Cooking is supposed to be fun, right? For many busy parents, however, cooking dinner can often feel more like a chore than anything else. After a busy day on your feet, standing in the kitchen for hours on end probably doesn’t sound too enjoyable.
Lucky for busy moms everywhere, there are lots of ways to simplify dinnertime so you’ll have more time to actually enjoy your food and your family. Use the following easy tips for saving time in the kitchen and cut down on mealtime stress:
- Keep your storage space organized so you don’t waste time digging through cabinets or your refrigerator for the items you need. As a general rule, keep frequently-used utensils, tools and foods toward the front of your cabinets and drawers and push rarely-used items to the back.
- If you haven’t tried meal planning, you should definitely start doing so. Spend Sunday night coming up with dinner ideas for each night of the week to save time stressing over what to make later on. This can also help prevent you from wasting money on groceries you don’t end up using.
- Keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with staples such as butter, milk, parmesan cheese, pasta, boneless chicken breasts and wide variety of spices. This way, you won’t have to run out to the grocery store each time you find a new recipe.
- Don’t be afraid to used prepackaged foods. Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables are often a great value because they won’t go bad; plus, foods like canned beans or precooked chicken are perfect to have on hand for dozens of easy recipes.
- Doubling or tripling a recipe can provide you with leftovers for the rest of the week, which makes dinnertime a cinch! Cook in large batches and either refrigerate leftovers for later in the week or freeze them for a couple months down the road when you’re in need of a quick meal.
Author Bio: This is a guest post by Meredith K. on behalf of ReadySetEat. Visit www.readyseteat.com for more easy recipes for dinner your family will love!
Carrie says
One of my goals for 2013 was to make freezer cooking a regular habit. It’s a lot of work that one day but it is so worth it !! It’s taken some practice to find meals that my family actually likes…and still tastes good after being frozen. :-)
Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids says
Great list of suggestions! I actually do most of those things. Meal planning is a must for me, especially since I live a half hour from the grocery store, which also means keeping things on hand in the pantry and deep freeze is a must too! Thanks for sharing.
Jill says
I like to cook a couple meals at once, that way I do all the prep at once so it’s quicker, plus I don’t dirty as many dishes and it saves on clean up time!
Christy @ Creating a Beautiful Life says
Love #5. I don’t do enough of that one. Thanks for sharing these tips. I’m visiting from the On Display Monday link party.
Christy @ Creating a Beautiful Life
Lori says
I use tip #5 a lot. If I”m cooking chicken, I make enough to use in the recipe AND for another meal later that week. I might chop it for chicken salad, grill it to toss onto a salad, or cut it up for chicken pot pie or a casserole. Cook once, eat twice. YES!
Christina from PlayEatGrow.com says
I have just recently started meal planning, and it has been such a life changer. It not only has me doing more effective shopping and cooking, it has lowered my stress level because I’m not worrying all day what I’m going to make that night. Great tips!
Marie says
These are some very good ideas. Planning ahead is a big one. It makes thing go so much smoother during the week. Visiting from Totally Tasty Tuesday.
Heather @ French Press says
Thank for sharing such GREAT tips! Hope to see you again at wake up wednesdays
Michelle says
Planning is a huge time saver for me, and I need to double more recipes! Thanks for the reminder!!
Mothering From Scratch says
{Melinda} Great tips! Meal planning is crucial. When I don’t do it, I feel out of whack and flying by the seat of my pants all week. It’s definitely a time saver and stress-reliever!
Visiting from the Ladies Only Blog Share!
Carla says
These are super tips! I also keep a grocery list and just write down whatever I’m getting low on or out of so that I don’t forget it and keep my grocery bill low. For the extra cooking, I also like to combine that with extended family dinners. Since I’m already making so much for family to come over, I just make tons more and then we don’t usually have to cook until mid-week. Huge time saver! I loved this post.
Coming by from Ladies Only Blog Share!
Nicolette Springer says
Great tips. Another one I would add is to prep in bulk. If I need to chop veggies or meat for one meal. I try and prep enough for the next few days. Thanks for joining the Mommy Brain Mixer this week.
Tracy says
Great ideas!!!
Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick says
Great time-saving tips! Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com