Make your weeknight meals a cinch with Ragú.

Ragu Tra-Dish

I am a brand representative for Ragú and have been compensated for this post.

Simple weeknight meals are a must in my house. I work a full-time job during the day and come home to a part-time job–my website–at night. As my website continues to grow, it’s demanding more of my time and attention, forcing me to work longer hours. Depending on my workload, I spend some nights writing and editing photos into the wee hours of the night. Since I love my work, I often find that the hours slip by unnoticed.

Dinner, however, is never overlooked. No matter how busy Squirrel and I are, we never skip dinner. We always make time to sit down at the table and enjoy a meal together. It’s the one chance we get to forget about how hectic life is and enjoy some quality time together.

We usually come home from work famished after a hard day at work. The first thing we do when we walk through the door is head straight for the fridge.

Since Squirrel and I are both busy during the work week, we plan meals that can be easily prepared in 30 minutes. I set some time aside to plan a menu and grocery list every week. I find that if I know what I’m cooking ahead of time, and my fridge is stocked, it takes me less time to prepare a meal. Prior to my meal planning days, I would make a grocery run every day after work. That was short lived. 1.) The grocery store is at its busiest between the hours of 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. 2.) The time I spent in the grocery store could have been dedicated to cooking. 3.) By the time I arrive home, I no longer feel like cooking.

That’s where Ragú comes in handy. With 11 tomatoes in every jar, Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce is our richest, thickest recipe ever!

That’s a lot of tomatoes!

Ragu Marinara

I quickly learned that using the grocery store to my benefit shortened the time I spent in the kitchen every evening after work, which meant more time to work on my site, exercise, or relax. I always keep a few jars of Ragú in my pantry so I can whip up a quick pasta, mini meatloaf muffins, or sausage slathered with peppers and marinara.

For a chance to win great Authentic Italian themed prizes, including a grand prize trip to Italy for a family of four, visit Ragú Better and Better Sweepstakes. Visit Ragú on Facebook for more delicious recipes.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.) 18 years and older.  Ends 5/6/14.  To enter and for Official Rules, including odds, alternate method of entry, and prize descriptions, visit www.RaguSweeps.com.  Void where prohibited.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragú® Official New Tra-Dish. The opinions and text are all mine.