5 Tips for Saving Time in the Kitchen

Cooking is health. You certainly don’t need to be a master chef, but preparing meals at home is essential for building and maintaining foundational health. Eating out at restaurants and relying heavily on takeout and convenience foods increases our consumption of salt, sugar, fat, and preservatives. When we cook at home, we have control of how we season and flavor our food and can tailor our meals to our unique tastes and health needs. Cooking at home 100% of the time isn’t realistic for most people. The goal is to increase your culinary acumen and work towards preparing as many meals at home as is realistic for you and your family. If this practice is new to you, start small – two or three meals a week – and build from there. The more you cook, the more it begins to weave into the fabric of your life. Cooking at home can and should be enjoyable and delicious. Most of the time, you can prepare an incredible, delicious meal in less time than it would take you to order delivery or go pick up takeout. Below I’m sharing five of my favorite tips for saving time in the kitchen.

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1. Wash your produce as soon as you get home from the store or market. Place veggies in sealed containers or reusable produce bags and fresh herbs in mason jars (as you would fresh flowers).
2. Precut many fruits and vegetables and store in tightly sealed containers where they’ll keep fresh for several days and are easily accessible for quick meals and snacks. This applies to most produce aside from leafy greens, avocado, tomato, peppers and cucumbers which are best enjoyed fresh after chopping.
3. Batch cook. Make a large batch of things like dressing, granola bars, roasted veggies, toasted nuts and seeds, nut milks, beans, or grains to have on hand and ease prep time during the week. For more batch cooking tips, see this post.
4. Prep flavor bases. Once a month, peel a bulb or two’s worth of garlic cloves, add salt, mince, and cover with olive oil in a jar. This will keep in the fridge for weeks and save time while cooking. You can also prepare a large batch of mirepoix – onions, carrot and celery (I like a ratio of 2 part onion to 1 part carrot and celery) – and freeze in small portions (ice cube trays work great here!) for up to 6 months.
5. Plan. Taking a little time at the beginning of the week to prepare your meals will help you save a tremendous amount of time and mental energy during the week. This takes the guess work out of shopping and cooking, and greatly reduces food waste and the likelihood of impulse buys at the store. Sketch out all meals and snacks and make sure you’re stocked with everything you need. If this feels too overwhelming at first, dip your toe in the meal planning pool by planning out your meals for the following day each night. Your future self will thank you.

Need more support or guidance on cooking healthy meals at home? Email healthcoach@ellwoodthompsons.com to schedule a free 30-minute virtual consultation!