When it comes to cooking, there are a variety of meal preparation strategies that can help you save time.
My grandma, Maria Almonte, (center) in Venice, Italy, c. 1970s.
Here are just a few meal planning suggestions for people on the go!
Set aside a period of time.
You just need to set aside 5-10 minutes of your time to complete your meal planning tasks. Meal planning can be a daunting task, but setting aside just five minutes at the start of your day to organize your thoughts around what you will be cooking for dinner can make all the difference in terms of stress reduction.
Keep a record of the meals that are effective.
If you consider yourself to be a culinary expert, the chances are good that you have prepared and cooked more meals than you care to remember. Make a list of any dishes that are family favorites, such as this tomato soup recipe from Preppy Kitchen, and ones that are easy to prepare so that you do not have to worry about coming up with fresh dinner ideas every week. Furthermore, as you establish a pattern and develop a menu plan, you will have greater confidence in your culinary abilities.
Make it a bit more interesting.
There are a plethora of ways to spice things up in the kitchen in order to keep meals exciting and enjoyable. Why not incorporate a theme for the day into your meal planning to keep things interesting? Having themes in place might help you feel more structured.
Batch cook.
Cooking in quantity is a terrific way to save even more time. This means that whenever you are preparing a basic meal, you should prepare more than you would need. Any leftovers can be saved in the fridge or freezer for use the following night or for another meal. Bulk cooking can save you a significant amount of time and ensure that you are not slaving over the stove on a consistent daily basis. Also, keep track of the types of meals you intend to store in the refrigerator or freezer. Be careful to consume any leftovers within two days if you are storing meals in the refrigerator in order to avoid getting food poisoning. Any leftovers should be stored in Tupperware containers with the lid tightly closed and well labeled.
Plan your accompaniments and refreshing beverages.
A meal isn’t complete without a refreshing beverage, this is why many wines are paired with specific meals – for instance, white wine is often considered to go best with seafood. But it doesn’t have to be anything alcoholic that you drink, for instance enjoying a beautiful blend with the Atlas Tea Club can give you that refreshing, tasty taste-bud tour of the world after you’ve enjoyed your meal – setting you up for the day or night in a great mood.
A restaurant in Venice, Italy, c. 1970s.
My grandma’s hometown in Abruzzo, Italy, c. 1970s.