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Beating the Can’t Be Bothered Dinnertime Blues
If you leave thinking about dinner until dinnertime, it's most likely that cooking is the last thing you want to do and you'll have a good case of the "can't be bothered dinnertime blues".
Cooking may not be your favourite chore, it certainly isn't mine, but it is something that needs to be done every day if you want (or need) to stick to a grocery spending plan.
Thankfully, there are many time management techniques that you can use to make cooking a faster and easier and more enjoyable part of your day.
One of the easiest ways to save time throughout the week is to plan your meals ahead of time. This will free up the time you spend each night trying to decide what to make for dinner, racing to the supermarket, standing in line to pay for your purchases, and then driving back home to cook your meal.
Instead, you’ll sit down, write out the meals you’ll have during the week, and make one trip to the supermarket. You can plan your meals according to what you have in the fridge, freezer and pantry. Use those foods and what is on sale that week to make up a meal plan and your shopping list.
These two things will alone will save you money and time. Just knowing that something is already planned for dinner that you don't need to think about it as soon as you walk in the door from work or after a tiring and busy day, makes it so much easier.
I keep a monthly meal plan on the fridge, for all to see. It stops the incessant "what's for dinner" question that used to start around 4.30pm every afternoon in our house. Now everyone can just look at the meal plan and know what they'll be sitting down to come dinnertime.
One of my favourite ways to beat the dinnertime blues is to prep tomorrow night's dinner while tonight's is cooking.
It's a simple work ahead plan that takes away the "can't be bothereds" because all the work is already done.
It's as simple as checking your meal plan, and then getting the meat from the freezer and putting it in the fridge, then choose the side dishes, prepping them and putting them in the fridge.
If you have a casserole on the meal plan, prep it. Cut the meat, chop the veggies, dredge them in seasoned flour (or whatever the recipe calls for), put it all in the crock and pop in in the fridge. Then decide what you're going to have with it - mash or rice or pasta? If you're going to have mash, peel the potatoes and put them in a bowl of water in the fridge. Next morning put the crock in the slow cooker and turn it on. When you get home, put the spuds on to boil or steam and dinner is done.
While the potatoes are cooking, prep the next night's dinner and get it into the fridge.
I absolutely love this method of cooking, because I know what it's like to work full time, have children to care for (homework/sport/music/art/cuddles) and a house to look after and I remember that feeling of exhaustion. If dinner just needs to be heated or put on to cook, you can relax and focus on your family, guilt and stress free.
Don't be afraid to keep the weekday meals simple but nourishing, and keep the more time-consuming recipes for the weekend when you have more time to cook.
Another way to beat the "can't be bothereds" is to use the appliances and tools you have.
Food processors save so much time chopping and grating. If you're having a casserole and soup and perhaps rissoles that all need grated onion and carrot, use your food processor to do it all at once and portion it into the required quantities for your recipes. You'll save so much time and again, the work is done so no dinnertime blues.
One of the best kitchen tools I have is my steamer. It's a 3-tier Sunbeam electric steamer and I use it constantly, but I first wanted it when the kids were younger and I would get home late. In the morning I'd set the steamer up, ready to be turned on. Then I'd tell the kids what veggies to put in which tier and when to turn it on. Because they weren't using the stove, I wasn’t worried about burns (or burning the house down!) and the veggies were timed to be ready about 15 minutes after I walked through the door. Easy!
Start using your crockpot! This is a great time saving tool when it comes to cooking and it's not just for soups or stews. When you get up in the morning, you can throw your meal that you prepped the night before in and let it simmer all day. When you are ready to eat, your dinner will be hot and ready to serve. A crockpot (or slow cooker, same thing) can be used all year round to prepare main meals, side dishes and desserts. It will even cook a roast. In summer the crockpot is a much cooler option than the oven for a roast.
And lastly, have a stash of quick and easy meals you can throw together in 15 minutes. Things like tomato soup and grilled cheese or sausage rolls and a salad or Muffin Surprise. If you know you can get dinner prepped, cooked and served in just a few minutes you're less likely to be tempted to call for pizza.
