One-tray crowd pleasers are the perfect dinner for those busy school days

Now that autumn is in full swing and the routine of school and various activities ongoing, there’s barely a minute to cook dinner let alone do the washing up afterwards. At this time of year, I look to one-tray crowd pleasers for dinners that I can easily prepare hours beforehand, or the night before. Vegetables can be chopped, meat marinating and meals planned.

It’s always good to have salad leaves washed and dried, too. I use a salad spinner so the leaves get handled as little as possible. I tear the leaves into bite size pieces so I can just grab a few handfuls and drizzle a dressing over the top. My kids love to chat in the kitchen when I’m cooking, so I always get them to wash the salad leaves, grate cheese or shake up a salad dressing. All summer long their jobs were podding peas, making lemonade and picking salad leaves. As always, their involvement ensures that they’re more likely to eat all of their dinner, proud that they took part and contributed to our meal.

I’ve always preferred to serve most of our meals family style, on platters or bowls in the middle of the table, so everyone can help themselves. I respect that my kids have preferences, like I do. As long as they have a balance of vegetables and protein, I’m happy. When everything is in the middle of the table they all inevitably end up reaching for the last piece of broccoli.

Recipe: Lemony Greek chicken and potatoes

Lilly’s kitchen tips:

1. Wash lemons and remove the zest from them before squeezing. The lemon zest can be used in marinades, cookies or cakes.
2. Now is the time to dry herbs from your garden. On a dry day, pick sprigs of oregano or marjoram. Gather them in small bunches and hang upside down in an airy place to dry. After a few weeks, crumble the herbs into a jar and seal with a lid to store.
3. Make supermarket olives something special by placing them in a large jar with olive oil, fresh orange or lemon peel and a few sprigs of herbs or chillies. The olives will plump up and marinade nicely.