You can buy a lot of veggies chopped these days, and even quick frozen meats, chicken, and fish ready to cook(even if you eat only organic. steroid free, free range, etc stuff)--and places like Whole Foods have great deli sections, with fresh made food (even vegan stuff) so there is little need to feed kids chicken fingers or to waste a lot of time in food preparation--DaveO has got it right-- a pot of beans, lentils, etc may need to cook for a while, but the prep time is pretty short, and, properly seasoned, with bread and a salad, it is as good a meal as you'd get in the best restaurants(it may even be exactly the same meal)--