We entirely understand if you’ve had it with coming up with original meal ideas amid the busy work, school, and life weeks. There’s something unpleasant about coming home after a hard day and having to prepare dinner – unless, of course, you’re a foodie and cooking is your hobby.
Attempting to prepare a home-cooked supper after a hard day can indeed present several difficulties. To begin with, you must have the proper ingredients on hand; otherwise, you will need to rush to the store or give up and order expensive and unhealthy junk food.
Second, as soon as you walk through the door, everyone appears to be vying for your attention, whether it’s the dog, the kids, your spouse, or your flatmates. If you’re living on your own, maybe nobody needs your attention.
However, you may prefer to spend your free time reading a good book, watching your favourite series or playing NetBet online slots instead of slaving away in the kitchen preparing a huge meal just for yourself.
All the more reason we’ve put together these tips on how to save time cooking meals so that you’ll have more time to spend doing the things you love or with the people you love.
Planning is Key
Getting home and then starting to think about what you are going to make for supper is not going to save you any time. Weekly meal planning can save you time, stress and money. Sit down once a week and plan what you’re going to cook. Leave your list on the fridge or, better yet, save it on your phone for easy reference.
Stock The Kitchen
Make sure you have everything you need to prepare your meals after you’ve planned them. Try to make one trip to the store to get everything you’ll need for the coming week or month. Always have your go-to essentials like pasta, brown rice, frozen veggies, and fruits in the pantry and freezer.
This will make it simpler to alter your planned dinner if you forget to buy something. The same is true for your spice cabinet, which should have all the spices you enjoy using in your cooking and require for your scheduled meals.
Cook in Bulk and Freeze
Spend a few hours on Sunday (or any quiet day of the week) preparing large quantities of carbohydrates or proteins that you can mix and match during the week. Most foods can be kept in the fridge for at least three days.
Learn To Love Your Freezer
For even greater time savings, you may freeze prepared meals or portions of meals. By doing so, you may take dinner out to thaw while you’re gone for the day and add any fresh items you like right before dining.
Having frozen vegetables on hand is an excellent idea due to their adaptability. They do well in stir-fries, salads, and straightforward one-skillet dishes. These pre-packaged veggie mixtures are an easy way to start a full meal. Also, they guarantee that your fresh food won’t spoil as soon as it would in the refrigerator.
