I love cooking and I love eating food that is fresh, but a lot of the time, I'm in a hurry or I feel tired from all the day-to-day activities. Those simple recipes just look like a TON of work and I feel like Id rather spend my time doing something else.....
In spending countless hours in the kitchen, I have found the easiest and fastest way to cut my time in half is by preparing instead. Preparing food ahead of time, became to me, not just a way to cut down my time in the kitchen but also a way to cut down on portions and save money (by not throwing unused food away).
When people think about preparing ahead of time, they think about putting everything together so that all they need to do is shove it in the oven. While that is a great way to cut time, it can also degrade the freshness of the ingredients and can also add up to more waste, meaning more food that is thrown away. I have found the best way to maintain freshness is to prepare ingredients separately ahead of time, prepare while your cooking one dish for meals you will cook in the near futures at the same time and reuse leftover from the previous meal.
How to Prepare and Reuse Ingredients
My solution is simple start preparing food ahead of time when you shop, while you have time at home or when you are preparing other dishes......
Tips for Shopping
Buy Food that is Cut and Cleaned Already: The first option is the most expensive option, but if you are lacking time (or patience) buying pineapple, cucumbers, watermelon, prepared salads, rotisserie chicken and other foods that are cleaned, cooked and ready to eat will save you precious time that you would rather be spending with your family. Buying these foods at the grocery store will also save you money as they will be cheaper then going to a restaurant. These foods can also be refrigerated and used later for snacks or meals on the go.
Buy Food that can be re-used (if it is not completed eaten by you or your hungry friends or family first): I love when I buy something and I have left overs that I can use for something else. For examples; chicken can be used in salads or in sandwiches. Vegetables and fruits can be used as a snack or a supplement for a dinner or lunch. *Remember to properly store all food that is going to be re-used to reduce the risk or food illness.
Tips for Preparing food for Multipurpose Cooking Ahead of Time :
Cut and Clean Vegetables and Fruit Ahead of Time: When I have time, I like to cut up vegetables and fruits for dishes that I know I will be making in the future (in this caste it helps if you know which ingredients you will be using the most often and which you wont so that the food doesn't go bad before you use it. Here are some examples on how to cut time by preparing....
Onions: When I buy an onion, I like to chop it all up at once and store it in a Ziplock bag or a Tupperware dish. After I chop it (and make sure to seal out moisture and air), I throw it back in the vegetable tray so I can grab it later when I go to cook the whole meal). Onions will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator after they are cut up and can be used for a variety of dishes.
Tomatoes: I love tomatoes but they make such a mess. I found that if I used cherry or grape tomatoes all I had to do was cut them in half and they were ready to cook (without the mess of greenhouse or roma tomatoes).
Fruit: Clean and cut fruit ahead of time. Store in Tupperware in the front of the refrigerator Not only will you have side options for your meals you will also have healthy snacks for anytime you feel hungry. *Note some fruits oxidize therefor shouldn't be cut until eaten i.e bananas and apples)
Tips for Preparing food for Cooking
Try to find a way to prepare part of your dish ahead of time so that when it comes time to cook all you have to do is throw everything together. While cooking use the time you spend preparing food to prepare for future dishes. For example.....
Some ingredients go really well together and you can use them for many dishes. Ex: Having a mixture of onions, chilli pepper flakes and garlic cute and refrigerated together makes for a great addition to chicken, and fish recipes
Marinate: Not only do marinades make your meat taste better, they also take minutes to prepare and the leftovers can be cooked and stored for salads, tacos and other recipes where you just need to add protein but dont have the time to cook.
Freeze unused meat separately: instead of lopping all your meat into one bag or container use individualized Ziplock bags. Your meat will stay good longer, and will be easier and faster to unfreeze. When you are only cooking for yourself you wont have to worry about unfreezing all of your meat for only a piece.
Use leftover Creatively: Use leftovers from the previous meal as side dishes in your next meal. No one will feel like they are eating the same thing again if you your main dish is different. For example: after you make salsa for tacos use the leftover salsa for an omelets the next morning or mix into a salad for a fresh health dressing.
Don't Be Afraid to Take a Break from Cooking When you Feel Burnt Out
Everyone has those days when all they want is something fast and easy. Don't be afraid to get take out or go out to eat when you feel this way. Cooking shouldn't feel like a chore, it should be something you enjoy that aids in the health of you and your family. And when you have something leftover don't from those occasions don't be afraid to use it as an ingredient or a side dish in the next meal you prepare.
