Time Saving Tips

Time is something many busy people never seem to have enough of. Our schedules are packed full – nine hours a day in the office, time in commuting, kids’ activities, not to mention cooking and cleaning. I’ve gathered some of my favorite time saving tips to hopefully bring back a little sanity to your hectic days and nights!

White board – Purchase a small, magnetized white board and place it on the fridge. Keep a list of items to add to your weekly shopping list as you notice you run out, run low, or need something you don’t normally purchase.

Meal planning – Before making a weekly shopping list, plan out your menu for the entire week. Consult your recipes and add the ingredients to the list so you don’t forget anything. You might find it helpful to write your menu on the white board to keep yourself organized.

Buy prepared foods – Shredded cheeses and frozen or canned vegetables can cut down on meal preparation time.

Cook on your day off – Rather than rush around during my work or school week, I set aside time on my weekend to prepare a couple casseroles. Freeze what you don’t plan on eating within the next day and throw it in the oven once you get home. Remember to thaw the casserole overnight in the refrigerator or double the cooking time recommended in the recipe so its fully cooked.

Prepare some items ahead of time – To cut down on the steps required to get dinner ready, have some food items in a “ready-to-go” state. In the evenings or in the morning before work, take a few minutes to do some pre-preparation for your next dinner.

Small tasks done in advance – chopping vegetables, opening canned goods and storing them in reusable containers, boiling noodles, cooking rice, filling ice trays – can really save you some steps in the crunch to get dinner on the table at a reasonable time.

Keep easy meal ingredients on hand – Some non-perishable food items when thrown together can make quick and hassle free meals if you ever find yourself in a pinch…

Vegetarian hot dogs, vegetarian chicken nuggets or vegetarian burgers can be kept frozen for a quick main dish.
Side dishes of canned or frozen vegetables such as green beans or corn can be stored for quite some time.
Other easy and storable side dishes include vegetarian baked beans and flavored instant rice packets.
Pasta sauce and pasta noodles or frozen ravioli can make a quick Italian dinner.
You can also purchase Hamburger Helper type meals and substitute the meat with vegetarian ground beef crumbles that can be stored in the freezer.