10 Great Tips on Cooking Meals
If you are as busy as most people you are always looking for ways to feed your family in convenient, fast, yet not-too-expensive ways. Try the following suggestions:
1. Cooking several meals for the week at one time
It may take a few hours of your time up front but will pay off in the long run when you come home each evening and have a meal ready to eat in a short amount of time. Try cooking a roast and using part of it as a main meal and then using some for sandwiches, beef stroganoff or as part of a stir-fry. Fry several pounds of hamburger and make a casserole, taco meat and chili to freeze for use later in the week.
2. After you return home from the grocery store clean all the fruits and vegetables you can
When its time for a meal all you will have to do is cook them or add them to a salad or soup. This is a great time saver and it is something the kids (and hubby) can help with also. :-)
3. Get ideas from the cooking shows on T.V.
Okay so maybe we need to watch the Muppet Show later, but let's be honest, there are great cooking shows that show you how to make a healthy meal in a short time. Here is my favorite place to get ideas (https://www.foodnetwork.com/) This is NOT an affiliate link, nor am I endorsing them. This is merely a suggestion and nothing more. :-)
4. Develop a revolving recipe file
If you get bogged down by the idea of having to plan 30 meals a month the recipe file is for you. Let family members choose some of their favorites and put the recipes in a monthly file. Flip to day five or fifteen and there is the meal just waiting to be cooked.
We would even have the kids put their suggestions on the front of the fridge so we could make sure we knew who chose dinner for that night and what they chose for us to have. This helped with keeping the family engaged and included in the meal process rather than always asking when dinner would be done. No one wants that! :-)
5. Enlist the help of the members of your family
As soon as the kids are old enough divide up the cooking responsibilities. Let everyone take turns with specific tasks or the whole meal. Pair these meals with fruit and veggies that have already been washed and cut-up and you are ready for dinner.
6. Share the cooking with friends or neighbors
I've known people who cook four or five of the same meal and then trade with four or five other people. This works best when people share the same basic ideas on what they like and don't like. Its a great idea though for a very easy week of evening meals. This works especially well if you have friends or neighbors with the same size family or at least close to the same size. It is also a great way to stay connected to your neighbors. :-)
7. Save coupons for those convenience things at the grocery store
Okay, so maybe you don't have to clip coupons all the time but they really do add up over time and they are great to use in your favorite grocery store. They have entire entrees and dinners either fresh or frozen. Sometimes they are rather pricy but with the coupons they are good to have on hand for an evening when everyone is running in different directions and time is of the essence. Here is a great place to simply add those salads quickly and easily as a side to the main dish.
8. Its O.K. to eat out from time to time
Clip coupons for these occasions and if you have kids keep a look-out for the places that have special prices for children. Some of the fast-food restaurants are trying to offer item choices that are a little more healthy.
9. Many larger cities have businesses that prepare food for the evening meal
They seem expensive at first but are so convenient and available for one person or entire families. There are many menu choices and meals cooked for special diets. When you calculate the groceries you buy and the times you eat out each week, this may work for you. I have never used this type of service but here is one that I have heard good things about (https://www.preppeddelivery.com/) This is NOT an affiliate link, nor am I endorsing them. This is merely a suggestion and nothing more :-)
10. Combine several of the above ideas into a plan that is best for you
It is possible with a little planning to cook meals that are quick and easy without spending hours in the kitchen every day
Thanks for reading, for more great tips you can follow me @shannonpurple :-)
