Take the time to salt and brown your meat a couple days before you roast it. (Besides adding flavor, browning your meat could lead to less time needed in the oven.) Blanch your green beans ahead of time if you're going to be sauteing them with garlic and olive oil. Stew your chicken thighs and shred them before reheating on taco night. Save that second, quicker cooking step for the night of your dinner.

4. Master your oven's delayed start feature for preheating.

It's amazing how much time you can save by using a feature available on virtually every oven. Rather than waiting for your oven to preheat when you get home from work, program it in the morning before you leave. I only recently started doing this and kicked myself for not having discovered it sooner. Everything from squash to enchiladas have benefitted from this discovery.

5. Always keep a bailout meal ready.

When thinking about what you'll make for the week, it's helpful to keep something speedy on hand if you wind up with less time for dinner prep than usual. Always have one or two bailouts that you can quickly throw together. Maybe it's Mexican-spiced beans and rice topped with fresh avocado or a stir-fry with shrimp and vegetables you've already prepped. Bailouts will always come in handy if you're running late.

6. Think fresh.

Cook what's in season, and it's very likely you won't have to do as much to make the ingredient taste good. This is especially true for your vegetable dishes -- both sides and mains.

And when all else fails, remember: There's always takeout. And the point isn't to be a dinner god every night of the week, every week of the year. The point is to feed your family.

(Matt Simon is a contributor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)