Below are 11 easy ideas for saving time in the kitchen.  

1. Prep and portion your produce all at once  

On the weekend, prepping all the fruits and veggies you need to pack for the upcoming week saves tons of time because weeknights are just too busy. Doing this task for the entire week of school and work lunches, plus snacks, means you prep, portion and clean up only once - yay!  

2. Utilize grocery store pick up 

While the time saved from using grocery store pick up has been quite wonderful, the big surprise came in learning how much of my spending was due to in-store impulse purchases.  

I had no idea because I simply wasn’t paying attention. The big reveal came once I began ordering groceries online and quickly noticed the amount I was spending each week was much less than previously.  

Turns out “out of sight, out of mind” can save you quite a lot of money when it’s applied to grocery shopping online. I’m no longer tempted by impulse purchases because I’m not physically in the store to encounter them. 

3. Create a seasonal two-week meal plan  

By laying out a meal plan that covers two weeks of suppers, there’s no more time and energy wasted on “what’s for dinner?” each day.  

Using a two-week dinner rotation allows me to plan out the meals once and we repeat them every two weeks until the next quarter rolls in with an entirely new seasonal menu.  

My family likes the meal plan because they know exactly what to expect for meals each week. And they aren’t at all bothered by the fact that we will be eating the same meal twice in a month, or six times per quarter. 

I’m happy because I have a meal system that works and an online grocery list that’s almost entirely on repeat each week.  

4. Batch cook extra meat  

I’m a huge Instant Pot fan and use it nearly every weekend for cooking several batches of meat. Cooking meat ahead of time means the bulk of the meal prep work and mess is done and over with.  

I typically always cook a pork butt for pulled pork or chuck roast for shredded beef to utilize throughout the work week. I also cook chicken thighs or breasts to have chopped or shredded chicken on hand.  

Having cooked meat on hand makes mealtime much less stressful, especially when plans get changed at the last minute. 

It’s easy to add cooked meat to pastas, soups and salads, turning them into a main dish. You can quickly and easily make grilled sandwiches, wraps and sliders. I love to use the cooked chicken to make chicken salad, especially during the summer months when you need something chilled and refreshing. 

Cooking ground beef ahead means you can have tacos and casseroles done in less than 30 minutes. Cooking ground pork sausage ahead means you can make breakfast casseroles, pizza and sausage gravy in a flash. 

After I cook any ground meat, I drain the fats then let the meat fully cool. Then, I package the ground meats into two cup portions in quart freezer bags and freeze them. Bags that hold just two cups will thaw very quickly for meal prep later. If you need more than two cups for a particular recipe, just grab another bag. 

5. Double your favorite recipes and freeze half for later 

It’s just as quick and easy to double the recipe and make two casseroles instead of just a single.  

I like to make the second casserole in a heavy-duty foil pan so I’m not tying up my good casserole dishes in the freezer where I no longer have easy access to them.  

Using a foil pan for the second casserole also makes it nice if I want to take a meal to someone in need. They don’t have to return my pan and I’m not worrying about never seeing one of my good casserole dishes again. 

6. Have a breakfast for dinner night  

My kids absolutely loved it when we did breakfast for dinner each Wednesday evening.  

Most often they wanted pancakes or waffles with fried bacon or sausage links. I could usually get them to incorporate a bowl of sliced peaches and bananas on the side, something my Grandma Lucille always had for us as kids, along with colored milk. We thought it was great fun to add a few drops of food coloring to our milk and my kids loved doing the same.  

Having a more relaxed and fun meal each Wednesday gave us all something fun to look forward to midweek.  

7. Use a drop-cloth for the highchair  

Place a vinyl tablecloth beneath your baby’s highchair to make clean up fast and easy. This drop-cloth will catch the spills and foods on the run to save you loads of clean up time. 

Just grab the corners and toss the stray foods into the garbage disposal or out the back door. Then use a damp dishcloth to wipe down the tablecloth.  

A food drop-cloth also works great beneath the table when you have messy older kids, but you may need something larger (such as a bed sheet) to do the trick. 

8. Create a weekly supply of breakfast smoothies  

Whip up a few large batches of your favorite smoothie recipes, then package them in single-serving freezer bags and into the deep freeze.  

Each night before bed, place a frozen smoothie bag into the fridge to thaw. The next morning your smoothie breakfast is ready and waiting.  

9. Buy frozen produce  

Keeping your freezer well stocked with a good assortment of frozen vegetables makes meal prep go much more quickly since they are already chopped.  

And, because frozen vegetables are par-cooked and cooled before they are packaged and flash frozen, they steam in just minutes in the microwave, saving lots of cooking time.  

10. Set the dinner table for the next day  

Setting the table for your family is a visual promise of good things to come for them. 

If your kitchen table isn’t utilized for other things during the day, go ahead and set the entire table for dinner served the next night.  

Or, if you do need the kitchen table for daily activities, place everything you’ll need for setting the table right where it’s all handy to grab when the time comes.  

Seeing the table set for dinner will help your family see that you prioritize time spent with them around a meal together.  

11. Create a cereal bar  

For mornings that go more smoothly for the entire family, create a cereal bar.  

Place everything the kids will need, such as bowls, spoons and an assortment of cereals in a single area. All your kids have to do is add milk!

 

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