Spending a certain amount of time in the kitchen isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Spending to much time in the kitchen, however, can lead to less time for other activities in your search for work/life balance. Although some may disagree, cooking generally leads to some family time around the dining table. It is the getting to the dining table that often takes the time.
In today’s household there is the possibility for the cook to be active in the family matters going on about them, although it can be difficult when the cook is trying to concentrate on preparing the meal. Finding time to be a part of those activities, along with making time for other activities (like running late), can be made simpler if a few preparatory steps are taken before hand.
Order ingredients ahead of time
There are several ways of finding time with food as you go about the task of preparing a meal. Even before you begin try ordering as many dry good food stuffs ahead of time as you can. In this way you will have everything you need without going to the store. The best way to go, as far as time savings overall is concerned, is to order from our “Finding time shopping” page from a list you have generated. There are many food stuffs that will keep for long periods without going bad. As a general starting point, www.mealsmatter.org suggests the following basics to have in your cupboard:
Boxed pasta baking powder canned soup broth cubes or powder
Canned stew tuna canola oil ceareals
Chips cinnamon coffee crackers
Curry powder dry pasta evaporated milk
flour Garlic garlic salt ginger
nutmeg Olives olive oil onions
pasta sauce Pepper potatoes pretzels
rasins Vinegar rice salt sugar Tea
tomato sauce vanilla extract
is a great site with a bunch of interesting meal planning ideas for nutrition and variety with a dash of organization. Check them out you’ll likely find some great ideas.
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi
Here is another nutritional quick tip for calculating your calories by food type and meal. It's quick and will tell you which meal plans give you how many calories by meal for the day. Staying properly fueled is a key for an efficient day.
Of course there are others that can be added to taste, if you’ll pardon the pun (please stop me), but the general idea is not to be caught short if a quick meal is needed. At the worst you’ll need to make a quick 30 second stop on the way home for a meat/veggies course or whatever (A MUST: do not look for other stuff at the store, you’ve already ordered what you need online. You’re in and you’re out. Be disciplined.)
A new time saving product
If you do HAVE TO go to the store there is a new product on the market that may be able to help in saving you time once there. It’s a cell phone with a twist. The phone can do all the wiz bang things that cells do these days but it also carries a meal planner, picture of the meal with ingredients and a list generator (time saver tip: generate a list and stick to it, no impulse buys.) We’ve never used it but it looks interesting. It’s called MobileLiving ingredients for an easy lifestyle and can be found at www.allfocus.com. Just as a suggestion, you might combine this product with your sit-down to order online dry stuffs. You’ll have all the ingredients in the phone to order with, if you haven’t already got them in the cupboard, and a schedule for the week’s meals (a time saver.)
One or two weeks of freshly made meals ready to go
The possibility of a weeks meals prepared ahead of time is a concept that will make your finding time life immensely easier. This is a trend that has been growing in recent years, and one that works well. You simply section out a small block of time for the number of meals you’re about to prepare (generally a tin tray for 4-8 peoples meals) and make a call for a starting time. You make the stop at a convenient mall location or wherever, and find all the menus, food ingredients (all measured), packaging and camaraderie/networking right there in one place. The menus change regularly and in an hour or so, “bam!”, you’ve got one or two weeks of dinners/lunches ready for the oven or microwave.
The ladies here have tried it and say it’s incredibly fun (if you listen to Susan tell it) and saves a bunch of time. Especially if others are around to set the table and clean up (which is constituted of putting glasses and silverware in the dishwasher and washing the tray for recycling.)We haven’t yet found something nationally that will tell us where these places are but we’re on it and will let you know. Check on-line or your local pages.
What I guess we’re pointing out here is that if you can get yourself set up ahead of time you’ll be five steps closer to having a bunch of free time through the week. We know we may be front loading you a bit but when your “me time” kicks in through out the week you’ll be buying the margaritas’, we’ll bring the salt, no wait, lime… you’ve already got the salt in your cupboard… don’t you?