15 Time-Saving Meal Prep Tips to Maximize Your Time for Self-Care

Being a caregiver is busy…to say the least! Time to yourself is precious and can be hard to come by. It probably feels like you live in your kitchen. Whether you enjoy cooking or not, odds are you could use a break. For this reason, I have put together 15 simple strategies to help you save time in the kitchen so you can spend more time focusing on yourself instead of waiting on others. Utilizing these time saving tips can also help you and your family to eat healthy, which is an important but overlooked aspect of self-care. 

1. Keep a collection of go-to simple recipes that you can make with staples you typically have on hand. Having a list or collection of go-to meals you and your family enjoy (such as tacos, stir fry, wraps or pasta) can help take the guesswork out of what’s for dinner. You likely already have a number of recipes that fall into this category, but if you are looking for more, search Pinterest and/or your favourite recipe sites for healthy meals that your family will enjoy, are easy to make, and contain ingredients you typically keep in your fridge and pantry. 

2. Always keep a container of cut veggies in your fridge. Not only will this help increase your family’s veggie consumption, it will save you time and energy when you are fresh out of both. By cutting a few days’ worth of veggies at once, you do not need to worry about pulling out half your fridge at every meal (which gets old and you likely won’t serve veggies as often as you would like). If you have to pull them out to cut them anyways, you might as well cut extra to make life easier later on! 

3. Always make extra. It usually takes very little additional effort to make enough for a second or third meal, but has the potential to save hours. This can be particularly helpful if your kids have activities during the week and your time in the kitchen is limited. Freezing the extras can also come in handy after a particularly long or stressful day. 

4. Keep a grocery list of staples you purchase every week, categorizing them by area of the store. Add to this throughout the week with any stock that needs to be replenished, and additional items based upon what you have decided to make for the week. Doing so can save you a second or third trip to the store!

5. If you are into meal planning, set aside time one day per week (be consistent) to plan your meals (and necessary groceries) and ensure you have what you need for the week, keeping in mind your schedule and which days you may have more time to cook vs. others. Ensure you add all the ingredients from any new recipes you plan to try, in addition to your staples.

6. Consider ordering your groceries online. Most grocery stores now offer online ordering where you can either have them delivered to your home or you can pick up in store. This makes it easy to keep a running list throughout the week (on the app for your preferred store), and eliminates the need to grab a cart and weave through the store, freeing up an hour or two. This can also help to curb impulse purchases! 

7. Consider which foods may be better to purchase already prepared to reduce the time required to make, wash or prepare them yourself. A few examples include grated cheese, baby carrots, pre-washed greens, hummus and canned beans. Keep in mind that while this can be helpful for some things, more processed foods are usually higher in sodium, sugar, unhealthy oils and food additives, and should be consumed in moderation. 

8. Teach your kids to cook! Once old enough, start to teach your kids how to prepare simple meals (such as toast or a sandwich), progressing to more challenging meals that require the oven or stove. As your kids get older this will be invaluable to help preserve your precious time! 

9. Whenever possible, do your dinner prep (such as chopping veggies or making a sauce) earlier in the day. This can help take the stress out of cooking dinner when time is tight and everyone is hungry.

10. Freeze your bread (including loaves, buns, wraps, etc.) so you can buy extra and pull them out as needed without worrying about them going stale, or needing to go to the store every few days.

11. Invest in an air fryer and/or instapot to reduce your time spent cooking. Both of these are great because they require less time than traditional cooking methods, and all you need to do is turn it on and leave it for a set period of time, freeing you up to do something else while it cooks. 

12. Alternately, utilize your slow cooker for easy meals that can cook all day with relatively little attention while you are busy with other things.

13. Keep your kitchen and workspace organized to keep your anxiety low and reduce potential overwhelm. This makes it easier to find what you are looking for so you can prepare healthy meals quicker and stress free.

14. Prepare breakfast in advance. It is easy to make a few days’ work of overnight oats or chia pudding in advance, reducing your need to plan and make breakfast. 

15. Ensure you always have easy go-to snacks on hand, such as dried fruit, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, cut veggies, healthy bars, etc. This will help to ensure you and your family reach for healthy snacks, and can reduce the prep time, guess work and consumption of less healthy options when these are not easily available. 

Imagine all the extra time you will have to yourself with even just a few of these time saving tips! 

If you are looking for support, guidance and/or accountability to put these strategies into action alongside individualized health and wellness recommendations, book a free consultation with Christy to learn more about the services offered. Often times we know what we need to do, but need that extra push to put it into action!