There’s no doubt about it, time is our most valuable resource and most of us think we don’t have enough hours in a day. All these amazing gadgets we have acquired over the last 50 years or so that were supposed to ‘save us time’ seem to have just encouraged us to squeeze even more into our day – which I’m not sure is the best thing but that’s another conversation!
So how much time do you have to prepare meals? Well in 2020 it was reported that people spend half as much time prepping meals and snacks than their parent’s generation, and a lack of time was said to be the biggest issue.
So, if we’ve got less time (whether that be due to work or family commitments, or both) what can we do to make sure we’re still eating well and showing our kids that it’s good to invest time in cooking? Well one way is to start batch cooking – and I promise once you start you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it before!
Let’s go…
1. Before you start you’re going to need to invest in some equipment:
Extra baking dishes or just some really big ones
Reusable silicon food storage bags
Of course, you can use any bags and pots with lids that you already have but try to avoid switch to reusable and also plastic free!
2. Now there will be no point in doing any of this if you don’t have anywhere to store the food you make. So, take this opportunity to clear out that freezer and even defrost it, if needed. Throw out anything that looks dodgy, make a plan to eat up anything else and make some space!
3. Next make a list of family favourites that you make double of – one pot dishes like chilli, spag bol, curry, dhal, stew, tagine work really well but you can also portion up things like fish pie, cottage pie, shepherds pie if using a pot with lid. You can also use this time to find some new recipes – you can find lots in my Family Recipe Collection Ebook
4. It’s much easier if you don’t decide to do a huge batch cook on one day, instead when you meal plan each week, try to include at least one dish per week where you can make more for the freezer.
5. Finally, when it comes to portioning and freezing the food you want to do this ASAP after cooking and cooling (within 2 hours). You also want to make sure that you’re freezing portion sizes that work for you and your family. I like to freeze a mix of ‘family size’ bags, individual adult portions and ‘2 x kids’ portion as this works best for us. I tend to use cups to measure things but my husband uses weight. Either way we know we’re freezing the right quantity and we won’t have any wastage! Oh and don’t forget to LABEL it – no one wants chilli when they are expecting spag bol!
And that’s it!
Over time you’ll add to your stash whilst also using up things that you’ve already made. I tend to factor in a few freezer days each week, depending on what’s going on and I’ll normally add some fresh veg as a side. What you do depends on your weekly schedule.
I’d love to know how you get on so please tag me in your photos online!
@i_love_greens_nutrition
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