So here are my game changers that have made a HUGE difference for meal time so my family can still have home cooked meals most of the time (hey – I need a break from cooking and my family needs a break from my cooking, too!). (Please note: These may not work for everyone…I value my sanity over most things, so these suggestions are probably not for the extremely health-conscious or environmentally friendly.)
- FROZEN ONIONS: I know you are probably thinking that it’s pretty weird that this is the first item on my list, as you were probably expecting something extremely creative and mind-blowing, but nope – JUST FROZEN ONIONS! It truly is a game changer. A friend of mine posted a pic of herself in ski goggles trying to cut an onion (you can relate, right??) and one of the comments suggested frozen onions. I DIED!!! I immediately went to the store and bought out the frozen onions and they literally are on my list every week. Just like the hot sauce: I use that sh!t on everything! LOL 🤣 So, now, you can use onions without having to cut them, smell like them, cry because of them….I mean, doesn’t that just make life better? I knew you would agree!!
- Keep a list of recipes: As simple as this sounds, this was huge for me. I use the OrganizEat app and managed to get a steal of a price on the lifetime membership. It’s awesome because I just screenshot all the Pinterest recipes I find, log them in the app and then delete the picture off my phone to save my memory for the millions of pics I have of my boys. (I think we both know that picture doesn’t get deleted and I get messages about my memory pretty often 🤦♀️) Anyway, I have a nice foundation of recipes that I can use and then as I try out other ones, I add to it. I will also take pictures of the recipes I see in magazines and save it so I have it on the off-chance I actually have a moment to make that delicious-looking cake from page 67. (Don’t have many recipes? Check out my blog on super simple, easy, time-saving recipes!)
- CROCKPOT! I call every slow cooker a Crockpot, so don’t take this as an add for Crockpot, specifically…I don’t care what brand it is as long as I can DUMP IT AND FORGET IT!!! Slow cookers are amazing…unless you have watched This is Us and now panic your slow cooker will burn down the house! But seriously – I will prepare the meal in the slow cooker the night before, store it in the fridge (just the insert, not the warming base) and put it on before I left for work….and BOOM 💥 Meal is ready when at dinner time! (If you are in the market for a slow cooker, I love my programmable one: Cuisinart PSC-650 Stainless Steel 6-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker and don’t forget the liner bags to avoid a lot of clean up after: Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liners).
- Freezer meals: This game changer saved me after I had babies! Both time, I planned ahead and made some freezer meals so I could just dump the meals in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker; it’s a ready-made meal without the prep, so it’s a win all around! Typically, I will make freezer meals if there are particular ingredients on sale, like bell peppers. I will plan for fajitas when bell peppers are on sale, but not only will I make fajitas for us one night, I will make 2 – 3 meals – one to prepare and one or two to freeze so I have them for later. Money and time saver!!! (Note: Freezer meals are best for slow cooker and instant pot recipes.)
- Plan for leftovers: I plan for at least 2 nights of leftovers through the week because first, it’s wasteful not to use them and second, it saves me from having to cook!
- MEAL PREP: Meal prep is the absolute WORST part of cooking (in my humble opinion, of course), but unfortunately, pretty necessary. So, in order to save myself from having to do food prep all week (or just ordering takeout so I don’t have to prep at all), I will do as much prep as possible and make most of our planned meals on Sunday. Then, each night, we use our trusty microwave to heat up a meal. Is it ideal? Probably not…but it saves us a lot of money in ordering out and makes dinner time WAY easier and less stressful.
- Plastic silverware and paper plates: Now, I know I am not winning any environmental prize by saying this, but man: not having to load dishes and then deal with unloading them and putting them away – what a great night!!!
Hopefully, some of these tips/tricks resonate with you and will help you get a little more time back in your week. If you were able to use any of these, leave a comment below! And – please share your tips and tricks; sharing is caring 😉💕
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