all have been there. We have all experienced the panic of coming home from a very busy day at work while the kids are screaming, the spouse is laying out all their frustrations of the day on the table, the dog has to get fed right this instant or he will bark louder so your headache feels extra painful, and the in-laws are calling to get an immediate response to the question: Are you coming for Sunday dinner, and there is nothing in the house prepared to eat. No, you have not experienced that? Well, good for you. You still need a quick meal from time to time anyway! So, what makes a meal quick and easy? Is it just the recipe, or are there other things to take into consideration? Here are five things to help with the quick and easy recipe: Prep Time If the meal you are going to prepare takes 24 hours of marinating, well that is just not going to help. Be sure that you read the time it will take to prep the recipe before starting. One thing that you may try to do is plan your meals ahead of time and prepare the items in ample time before you have to start cooking. Some items can be prepped and put into containers that you can put in your fridge. Cook Time Another no brainer. Be sure that the meal will not take too much time to cook, or that will not be quick. Generally speaking, the amount of time to cook the meal should be no longer than 45 minutes for it to really be considered quick. Of course, that is really up to you to determine how long your family can hold out without throwing peas at the cook. Available Ingredients If you have to go to the store to pick up your ingredients, that may not be the quickest route to a fast recipe. Be sure to have ingredients stocked up. Planning your meals ahead of time may help you in ensuring that you have all the ingredients that you will need. Enjoyable for the Whole Family If no one will eat the meal, it may be quick and easy, but you may have to cook something again before lights are out if no one eats! Try to find a recipe that the whole family will enjoy. Click here for tons of great quick and easy meals. Delicious, Tried, Tested and Proven Many recipes on popular recipe sites, such as RecipeZazz.com, have member reviews and a notice on the recipe that the recipe poster has tried and tested the recipe. Keep in mind many recipes that have not been reviewed are real gems and are just waiting for you to try and to post your own review of your experience with the recipe! Pizza Hotdish - By: member Dissie "I have been making this for my family for as long as I can remember. It is a great casserole to throw together for a weeknight. We just love it. Feel free to add any toppings you like on a pizza. In the pics I added green olives and jalepeno's." Get the recipe here.