I know I can’t be the only one out there that struggles with finding time to work, cook, rest and have a social life. I can’t even count the number of times that we get home from work, hungry and tired from a long day and the fridge is empty of sustenance. We look at each other in despair, not even speaking a word and just know that we are going to have a bad night of takeaway pizza followed by the guilt of eating it.
Planning, that’s all it takes. A little planning and team work to share the load. We are getting better at it. We have a few tips to help others that struggle like us.
Tip 1: We set aside time flick through our cookbooks twice a week and pick out a three nights worth of recipes. We choose a variety of things, recipes that are easy to make, can be made ahead, at least one new recipe to add variety and add to our repertoire. We keep our lists in a safe place to reuse in a few weeks time.
Tip 2: Remember to discuss your plans for the week. My other half plays football twice a week so on those nights he tends not to want to come home to a stodgy, heavy meal (this is my speciality), so we try to plan around that.
Tip 3: Prepare your shopping list and check what you have in your cupboards so not to duplicate items, it’s amazing what you forget you have hidden at the back of your cupboard.
Tip 4: Cook extra. You can always freeze these portions for a rainy day or week that you haven’t had the time to plan ahead. I am only just starting to make use of my freezer and I can’t tell you how useful it’s been. You will need to invest in storage containers, we have started buy foil trays and plastic boxes to store freezer meals, it’s been really handy.
Tip 5: Stock up your cupboards with staple ingredients that you can use for a variety of things. Spices can change a dish from bland to exciting with just a pinch.
Has anyone else got any other tips to share that can help make life a little easier? Or have you any cook books or sources you can recommend?
Recipe magazines are great for inspiration without the expense of a cookbook, and they usually have a section for quick midweek meals. Sites like delicious magazine and bbcgoodfood are great for searching for recipes involving a certain ingredient, for example if you’re trying to use up what’s in your cupboard or make three different meals with bean sprouts!
I like delicious magazine as well as the site, olive is good and the sainsbury’s magazine too (although that might be hard for you to find!)