5 tips for a less stressful and less expensive meal time

by Holly Syx

Have you ever looked at the clock around 4 or 5 & had a sinking feeling when you realize you don’t know what you’re feeding your family for dinner?

I have and it’s not a good feeling.  At that point you either a) eat out or b) rush around at the last minute to throw a meal together = stressful situation.   Option a can get expensive, and option b is not good for your (or your family’s) sanity.

Here are a few ideas that might make that time of the day go a bit smoother.

Plan your Meals at least 1 day ahead

There are some who plan a week’s worth of meals at once, or a month’s worth, or more, or less.

I say do what works for you.

At the very least just decide what you’ll have for dinner the night before.  If you decide you’re having chicken & it’s frozen, then you can go ahead & take it out.  Also go ahead & make a mental note of the ingredients you’ll need.

If you already know what’s for dinner you’ll be able to  focus on other things without worrying about it.  Money Saving Mom has some great menu planning worksheets that are  free to download.

Use a Crockpot

I have 2 crockpots, and they are 2 items that I could not live without.  It is so awesome to be able to throw a few things in a pot in the morning, turn it on, and serve it for supper.

Crockpots are excellent if you know you’re going to have a busy day ahead or planning to be gone away from home for the day.

Here are a few sites where you can find some great Crock Pot Meal ideas.

• A Year of Slow Cooking
• Smockity Frocks has a great post here with several links to crock pot recipes.
• Southern Plate’s Crock Pot recipes look good!

Pick one day a month for Bulk cooking

Bulk Cooking or Once a Month Cooking has become quite popular recently.  The basic idea is that you chose 1 day during the month, and just cook like mad until you have several meals to put in your freezer.  I’ve done it a few times and I love it!  I enjoy cooking so it’s nice to be able to focus an entire day or 2 to it.

The great thing about bulk cooking is that you can just pull something out of the freezer, reheat or prepare it, add a side or 2, and your meal is done. Even if you can’t set aside an entire day you can still practice bulk cooking.  For example, if you’re having lasagna, go ahead & cook 2, one to eat now & one to freeze.  Chili or soup freezes well too so you can make a huge batch & freeze half in a freezer bag . Life as mom and Once a Month Mom are my favorite go-to resources for Freezer cooking inspiration.

Keep your pantry well-stocked

Having a well-stocked pantry is essential in making meal time easier.  It can be very aggravating to plan a meal only to find out you’re missing a key ingredient.  If you find something you’re running low on just add it to your list so you can pick it up next time you head to the grocery store.

Reheat Leftovers

Just a little warning, but I’m about to sound a little like a mom.  There are so many starving people all over the world who would love to have a bowl of whatever it was you had for dinner yesterday. Don’t take it for granted.  If you have food left over from tonight’s meal, don’t throw it away(unless it’s spoiled of course).  Plan to use it for the following night.  You can either reheat it as or  re-purpose it.  Some of the most delicious meals we’ve eaten have come from repurposed leftovers.

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