Shortcuts = Less Meal Prep Stress
Whether you're busy working outside of the home, or live with a chronic and debilitating illness, or both, putting shortcuts into place will help you in a number of areas, including less stress, better time management, energy conservation and food waste prevention. It may even motivate you to prepare more cooked-from-scratch meals!
Shortcuts for You
- When your vegetables are looking a little weary, pop them into freezer bags. You'll reduce waste, plus you'll have the ingredients handy for your next batch of soup.
- Getting ready to spin your lettuce? Tear the lettuce into small pieces, soak covered in water, drain then spin.
- Double up to save time and energy. Next time you prepare a casserole, soup, or bake a batch of cookies, double the recipe, then freeze what you don't eat.
- Speaking of cookies, I have a wonderful ginger cookie recipe that I've made gluten-free. Instead of baking them all at once, I drop the raw cookies onto the cookie sheet, then freeze them. Once they're frozen, I'll put them into a zip-lock bag. When company comes, I'll bake a few in my toaster oven to serve with tea or coffee.
- Freeze blobs (OK - spoonfuls) of cooked pumpkin. (Yes, my freezer is my friend!) You can add a blob (there's a technical term) to your porridge, smoothie and even the dog's dish.
- I often plan out what I will make during the next week to ensure that I have the ingredients I need. Each week, I fill my cart with vegetable staples (the ones we always eat), so I can often "wing it" for meal times. If you like to make what tickles your fancy, the trick is to ensure that the cupboards aren't bare, Mother Hubbard, because when they are, that's when trouble comes a-calling. To stamp out bad or poor eating habits, feed your body and soul with food that is nutritionally sound. It's impossible to do if you don't have the right ingredients on hand.
What shortcuts do you use in the kitchen?
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Going to try the freezing cookie concept. Great post. Happy New Year. Wish I lived in Canada!!
Thanks, Beth!
Let me know when you’re dropping by and I’ll have some cookies ready for you. 🙂 Tea or coffee?
I completely understand your “wish”!
I try to buy berries in season and freeze them.
Rinse them off, layout on cookie sheets, freeze then put in an ice cream bucket. You can then take out what ever you need without them sticking together.
You can use the same idea for meat portions.
That’s a good way to lock in all that summer freshness.
I did the same with these wonderful and previously unheard of variety of grapes. Just finished the last of them in our New Year’s Eve chocolate fondu. (12 grapes for good luck, as per a Spanish tradition.)