How to Save Time Cooking Meals

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By coachniquenya
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Save Time Cooking Meals

Once upon a time, meals were a time to gather the family for good conversation and to share love. With today's hustle and bustle, meals are no longer revered as that time-honored tradition. Now it is hard enough to find the time just to prepare the meal, let alone eat it together. Here are some steps you can take to save time cooking meals in addition to recapturing quality time with your family.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Willpower
Diligence
Creativity
Freezer and storage bags
Permanent marker
Crockpot
Family

Step 1

Plan your meals for the week well ahead of time. If there is a particular day you go shopping, take a few moments to think about what meals you might have during the week and make your list accordingly. Double-check cupboards and/or the pantry to make sure that you have every ingredient you will need. I know I have wasted a lot of time pausing during meal prep because I couldn't find an essential ingredient and may have even had to run out to the store. This can be avoided by thinking well in advance.
Step 2

Label and freeze your seasoned meats.

Pre-prep your meats. Upon your return from the grocer, immediately wash and season your meats for the week. Place them in freezer bags and clearly label each bag with a permanent marker. This will greatly reduce the prep time for each meal as you will only need to transfer the meat from the freezer to the fridge the night before to allow it to thaw; then cook as you desire when time comes.
Step 3

Freezer and storage bags can be a good friend to a busy lifestyle.

You can also cut up your veggies ahead of time and freeze these as well. Onions, bell pepper, celery and even carrots can all be precut and frozen in smaller bags for later use as needed. This is especially useful if you know you're going to need veggies for sauces or soups. In fact, tomato-based sauces can be prepared ahead of time to be used in multiple meals. Many Spanish dishes call for sofrito (a sauce made with garlic, onions and tomatoes cooked in olive oil) as their base so large amounts of this standard ingredient are prepared well ahead of time and frozen in this way.
Step 4

Save time making meals by enlisting the kids for help.

Get help from your kids. Make cooking fun for the whole family. Give the little ones special jobs to do according to their ages. Not only will you be spending quality time with the kids but you will also teach them valuable skills that they will need later in life. The extra helping hand(s) will also help you to save time.
Step 5

Clean as you go.

Clean as you go. A messy kitchen can be difficult to work in. Cleaning as you go is a great way to combat this problem and you won't be overwhelmed in post meal cleanup. This is also a great job to assign the kids.
Step 6

Using a crockpot can save a good deal of time.

Invest in a crockpot. Just toss all of your ingredients into the crockpot and then let it simmer while you're off at work, running errands or managing your other household chores. Your meal will be ready just in time for dinner. What's more is that there will be little cleanup from this one pot meal.
Step 7

Make good use of leftovers. Don't allow good food to go to waste. Turn your leftovers into a new meal. Leftover chicken or beef can be used in soups, sandwiches or stir-fried dishes. Leftover mashed potatoes or grits can be combined with eggs and then fried into a pancake for breakfast. Leftover rice can be made into pudding, topped with gravy or added to soups and stir-fries. The options are only limited by your creativity.
Step 8

Freeze unused portions of your meals.

Make more than you need. Remember your freezer bags. Make extra rice, soups, beans and sauces and freeze them for later use. By doubling recipes and freezing the unused portion, you can drastically reduce the time needed to cook future meals.