How To Spend Less Time Buying, Prepping + Cooking Food For That Ever Present Dinner Time
By Allie Gaunt of One Handed Cooks
Co-author of The Family Meal Solution Cookbook
As busy parents ourselves, we were becoming overwhelmed with the daily struggle of feeding our growing families – trying to cater to different age groups and food preferences and keeping on top of the never-ending daily chore of snacks and school lunchboxes.
We knew what had to be done, but just didn’t know how to fit it in and to keep it up week after week. We needed to fill our freezers and stop the expensive top-up shops, increase our veggie intake, and offer varied and nutritious meals every week without the mental load.
Is that all too much to ask?
We don’t think so.
We perfected the ideas with other busy families, who simply wanted to spend less time in the kitchen and more time being present with the kids after a busy day. Like us, they wanted a simple structure to help manage mealtimes and didn’t want to spend every weekend cooking ahead.
Instead, we would all rather use the snippets of time that we had in the kitchen to cook and prep smarter not harder.
It’s definitely doable!
So, here are a few ideas from The Family Meal Solution Cookbook to get you started.
Allie with a copy of the new cookbook, she co-authored.
1 :: WRITE A SIMPLE MEAL PLAN
Forming positive, simple habits at the beginning of each week will set you up for success when it comes to meal planning, prepping and running an organised kitchen. For many, the thought of writing a meal plan each week can quickly go in the too-hard-basket. I promise, it doesn’t have to be complex or time consuming.
Our community often refer to this as a ‘carpark meal plan’ – on a Monday morning you will find me with a large coffee from Nick’s in hand, sitting in the Bowral Woolworths car park, writing a list of meals in my notes app. It takes only a few minutes and it means that when I walk through those supermarket doors I am already in control, I know what I need and I am less likely to impulse buy.
Tip :: Start by choosing some meals your kids enjoy, something you love, plus one or two that may be new. Allocate your chosen meals to suit your family’s schedule: plan for a night of leftovers, use freezer meals, slow-cooker meals or fast meals on the busiest days, and prep meals that require more attention on the weekend or on days where you have more time.
2 :: CREATE A FRUIT AND VEGGIE GRAB BOX
Straight after your weekly shop or delivery, wash and chop your fresh produce and store in airtight containers. Creating one fruit and one veggie grab box each Monday is one of our top ways to increase your family’s fruit and vegetable intake and help you feel in control from the start of the week. Designed to be used quickly and topped up, grab boxes are a game changer when it comes to snacking, filling up lunchboxes and adding quick sides to the kids’ dinner plates.
Fruit to try :: rock melon, pineapple, grapes, watermelon.
Veggies to try :: green beans, snow peas, sugar snap peas, capsicum, celery, cucumber.
And don’t forget carrot sticks can be prepped in advance too, but they are better submerged in water in a small airtight container or glass jar.
3 :: FREEZER BAKING BOXES FOR THE WIN
Baking boxes partner perfectly with the grab boxes for busy families who have multiple lunchboxes to fill and what might seem like an endless number of snack times to cater for.
I have three kids, who all need crunch and sip, morning tea and lunch – it’s a lot of compartments!
Baking boxes are airtight containers that live in the freezer and are consistently topped up with a variety of bite sized baked goods – I like to have one sweet and one savoury. The baking box is intended to be fast moving and used daily. To keep them varied, simply bake once or twice a week and enjoy having all the snacks on hand.
Sweet baking boxes :: biscuits, slices, bliss balls, muffins, pikelets, cake bites.
Savoury baking boxes :: scrolls, sausage rolls, croissants, tarts, patties, nuggets, meatballs
Allie and her daughter getting a headstart on the sweet baking box
4 :: SMARTER DINNERS
If I’m spending time in the kitchen I want to make sure I’m making the most of it. If I’m grating cheese – I grate more for sandwiches. If I’m making burger patties then I’m also making meatballs to freeze for another day. Why make one lasagne when it takes minimal time to make two.
All of this is achievable, you just need to plan for it. Get ready to simplify dinner time with the recipes to do it.
Slow cooker meals (plus freezer dump bags), dinner + leftovers, batch cooking, meals 2 ways, tray bakes and fast meals. All the recipes are about saving you time and making the most of your freezer so you can get food on the table and enjoy it together with as little stress as possible.
Create a meal plan formula :: By simply looking at your weekly schedule, including activities and routines, you can quickly come up with a plan or formula that suits you and your family and then find recipes to include in it. You can plan to make a lasagne on an activity-free night and keep a 10-minute pasta meal for that busy afternoon you dread.
While each family’s routine is unique, there are similarities we can work with that will give you the confidence and the tools to take back control and simplify feeding the family.
The Family Meal Solution contains meal-planning guides and hacks, and more than 80 new family-friendly recipes that include baby and toddler notes and allergy/intolerance suggestions, to help you make the most of your time in the kitchen, stock your freezer and save money. The Family Meal Solution is already a Number 1 Bestseller and available in Target, Kmart, Big W Mittagong and all good bookstores.
Free meal planning templates :: our meal planning downloads are a free gift with purchase – simply provide your receipt number. These combined with all the inspiration in our book will help you establish a simple structure to help manage mealtimes. You can get your downloads here.
And check out our meal planning for busy families Facebook group!
Allie with Jessican Beaton and Sarah Buckle – the three fab mums that make up the lovely One Handed Cooks team.