Cooking Shortcuts for busy mums
Cooking supper after a busy day whatever your circumstances can be a real challenge on a day-to-day basis. Everyone is tired hungry and probably a bit grumpy – and getting a meal on the table when actually you may just feel like putting your feet up can make cooking become a real chore.
So here are some tips which will help you take the stress out of cooking supper.
Plan ahead
Look ahead as to what is happening each evening and plan meals that fit around the families activities.
For example if Tuesday evening everyone is particularly busy then why not put a stew in the slow cooker or create a quick pasta dish.
Create a routine
Routines help make life simpler and repetitive tasks become automatic and as a result we use less energy. For example help with setting the table or clearing up dishes after each meal.
Consider creating a menu rota
To keep things very simple you could have the same meals each day from Monday to Thursday with your regular Monday meal prepped ahead on Sunday.
- Keep your store cupboard stocked with your families favourite standby meals.
- Tinned tomatoes – make great a pasta sauce, and is an ingredient you can add to all sorts of recipes. (It also had no added sugar or salt)
- Cream cheese, (and a lump of cheddar cheese), pesto and curry paste are also versatile ingredients which can be used with pasta, rice or with jacket potatoes and a few vegetables to create a quick simple meal.
- Crème fraiche is also a great standby. It can be used to create a creamy sauce, add to mash potato or as an alternative topping to cream.
- Jacket potatoes, easy to cook, and more nutritious than chips or mash. Just add cooked meat vegetables, cheese or any other leftovers to create an easy supper.
Keep your freezer stocked
Make sure you have a variety of frozen vegetables, frozen chips or potato wedges in your freezer. On a busy evening reaching to the freezer for vegetables will save you time and stop the need for additional trip to the shops if you are running low on fresh vegetables. They are just as healthy and count towards your five a day.
Taking time to stock up and plan for cooking supper when you are tired in the evenings will not just help you save time but make cooking supper much less a chore
