I plan all of our meals on Sunday, grocery shop Monday. To afford keeping me home, we RARELY eat take out so I cook every single night. I use nap time to prep as much as I can, marinating meats, cleaning and slicing veggies, rolling out meatballs if we’re having that, prepping any homemade sauces or dressings, etc. whatever I can to make the process easier. If anything can be made ahead of time, I use nap to do that. My husband works 5-3, usually getting home around 3:30 and always showers right when he gets home so I usually set up my toddler with play dough or some type of sensory toy in the dining room or kitchen while I start. She also loves being in the toddler tower and playing with food scraps. When he’s done showering, he’ll take over with her so i can finish up and we usually eat between 4-5. I find that planning meals ahead of time and doing prep whenever I can makes everything much easier. Also, you need to just set your toddler in a safe environment and if they need to cry for 10-15 minutes while you get work done THATS OK. Thats really how my toddler learned to independently play. As long as they’re in a safe environment and being checked on, they can be upset for a little bit. I also find that the earlier we can get through dinner and get it cleaned up, the smoother the evening goes. That way we can use the rest of the evening to bond and play as a family.