Planning ahead is key for quick meals!
I don’t know about you, but for me, the more I have on my plate, the less I feel like I can get done effectively. And then, throw on everyday stresses of life and the last thing that I want to do is decide what is for dinner and then cook it. This is where meal planning and prep come in handy. There are many ways to do this and it’s all about finding what works out for you. For me, I need to have options and flexibility. If I plan a week’s worth of meals on Sunday, by the time I get to Tuesday or Wednesday, I’m bored with what I’ve planned and I go off schedule. I find that keeping some key ingredients on hand at all times is the key. This includes a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer. I also like to have a few options that are already prepared, or cooked and frozen, for those nights that I really don’t want to deal with dinner.
Stocking Your Kitchen
Things you should have in your pantry.
Take a look at THIS LINK from Pioneer Woman, which has a great checklist of pantry, fridge, and freezer essentials that you can print out and use to shop and organize.
Basic Kitchen Tools
In order to be efficient in the kitchen, it’s imperative that you have at least the basic pieces of equipment. THIS LINK provides a list of some basic things that every kitchen should have.
“The biggest challenges for me is trying to figure out what to cook for dinner nightly. You know, just night after night. What is it gonna be tonight?”
– Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul
Tips for Meal Planning
The inspiration for this blog post was a conversation with my oldest son, who recently moved into his own apartment. When he was home for Christmas, I asked him what he needed the most help with. He responded that he needed to figure out a way to not eat dinner so late. Between school and his part-time job at Lowe’s, he was coming home and cooking at 10:00 PM and not eating until 11. I told him that there was a much better way to go about this, especially given the fact that he has a fully stocked kitchen with a slow cooker, InstantPot, and a host of other tools.
Here are some of the tips that I offered him:
- Do your meal prep on the days that you don’t have work AND school. Use the time to plan your meals around your schedule, pre-cook proteins, prep veggies, etc.
- Stock up on basic pantry items when they are on sale; make sure to make a plan to use or freeze fresh items.
- Save recipes that take the most time for the nights that you don’t have work AND school.
- Cook larger batches of things like chili and ziti that can be reheated through the week and frozen in individual portions.
- Use your slow cooker to make dinner WHILE you are at work/school.
- Look at the weather forecast for the week ahead to help inspire your meals (soups and stews for cold, rainy weather; grilled meat for a nice weather day, etc.).
Some Recipes for Consideration
Try the recipes below and be sure to check out the RECIPES page for more ideas and inspiration. The Stress-free meals are at the bottom of the page. Until next time…