Cooking may not be your favourite chore, it certainly isn't mine, but it is something that needs to be done every day if you want (or need) to stick to a grocery spending plan.
Thankfully, there are many time management techniques that you can use to make cooking a faster and easier and more enjoyable part of your day.
One of the easiest ways to save time throughout the week is to plan your meals ahead of time. This will free up the time you spend each night trying to decide what to make for dinner, racing to the supermarket, standing in line to pay for your purchases, and then driving back home to cook your meal.
Instead, you’ll sit down, write out the meals you’ll have during the week, and make one trip to the supermarket. You can plan your meals according to what you have in the fridge, freezer and pantry. Use those foods and what is on sale that week to make up a meal plan and your shopping list.
These two things will alone will save you money and time. Just knowing that something is already planned for dinner that you don't need to think about it as soon as you walk in the door from work or after a tiring and busy day, makes it so much easier.
I keep a monthly meal plan on the fridge, for all to see. It stops the incessant "what's for dinner" question that used to start around 4.30pm every afternoon in our house. Now everyone can just look at the meal plan and know what they'll be sitting down to come dinnertime.
One of my favourite ways to beat the dinnertime blues is to prep tomorrow night's dinner while tonight's is cooking.
It's a simple work ahead plan that takes away the "can't be bothereds" because all the work is already done.
It's as simple as checking your meal plan, and then getting the meat from the freezer and putting it in the fridge, then choose the side dishes, prepping them and putting them in the fridge.
If you have a casserole on the meal plan, prep it. Cut the meat, chop the veggies, dredge them in seasoned flour (or whatever the recipe calls for), put it all in the crock and pop in in the fridge. Then decide what you're going to have with it - mash or rice or pasta? If you're going to have mash, peel the potatoes and put them in a bowl of water in the fridge. Next morning put the crock in the slow cooker and turn it on. When you get home, put the spuds on to boil or steam and dinner is done.
While the potatoes are cooking, prep the next night's dinner and get it into the fridge.
I absolutely love this method of cooking, because I know what it's like to work full time, have children to care for (homework/sport/music/art/cuddles) and a house to look after and I remember that feeling of exhaustion. If dinner just needs to be heated or put on to cook, you can relax and focus on your family, guilt and stress free.
Don't be afraid to keep the weekday meals simple but nourishing, and keep the more time-consuming recipes for the weekend when you have more time to cook.
Another way to beat the "can't be bothereds" is to use the appliances and tools you have.
Food processors save so much time chopping and grating. If you're having a casserole and soup and perhaps rissoles that all need grated onion and carrot, use your food processor to do it all at once and portion it into the required quantities for your recipes. You'll save so much time and again, the work is done so no dinnertime blues.
One of the best kitchen tools I have is my steamer. It's a 3-tier Sunbeam electric steamer and I use it constantly, but I first wanted it when the kids were younger and I would get home late. In the morning I'd set the steamer up, ready to be turned on. Then I'd tell the kids what veggies to put in which tier and when to turn it on. Because they weren't using the stove, I wasn’t worried about burns (or burning the house down!) and the veggies were timed to be ready about 15 minutes after I walked through the door. Easy!
Start using your crockpot! This is a great time saving tool when it comes to cooking and it's not just for soups or stews. When you get up in the morning, you can throw your meal that you prepped the night before in and let it simmer all day. When you are ready to eat, your dinner will be hot and ready to serve. A crockpot (or slow cooker, same thing) can be used all year round to prepare main meals, side dishes and desserts. It will even cook a roast. In summer the crockpot is a much cooler option than the oven for a roast.
And lastly, have a stash of quick and easy meals you can throw together in 15 minutes. Things like tomato soup and grilled cheese or sausage rolls and a salad or Muffin Surprise. If you know you can get dinner prepped, cooked and served in just a few minutes you're less likely to be tempted to call for pizza.
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