There’s a lot of truth to the saying “organization saves time.” This holds true in the kitchen as well. If you can set aside one day or evening to prep a week’s worth of meals you’ll be way ahead of the game for several upcoming days or nights.
Meal prepping saves time plus your sanity while giving you more opportunities to do things you truly enjoy! Getting started is easier than you might think and a lot less overwhelming than starting from scratch to make meals every single day.
Here you will find some basics to get you started as well as planning your grocery list. If you play your cards right, the curiosity of your kids will pique and they will have a craving to be a part of this new endeavor! In turn, you will be paving a path filled with concrete habits when little ones grow into their own homes. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!
The Basics
First of all, what exactly is food prep? That can be explained in extensive micro steps or simplified into an explanation that will also save time and confusion. Basically, you are working towards wholesome meals made in the most efficient and well-managed amount of time.
To accomplish that task, you will begin with planning, shopping, and prepping in ways that will make dinner time as simple as popping it in the oven or a quick pour and stir dish. All families are different so the first goal is to decide what meal types work best for you towards simplifying your life.
Planning
Stepping into a grocery store hungry or unprepared can lead to disaster and a lot of expense! Using a spiral notebook gives you plenty of space to get your thoughts together and write them down. To begin, start with each day of the week that you will be serving a meal. Under each day, plan your menu and write it down. On another page, immediately write down the ingredients needed from page one. A handy way to organize a grocery list is by creating columns at the top of the page titled fresh, frozen, meat, dairy and miscellaneous. Put each item needed under the appropriate column. This is so much easier than a scrambled list which almost always results in forgetting something. Check off your item as you put it in your cart. Search for recipes that are one-dish meals that are easier than several different courses. You can save those for the weekends or special occasions when you have more time to spare.
Take One Day to Prep
Set aside one day per week to prep so you can breathe easy the rest of the week. Doing all possible prepping like washing produce, chopping, slicing, dicing, and cooking meats will save time as well as clean up. Using sturdier produce like kale over lettuce will give you a superfood option that is less likely to turn brown or wilt. Prepare and cook all foods that will go in your recipes. Now all you have to do is cool and store in the fridge or freezer. This may sound like a lot to do at one time but it will be so worth it in days ahead when meals are ready to serve after simply thawing and heating.
Cooking Shortcuts
Everyone loves the smoky taste of the grill. With a little planning, you can have what you are craving any day of the week! While the charcoal is hot and the wood is smoking, go ahead and load it up with burgers, hotdogs, chicken, fish, veggies, and anything else your heart and taste buds desire! Refrigerate what you will eat in the next day or two and freeze the rest for those rainy evenings when grilling is not an option. You’ll save a tremendous amount of time and money compared to smoking everything separately. This concept also applies to other forms of meat prep such as sautéing and stir fry.
Serving Options
Once your meals are prepped, organization and proper storage containers are key in keeping with the whole purpose of preparing ahead of time. Reap your rewards by storing your meals in convenient containers that are safe for both freezing and heating. What a relief to come home, warm it up, and relax! Here is a great option for prep to freezer to oven convenience.
Overlap Ingredients
This whole concept is about saving money and time so you don’t want to get overwhelmed with the process or the cost. By overlapping, there’s no need to buy too many meats and other ingredients. In most cases, you can use a couple of meats weekly and sub them out. Who says chicken stew can’t become beef stew or fajita ingredients can’t be beef or chicken while saving the fish and pork for next week? Also, as you chop and prep, put carrots in one container, kale in another, onions in another, and so forth to allow clear visibility for a quick grab and mix when making your side salad or other fresh options.
To come full circle…remember, “organization saves time and sanity”!
