We don’t normally talk about food on this blog, but I’ll make an exception for batch cooking because it’s actually intertwined with how I work!
As a working parent, finding time to prepare healthy and nutritious meals for my family can be a challenge. However, I find that batch cooking is an excellent solution to this problem. It involves preparing large quantities of food at once, which can then be stored and eaten over the course of several days, or frozen for the future.
In this blog post, I’ll share some of the ways that batch cooking has saved me time and made my life as a working parent much easier.
Batch Cooking Can…
Reduce Time Spent in the Kitchen
One of the biggest advantages of batch cooking is that it reduces the amount of time I need to spend in the kitchen. Instead of having to cook a fresh meal every night, I can spend a few hours on the weekend, or one evening, preparing meals for the week ahead. This means that during the week, all I need to do is reheat the pre-cooked meals, saving me time and energy. It’s so useful when there’s an after school club and we get home later than usual, or if I need to fit in a bit of work before the kids go to bed.
Simplify Meal Planning
Meal planning can be a daunting task for busy parents. When I’m preparing meals in bulk, I can plan out a menu and make sure that I have all the necessary ingredients on hand. This eliminates the need to make multiple trips to the supermarket or spend time figuring out what to cook each night.
Save Money
Batch cooking can also save money in the long run. When I buy ingredients in bulk, I usually get them for cheaper than if I were to buy smaller quantities. Additionally, I’m less likely to waste food when I’m cooking in large quantities, as I can portion out meals and freeze them for later use. This means that I’m not throwing away food that has gone bad, which can add up over time.
Ensure a Healthy Diet
As a parent, I want to make sure that my family is eating a healthy and balanced diet. Batch cooking allows me to control the ingredients that go into each meal and make sure that we’re getting all the nutrients we need. It’s also easier to incorporate more vegetables and whole foods into our meals when I’m cooking in bulk, as I can prepare large batches of pasta sauce, soups, stews, and casseroles that are packed with healthy ingredients.
Batch Cooking in Conclusion
In conclusion, batch cooking has been a game-changer for me as a working parent. It saves me time, simplifies meal planning, saves money, and ensures that my family is eating a healthy diet.
If you’re struggling to find time to prepare meals during the week, I highly recommend giving batch cooking a try. With a little planning and preparation, it’s an easy and effective way to make your life as a busy parent a little bit easier and it enables you to carve out more time to spend with your family or to earn more money!
What’s your favourite recipe to batch cook?
Images by Karsten Winegeart, Le Creuset and Jimmy Dean on Unsplash.
