How to Cook a Week's Worth of Meals Once a Week
Eating properly and feeding our families is an essential part of daily life. Busy work schedules make it challenging to find the time to prepare a variety of tasty and nutritious meals ever day. Restaurants and take-out menus may be readily available but are usually more expensive and less healthy than home-cooked food. Purchasing ready-made frozen meals is another option, but that is also costly and not always appetizing. The solution is to prepare your meals in advance when you have time on the weekends. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Recipe books
- Airtight food storage containers
- Cooking utensils
- Pen and paper
- Marker
Instructions
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Plan your menus for the week. Write down the days of the week on the top of the page and then list ideas for appetizers, main courses, side dishes and desserts for all seven meals. You want nutritious meals for your family, so be sure to balance proteins, carbohydrates, fats and sugars.
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Select recipes that freeze well. This might be indicated at the bottom of the recipe. If not, remember that meats and fish withstand freezing very well. Some vegetables with high water content might change in texture when frozen.
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Make a list of the ingredients you need and go shopping before you start cooking. Clear your kitchen counters of all clutter to enlarge your work space. Place all necessary tools and equipment on the counter.
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Maximize your productivity by cooking more than one recipe at the same time. Decide the sequence of what you will cook, depending upon which recipes require the oven and which need the stove top or microwave. Food that does not need attention while it is cooking should be prepared first. For example, get the roast into the oven, then prepare your soup to simmer on the stove. While those two dishes are cooking you are free to start chopping vegetables that will be cooked in the microwave.
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Cooking together as a family can be more enjoyable and productive. Allow food to cool down before you put it away in storage containers. Label every container with the date of preparation, the name of the dish and whether it is a main dish or another category. Stack these containers in your freezer by category if you have the space. It will be fast and easy to retrieve balanced meals throughout the week.
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Tips & Warnings
Set aside several hours for the cooking session and mark it on your calendar days earlier.
Double up favorite recipes and serve the same dish twice in one week, several days apart.
Slightly under cook roasts. When you reheat them in the oven they will be done to perfection.
Enlist the help of the rest of the family. You will be more productive and have fun together.
Be especially cautious when you are cooking several things at once. Slow down and always use oven mitts to remove hot dishes from the oven. If your kitchen is small, it's better to have only one person cooking at a time.
References
Resources
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