Cooking Tips for the Busy Mom or Dad
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Terrific New eBook On How To Broil Delicious Foods When you’re a busy mom or dad, effective time management is key to keeping your life on track. It’s even more important when it comes to having time to spend with your family and to prepare them healthy, nutritious meals. Meal preparation takes time but it doesn’t have to take forever. By planning meals ahead, shopping from a well-organized and complete list and maximizing the time you are able to spend cooking, you can make the most of your limited time. Staring down the prospect of an entire week’s worth of meals is daunting. The way to tame the beast is menu planning. Designate a 20 minute period each week to sit down and decide what meals you’d like to make for the week. Particularly for dinner, take into account any leftovers that may be usable for lunch or dinner the following day. Also keep in mind that schedules are always prone to change so what you think you’ll cook one night might be pre-empted by last-minute plans. Keep your menu flexible so that most or all of your meals can work for any night. Limiting the number of ingredients in a recipe can limit the amount of time necessary to prepare it. A dish doesn’t have to be developed by a world-renown chef or have 20 ingredients to be good. Remember how your grandmother used to cook? Simple. Most of the delicious, comfort recipes of yesteryear never involved more than five or six ingredients. Especially when you’re cooking for kids, subtle notes and exotic ingredients will be lost on them. Simple meals with hearty, flavorful ingredients will not only keep your cooking time short, they’ll keep your family wanting more. If the kids could eat homemade macaroni and cheese every night but you find you’re dying for a little more sophisticated fare, take a look at your schedule to see if you have more flexibility with your time on the weekends. A couple of hours spent cooking a five star dish on Sunday can have you eating gourmet for the next six days. The trick is to choose recipes that will freeze well or keep safely in the refrigerator. Double your recipes, too. You’ll spend the same amount of time cooking but yield twice as much. When you go grocery shopping, include all necessary ingredients on your list and shop for the week’s meals all at once. Stick to your list. Not only will it keep you on target but it will help you stick to your grocery budget, too. Keep your weekly menu with you as you shop in case you think of an additional ingredient or there’s an item you forgot to include on your list. Cooking great meals for your family doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Just like any other aspect of your busy life, good meals that are enjoyable but that can be prepared quickly and efficiently simply require effective time management, planning and smart, creative solutions. Author: Pablo Maiorino
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