Time Saving Tips

Don’t we all need to save some time here and there. I do try to cook healthy meals for my family, but cooking a meal from scratch can be a challenge when you are in a time crunch to be at soccer practice, school, brownies or whatever. Then try to have a wholesome meal on the table. Here are a few tips and tricks I use to keep good food going in and have time to do all the other things:

1. Do you by the 5 or 10 pound bag of potatoes and only boil a few to make mashed potatoes? Why not make the entire bag at once. It will not take you that much longer to peel and cut all the potatoes. Potatoes are very cheap for the amount of pounds you get for what you pay. Peel all the potatoes and cut them up in a large pot of water. Boil them and then smash them.  I like to add sour cream or plain nonfat Greek yogurt and garlic. This makes them creamy and delicious. Take what you are going to use that night and freeze the rest in Ziplock bags labeled with the date. This is way better than boxed potatoes for next time.

2. Tacos I usually make two pounds of Taco meat, since this takes the same amount of time to brown one pound as it does to brown two. Serve what you are going to eat that night and freeze the remainder for that night you need something quick to make. Then you can make Taco soup. I will provide that recipe later.

3. My kids love grapes. As soon as I get home I let them pick all the grapes off the stems and wash them. This will keep the grapes fresh longer if they are off the stem. The kids love doing this and I hate doing it. After they are all washed I put them in Ziploc baggies or a plastic container and put them in the bottom drawer so they can get them whenever they want.

4. If you stay at home this is possible, cook dinner at lunch time. I have a small son under two at home and it is difficult to prepare a meal in a hurry and get my older daughter every where she needs to be in the afternoon. Today I made dinner while my son was sleeping. Dinner took around an hour to make sheppard’s pie. I did everything but broil the top of the potatoes. Now all I have to do is warm it up for dinner tonight. A good meal quick and easy.