Nourish Your Life With Easy Weekday Dinners
Most moms will tell you that cooking is the bane of their lives. It’s the job that never ends, and something many of us have to think of all the time. First, you have to consider what to cook. Then, you need to get the ingredients. That’s far too much work before the cooking even begins! Then, you have to slave away in the kitchen for who knows how long. Worse, you have to do it EVERY SINGLE DAY.
It’s enough to make us scream. And, this task becomes even more difficult if you work. The last thing you want to do is come home and cook. But, when you try to put your foot down and stop the madness, you come up against those hungry kids with their puppy eyes. Before you know it, you’re over the stove again.
The good news is, while you do need to cook for your kids, there are easier ways to do it. You may doubt the existence of a little thing called ‘easy weekday meals,’ but they really do exist. And, these secrets can help you achieve them.
Meal plans
Forget the long-winded process of choosing a daily meal. Instead, get into the habit of setting aside an hour on a Sunday evening. Sure, it may seem like a large chunk of time to give over to this cause. But, bear in mind that, if you choose a meal each day, you’ll take at least that long shopping for ingredients. Sit down with your cookbooks and plan out what you want and when. It may also be worth keeping your diary handy, and noting evening activities the kids are doing at school, etc. That way, you can plan meals which you’ll always have time for. If you know you’ll be busy on one evening; it may be a good night for something from the freezer. Once you know what you’re eating, write out one ingredients list, then get everything during the same shopping trip!
Preparation
If you haven’t tried it before, preparation could well change your cooking game. For one, this will save you a considerable deal of time on the nights where every second counts. Plus, this method ensures you don’t have to spend hours cooking every day. Instead, you can get it all done in a foul swoop. If you’re good at doing a lot of things at once, this doesn’t even have to take much longer than a standard meal would. Place prepared meals in airtight containers, and stick labels on each with the day of the week it’ll be eaten. Bear in mind that the duration for which you can keep things in the fridge varies. With fresh meats, it’s not advisable to leave them for longer than three days. So, it’s worth writing dates on these, too.
Of course, literal meal preparation isn’t your only option here. You could also do all your chopping in advance, and keep things in pots until you need them. Or, you could turn to a slow-cooker, and leave it to do the cooking while you’re all out for the day. Whatever option you choose, this is sure to make your life easier.
An easy clean
Dinner went down well, and you can rest easy that your family is full and happy. Time to kick back for the evening. Or, not. Don’t forget about all that cleaning which awaits. Cooking is a messy process at the best of times, especially when you’re doing it fast. Lucky for you, we have a few tips about speeding up this process, too. For one, it’s worth thinking about the equipment you buy for your kitchen. If you stock up on frying pans which don’t fit in the dishwasher, you can be sure you’ll spend hours scrubbing over the sink. To make sure it doesn’t happen, always check that your picks are dishwasher friendly. Take a look at something like this list of the best frying pans 2018, and take your pick. All the choices included are dishwasher friendly. You can find similar lists for just about any kitchen equipment you can imagine. So, start doing your research.
Another fantastic way to make this job easier is to develop a kitchen cleaning rota. You did the cooking, after all. Why not let the rest of your family clean the mess? This is also a fantastic way to teach your kids essential cleaning lessons. When their future kitchen is spotless, they’ll have the rota to thank for it.