I’ve been cooking since I was 10 years old, so I know my way around the kitchen. But when I had kids, meals weren't just about my wants and needs anymore. They were about being fast, using healthy ingredients, ensuring my kids will eat it, and not breaking the bank. That’s one tall order. Here are five crucial tips that allowed me to do it all while keeping my wallet and my family’s bellies full.
1. Freeze Your Vegetables
One of the slowest parts of cooking is the prep work. This includes washing and cutting vegetables.
When a certain vegetable that I know my family will enjoy is on sale, I will buy a ton of it. Then I will go home, wash, cut, and put it into dinner-portioned zip-top bags to store in the freezer. I’ll mix up the vegetables so I’ve got a good variety for a quick stir-fry. Some of my favorite vegetables to freeze are broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, yams, carrots, green beans, and peppers.
When it’s a crazy weeknight, I’ll grab that bag of frozen vegetables, dump it into my big wok, and let it cook with some oil and chicken stock. Bam! No prep work! No cutting board or knife to wash!
2. Freeze Your Homemade or Discounted Bread
Last year, I took the plunge and bought a breadmaker. Every other week, I’ll make a couple of loaves of multigrain and cinnamon raisin bread. We’ll enjoy some fresh, but I freeze most of it. It takes less than five minutes to prep. All I do is press a button, wait three hours while I’m working, and I have fresh bread. I also get to control exactly what goes into it; I’ll add lots of chia and flax so that my kids (and husband) get their daily dose of omega-3.
On those busy mornings, while the kids are starving and we need something quick for breakfast, I’ll pop some slices of frozen bread in the toaster, slap on some natural peanut butter and we’re good to go. I’ve saved a ton of money on bread by making it myself. Most importantly, we actually eat it.
If you’re not the bread-making type, you can go to bakeries and see if they have day-old bread. These are usually at least 50% off. Take them home and freeze them.
There are also apps that help prevent food waste like Too Good To Go, which connects customers to restaurants and stores that have surplus unsold food.
3. Stock Up on Dried Goods
My pantry is always fully stocked with rice, pasta, noodles, dried fruits like raisins, dates, nuts, almonds, and walnuts. We eat a lot of rice and I want to ensure my kids get enough protein and fiber in their diet. So I’ll add dried split lentils to the rice before I rinse and cook them together. The lentils are thin enough that I don’t need to remember to soak them the night before.
I do a lot of Asian cooking so I stock up on dried Chinese mushrooms, fungus, seaweed, and mung bean vermicelli.
These provide a good source of fiber and other micronutrients for our dishes. And as a bonus, they can really enhance the flavors of the meal. Ever tried fried rice with Chinese mushrooms mixed in? It adds an umami taste that my kids can’t get enough of.
4. Embrace Canned Goods
When my kids become teenagers, I know I’ll get the whole, “Mom, there’s no food to eat!” line, and that’s when I’ll sing my little song. It starts like this: “Beans, beans, the musical fruit … ”
Then I’ll go down my list of favorite beans: pinto beans, black-eyed beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. With only a can opener, I can easily add an affordable, healthy, and tasty source of fiber and protein to a meal. Have you ever had chicken and cannellini bean soup? The white beans add a mild nutty taste and fluffy texture that can’t be beat.
I haven’t bought whole tomatoes in years. From diced, crushed, to tomato paste, I buy them canned. It’s cheaper and I can whip up a quick pasta sauce all year round.
I also stock up on canned fish, such as tuna, mackerel, sardines, and salmon. One of the quickest dinners I’ve made was grilled cheese and tuna sandwiches with a quick tomato and vegetable soup.
5. Make One-Pot Meals Without a Multi Cooker
Lastly, I have yet to buy a multi cooker or InstaPot, even though I know many moms rave about them. I have a stainless steel 16-quart pot with a lid that has a steam hole, and I’ve been using it for years to make hearty stews, congees, and soul-warming soups.
The trick to getting a soup that has that rich and aromatic flavor without spending a whole day babysitting the pot is to sautée the onions with butter first. Then, make sure you brown the meat before adding any liquid. Those caramelized bits on the bottom of your pot are what make the soup taste amazing. Then, add everything else, let it come to a boil, turn the heat down, put the lid on and let it sit and simmer. Go and cross off those to-do items, like buying an InstaPot.
