Let me first start this post with a disclaimer. I am not a chef. I am hardly a “cook.” If you don’t believe me, ask my husband about our first year of marriage. I served everything Teriyaki with a side of Velveeta mac & cheese. The kitchen was a battleground, and I lost daily. But over the last eight years (yikes…), I’ve developed some kitchen habits that have helped me stay organized, save money, and serve delicious food without having to be a chef.
Kitchen Hacks: How to stay on budget, save time, and still eat delicious food.
Create a master list.
You know I’m going to tell you to start meal planning–that’s inevitably where this post is going. You know it, and I know it. So before you get mad and click out, understand that I’m going to make things a whole lot easier for you. The meal planning game changed for me when I created a master list of meals. Every family has a master list, whether they realize it or not. Think about your normal meal rotation–you likely have at least five or six meals you repeat often.
Well, I decided to take things to another level back when we lived in Buies Creek. I had more time, so I started being a little more adventurous in the kitchen. And by adventurous, I just mean I started actually making some of the meals I’d pinned on Pinterest. Every time I made something new, the hubs and I would decide whether it was an “add to the rotation” kind of meal. Eventually, we introduced quite a few meals to the master list.
A meal-in-rotation can be as simple as grilled chicken and roasted veggies or it can be as complex as beef wellington. (By the way, if you’re serving beef wellington in rotation, let me make sure you have my number because I want to be invited over, okay?) All I’m saying here is you don’t have to get super fancy with things. Having a hard time thinking about some meals? Call your mom (or dad, it is 2018) and ask what they used to serve regularly when you were a kid and snag those recipes.
Meal plan.
Yup. You knew I was going to tell you to do this. And I know, meal planning used to make me groan, too. There was some kind of voodoo magic happening anytime I sat down to plan out meals: I wouldn’t be able to remember a single meal I’d ever cooked ever. This is where your master list comes in to play.
Meal planning gets a whole lot easier when you’re not having to employ too much creativity. I typically plan out 14 dinners at a time. (I know I’m insane–maybe start with just one week, okay? I simply do two because I like to do all my grocery shopping for one pay period at a time.)
When I’m meal planning, I typically pull 8-10 master list meals (like I said, it’s gotten pretty long at this point), then I commit to trying 4-6 new recipes either from cookbooks, friend recommendations, or Pinterest.
Meal planning takes the decision out of the moment. Don’t just make a list of meals you’re going to make over the course of the next week or so, actually schedule them thoughtfully. Consider what you have going on each day and plan the meal accordingly. Don’t put a labor-intensive meal on a day you’re running around like crazy. Scheduling them out makes it so much easier to actually follow through.
Have designated days.
Meal planning, even with a master list, can get exhausting. My husband could eat the same thing all day every day and be just fine. I, on the other hand, don’t care much for repetition. That being said, I have some designated days that help when it comes to meal planning.
- Monday: always tacos of some sort
- Two Fridays: always homemade pizza
- The Other Two Fridays: always reserved for eating out
- Saturday (in this season of life anyway*): imitation Moe’s (salad for J, burrito bowl for me)
Jonathan works an 11 hour day on Saturdays, so I always bring him dinner.
Create your grocery list based on your meal plan.
I know this isn’t rocket science, but it really makes an enormous difference when it comes to your grocery bill. Buying only what you need instead of a hodgepodge of random items in hopes of having what you’ll need for dinner is a game changer.
Prep your staples.
In an attempt to avoid the urge to run out for fast food when I’m teetering the verge of hangry, I have some staples always ready to go. For us, that’s:
- A batch of grilled chicken
- Roasted veggies (California medley + roasted brussels sprouts)
These staples save us when I didn’t find the time to make dinner or I simply don’t feel like it. We can easily throw the chicken into a quesadilla, a salad, a sandwich, a pasta dish, or just eat it as it is with a side of veggies. I tend to cook these on Saturdays or Sundays for the week.
Honestly, just getting a little organized when it comes to the kitchen makes a huge difference. Employing these habits have really helped us save money, and I actually really enjoy cooking now. And on the nights I don’t? Well, that’s what the staples are for. 🙃
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