3. Go light on the baked desserts for the summer. Replace complicated baked desserts with a lighter, easier version for the summer. Freeze whole bananas, and eat as popsicles or use as “ice cream” for a hot fudge sundae. Freeze fresh berries to indulge your berry fantasies on a whim. Try grilled peach halves, lightly brushed with oil and filled with blue cheese. Buy a pound cake, and top with fresh or frozen berries for guests. (Time savings: at least 2 hours per week, per dessert.)

4. Replace weekend lunches with summer smoothies or cold soups. If you haven’t taught the family the art of preparing their own lunch on the weekends, you’ll love this idea. All you need for a summer smoothie is a blender, some ice, one or more fruits of your choice, yoghurt or milk, and optional sweetening agents and/or flavorings. Cold soups work on the same principle, minus the ice. (Time savings: 1 hour per weekend.)

5. Serve a salad for dinner one night each week. We’re not suggesting that you throw a wedge of iceberg lettuce and a bottle of Thousand Island dressing at your family and call it dinner. Instead, serve leftover grilled entrées atop a bed of crisp summer lettuce with a restaurant-quality salad dressing or vinaigrette. Build a salad around red and green leaf lettuce, leftover grilled steak and blue cheese vinaigrette, and your family will look forward to salad night. Add a loaf of fresh French bread and a dipping sauce made from oil and a spice blend, and you’ve got a complete dinner. (Time savings: 1 hour per week.)

6. Turn Friday nights into a relaxing fruits de mer occasion. After a long week at work, it’s nice to have something to look forward to on Friday night. Do as the Mediterraneans do, and feast outdoors on a seafood platter. You’ll need nothing more than your favorite seafood, steamed, boiled or grilled with a side of clarified butter—and don’t forget the paper towels! (Time savings: 1 hour. Use the found hour to savor a relaxing, enjoyable meal and unwind from a week of work.)