Rotating meals every other day is a great way to remain motivated to make meals and also helps you eat wholesome homemade meals without the sense of monotony. But one common problem that most people encounter while making food is the need for more time. Everyone is so occupied these days that there is barely any time left to eat food. It is so ironic as food is the very source of energy that facilitates the everyday functioning of the body.
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Nevertheless, some smart preplanning and overnight meal preparation can be a great way to ensure one is eating healthy food without spending a lot of time cooking. Here are some tips and tricks to prepare smart meals the day before and cook food quickly.
Also Read: 5 Easy Meal Preps For Busy Weeknights
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* Write Down Your Plan
Whether it's a big business venture, studying a difficult lesson or simply making a meal plan, writing down is always helpful in giving structure to your thoughts and making everything clear. If there are certain dishes in your mind that you would like to have in the coming week, then make sure that you note them down. After noting these dishes down, try to break down the different ingredients and steps involved in cooking them. This will create a mind map and will help you figure out all that you could do in advance to make this meal easily in the following week.
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* Do The Shopping
Doing the shopping in advance is going to be very helpful in making different meals throughout the week as there will be no obligation to purchase different items again and again and go to the market. This in itself is a very time-saving step as one doesn't have to be under the constant pressure of running out of ingredients in the pantry. After writing down a meal plan, think of all the ingredients that you would want and list down the ones that you do not have in the kitchen or are going to run out of very soon. Buy them all at once and then you just have to cook the dishes.
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* Don't Experiment Too Much
We all get carried away by watching different types of cooking videos on YouTube and Instagram reels. But what we forget is that cooking food in real life is not as easy as the video shows. While it's a great idea to keep cooking new dishes from time to time, one should not get too experimental by trying to cook five new dishes in one week. It is too much of a pressure as one will have to buy different types of ingredients that will lead to spending too much money in one week. Also, it is a bit hard to crack a recipe in the first attempt. So one should mostly make tried and tested dishes and only try a couple of new dishes in a particular week.
* No Convenience Food
Buying convenience food from the supermarket is unnecessary and outrageously expensive. The only advantage of canned food items is the comfort and the liberty that they provide to the person making the food. One has to simply take out the can from the fridge and put it inside the pan and heat it. This similar thing can be achieved by meal planning. One can make some fresh tomato puree over the weekend, store it in an airtight container and use it throughout the week. Similarly, lentils can be pre-boiled and stored in the refrigerator properly and used whenever required. These are free from preservatives and can be easily used within 4 to 5 days of being made. They are also more economical.
* Utilise Freezer
Freezer is your best friend when it comes to meal planning as you can not only just pre-boil lentils and vegetables, but also cut your fruits and vegetables, make dough for bread in advance, and do a lot of similar things whenever you have the time. All you have to do is simply look after the optimal temperature settings in your refrigerator and also buy storage containers that help keep the food away from moisture. This is a great way to save time and make sure that one doesn't have to start everything from scratch every time they make a meal at home.