Because I cook almost every day, I have become efficient at making dinner each night. Like anything, cooking (and the preparation behind it) is a skill that has to be learned.
Deciding what to cook for dinner every night, whether you are feeding yourself, or an entire family, is a task that involves far more than just cooking - it requires planning, preparation, and organisation.
Without a plan, figuring out dinner might involve running out to the grocery store after work to buy ingredients for the recipe you have just decided to make and finally eating at 9 pm, or it might end in giving up and ordering takeout once again because you just cannot figure out what to cook.
And if you are busy, or just overwhelmed by other parts of your life, figuring out how to feed yourself three times a day, every single day, becomes even more challenging.
But there is a way to make cooking much simpler and far less anxiety-inducing: meal planning.
From shopping smart to planning ahead, give any of these five time-saving tips a try to help make cooking at home a breeze.
Shop smart
Shopping can be a large chunk of the meal planning effort, especially for working people who cannot shop until the weekends. Going to the store on a Saturday seems to take twice as long. Surely there are better ways to use your time?
Consider using a delivery system instead. South Africa now has local stores offering home delivery or curbside pick-up.
If you like to shop the old-fashioned way, go early before stores get too crowded. And stick to your list. Nothing increases food waste like buying ingredients you have no plan for.
Do some research
Spend time browsing food blogs and recipe books, and even asking friends for dinner ideas. Ask your family what they like or do not like to eat. This will help you narrow your choices and choose menus that appeal to everyone.
Find recipes that share ingredients
Finding meals that share ingredients between them means you will buy less food while getting the most out of each item. You will spend less time in the grocery store and make sure that nothing you buy goes to waste.
Find make-ahead meals
Spend an hour or two on Sunday tackling some of the week’s cooking. Your Tuesday night self will thank you.
Think small, like cleaning and chopping veggies in advance. Or, go bigger, and make your stew, soup, or slow-cooker dinner in full on Sunday, to enjoy as leftovers for a quick supper or lunch.
Plan for balance
Meals should be a balance of all the food groups. When planning your meals, keep in mind your individual meal plans, and plan for a balance of meat and dairy, fruit and vegetables, grains, and fun foods like dessert.
When writing your grocery list, make a category for each food group to help plan your balanced meals and help organise your food list for the grocery store.
And, don’t forget to plan for balanced snacks as well.