Because We All Have to Eat!
A friend once told me that she likes to cook but she doesn’t like to get a meal on the table every night. I didn’t understand what she meant. It’s not surprising I didn’t understand as at the time I didn’t have children and she had two.
Fast forward a few years and I understand exactly what she meant. I mean what’s up with kids wanting to eat multiple times a day, every single day? Really? Okay, you know I kid, but if you’re like me, though you might be happy to provide for your family, you might also get a bit worn out from the everyday cooking. And let’s be honest, sometimes it’s the cleaning up that is the worst part, but I digress.
I’ve tried a variety of ways to simplify my efforts in the kitchen and I’ve found only a few methods that really work. Of course, they’re nothing new. I simply make a plan and stick to it. Now, I’ll admit that I don’t necessarily always sit down on the weekend and plan out meals for the week, but I can honestly say that when I do, mealtime goes much more smoothly.
In addition to planning meals for the week, I’ve also learned that the best time to begin meal prep isn’t at 5 pm. It turns out that getting food ready earlier in the day is a much better way to do things. Imagine that! Again, I don’t always do that, but I know our evening is much more relaxed when I do! Of course, some meals are easier to prep ahead of time than others. However, things like chopping can almost always easily be done ahead of time.
Even better than getting started early in the day is not having to do anything but pull a meal out of the freezer to let it thaw. I’m trying to get back into the habit of freezer cooking, but it takes a bit more planning. However, I’ve found that for me, cooking double the amount each evening is a much more reasonable way for me to cook for my freezer than attempting to devote an entire day to cooking. I recently picked up a Taste of Home magazine full of fall freezer recipes. The best part is the recipes make at least two meals so that you don’t even have to bother doubling the recipe. Simply follow the directions and cook one meal for dinner and put the other one in the freezer. Easy peesy. Not quite as easy as making frozen pizza every night, but definitely more appetizing and certainly healthier.
Okay, that’s probably enough of me discussing of how I attempt to make meal prep simpler around my house. Now, I’d love to know what you do! Do tell. My kids don’t show any signs of giving up this whole eating thing and really, I’m kind of partial to it as well.