my arms and told my husband to deal with it. So, I have been on a major search for easy shortcuts that aren’t full of additives. I love a good taco night, but I’m not a fan of the premade taco seasonings that contain as many unrecognizable ingredients as they do spices. (There are a few good ones out there though, so do check labels!)

However, I am a fan of spices and I think they can make all of the difference in a dish. That’s why I was so excited when one of my favorite spice shops, The Spice House (with locations in Illinois and Wisconsin and nationwide shipping), launched these fun new spice mixes called Exact Packs.

Not only are Exact Packs just spices, but they are also one-time use (although we stretched our pack for two meals) mixes that come with meal ideas and instructions on how to make everything on the back.

There is a carne asada mix that you can add to steak (or even ground beef) for tacos, fajitas, or carne asada and rice. Make a southwest plant-based chorizo burger or chili lime shrimp. There is an ancho-chile chicken option as well. You can use as much or as little as your family likes! My boys don't mind spice, so we use the regular amount. This helps solve both the "what’s for dinner dilemma" and the "we need to get dinner on the table fast" issues.

The other great thing about these packets is they take up very minimal space, so you can easily have them on hand in a pinch — simply grab (or defrost) your protein when you are ready to use.