Preparing meals in advance has saved me so much time and hassle!
Can I just say that meal prep the night before has saved my sanity? It may not be for everyone, I understand. But I’m sure it has saved me countless hours over the course of the year.If you’re a great multitasker and quick at throwing meals together on the fly, I would love to learn from you; please come tell me how you do it! If you’re like me, the most thought you can put into a meal during the day is taking a pre-served plate out of the fridge and heating it in the microwave.
Here’s my thinking on this - with two toddlers, my options are:
1. Take 20-30 mins before each meal to think of meal ingredients, cook, calculate portions and serve the food, all with two little people running around me, asking for water, food off the chopping board, TV, hide-and-seek and the obscure toy they haven’t played with in months but now can’t live without.
Optimistically, this would take a minimum of 20mins before each meal. 20x3= 1h per day.
2. Take time out to play with children before meals. Then heat and serve them the meals prepared the night before. Wait till said children are napping/gone to bed/playing with their dad and take a block of 30mins ALONE (I’ve timed it. This is how long it takes me.) to plan and plate up three meals for each person for the following day. Total prep time: 30 mins per day (vs 1h).
Saving at least 30mins per day 7 days a week = 3h 30mins saved per week. That’s a precious 3h 30mins I can do a lot with! Not to mention the stress of having to figure out meals at 6am or just when I’ve gotten home from work and the school run.
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| A daily stack of pre-plated meals ready for the fridge. (Avoid stacking them like this if they include mashed potatoes and toddlers are your target market.) |
Easy foods to prepare in advance
Frozen veg are great for meal prep. Also, batch-cooking and freezing whole grains and meat every couple of weeks helps. And the thing I thought I’d never do: chopping fruit the night before, ready for breakfast and school snacks...the fruit really doesn’t taste any different 12 hours later! Nutritionists may cringe; I don’t know! But it works for most fruit and veg in our house.
I still cook and serve fresh meals during the week; but I plan ahead for them and make any sides the night before to take out a lot of the thought process on the day. I’ve gravitated towards baking recipes which don’t require much supervision once they’re in the oven. My good friend, who is also a working mum of two, highly recommends slow cooking for saving time. I’m definitely planning to try that soon.
And, for those for whom meal prep is just not for you or your schedule, this one’s for you:
