Let me wish you all a Happy New Year again! Christmas break is over and the boys went back to school today which allowed for time for me to check in with you all- LOL. If you are like me you are eager to see what this new decade will bring and have probably made yourself some goals and resolutions! As I’ve said before I am determined to finish my cookbook and am proud to report I did get some recipes down once Brielle took her first nap. I also did a ton of meal prep while she was sleep which is what I want to talk more about and share some of my hacks to save you time in the kitchen this year so you can attend to spending time with your loved ones and achieving your goals.
This is a busy time for our family. My husband and I are blessed in that Errol can often work from home as the CEO of his own company. However there are seasons for one reason or the other that require him to commute from the Valley where we live to El Segundo. That means awful traffic, long commutes and that he gets up early and returns home late. It also means that it’s on me to feed the kids in the morning, get them to school ON TIME, get their homework done and have dinner cooked and the kitchen clean while my husband is working or commuting. It’s especially in these times I have to be wise about the time it takes to cook and clean up without sacrificing the healthy and delicious meals my family has grown accustomed to.
One thing people ask me is how I have time to cook all these meals, and desserts, and do fun things with my family with three children under 5 with makeup on for the gram LOL. The answer is I don’t do it all- at least not in a days time. So as we go into this New Year let’s work smarter, not harder. Here are the time saving hacks I use to cook enjoyable meals in as little time and with as little stress as possible.
TIME SAVING MEAL PREP HACKS
1. USE YOUR INSTA-POT OR CROCKPOT FOR A READY MADE BREAKFAST OR DINNER. I’ll just go ahead and admit that I have spoiled everyone in this house- I make a HOT breakfast for my family each day. Yes you heard me right each day. And no- I’m not up at the crack of dawn slaving in the kitchen either. I use my insta-pot to make overnight steel cut oats with berries and fruit. I delay the cook time so that breakfast is hot and ready when we wake up- and I cook enough to eat the next day! Speaking of making enough to eat the next day..
2. DOUBLE YOUR RECIPES SO YOU HAVE LEFT-OVERS. We don’t mind eating leftovers in this house and I have to admit it saves so much time. Consider doubling your spaghetti or casserole dishes. You can either eat them over the course of several days or freeze a pan to eat later…. And speaking of freezing dishes to bake them later..
3. FREEZE MEALS TO SAVE TIME LATER ON. One of the best things I learned to do as homemaker and a hostess for family gatherings and parties is that I can make meals ahead and freeze them to save time the day of an event or to save time on weeks where my husband is getting home late and there’s not much time to cook. I freeze soups, quiches, casseroles and even unbaked pies and cook them the day of and it is a saving grace when you are short on time I tell you!
4. HAVE A STASH OF HOMEMADE COOKIE DOUGH ON HAND IN THE FRIDGE. Did I mention that my family is spoiled rotten- they expect dessert every night! But of course I AM NOT making dessert every night. What I have found to be a great time saver is to make homemade chocolate chip cookie dough and keep it in an air tight container in the fridge. If I don’t have any dessert made I can easily pop in few cookies in the oven for a no-stress dessert.
5. MAKE ONE PAN-MEALS. Making meals all in one pan or baking dish saves time cooking and cleaning up. I especially like cooking in dishes that can be used to bake in the oven and come with a lid for food storage later! Some of my favorite one-pan dish ideas are chicken thighs, brusell sprouts and baby potatoes or salmon and asparagus. I can’t wait to share these recipes with you soon!
Do you have any time saving meal-prep hacks? Please leave them in the comments below.
