25 Stress-Free Ways Busy Moms Can Save Time in the Kitchen
What’s basic to you is mind-blowing to someone else.
My daughter blew my mind a few weeks ago with a TikTok video about a vegetable peeler. Legit - MIND BLOWN - as in I’ve been doing it wrong for 2 decades. 🤯
It brought me back to this quote I saw around the same time by my copy goddess and spirit animal, Laura Belgray.
What’s basic to you is mind-blowing to someone else.
Vegetable peeler as my witness - I was inspired to share my own basic mind-blowing tips when it comes to keeping your family fed.
Want to save time in the kitchen?
When I sat down to look at all the little nuggets I’ve acquired over the years while in the kitchen, they fell into 5 different buckets.
Keep a digital list of freezer items | My favorite place to keep all my kitchen lists organized and in one spot is Trello. You can use the notes app on your phone or however you can remember, just make sure it’s accessible, even when out and about. This is great if you buy in bulk and freeze in smaller portions - you can check your freezer list before purchasing groceries. ✅ Check off or remove as needed for meals.
Plan meals in advance | Over the years I’ve found that planning 7 dinners a week is not feasible for our family. Whether it’s leftovers, a change of plans or an obligation that arises - that rigidity does not work for us. I find it better to plan 3-4 dinners and then count on leftovers, 🍕 night and a backup pantry/freezer meal or two. Knowing what’s for dinner - is perfect after a long day in front of the computer.
Create a master grocery list | A nice comprehensive list of everything you buy. *Bonus points if you include brand names for the hubby. 😏 I have a digital list in Trello that I can double check to save wasted trips to the store. You can sort by category - canned goods, dairy, etc. or by things you buy weekly, monthly or quarterly.
Order your groceries online | This has been a game changer and something I could only dream of when my squids were little. Save loads of time and money with your blinders on and no kids grabbing things for the cart. 💡 Don’t forget to double check the sizes when ordering
Get your groceries delivered | Once you’re comfortable ordering groceries online, the next logical step is to get them delivered. We have Walmart Plus and have a weekly delivery appointment that saves time, money and mental energy.
Cut up veggies on prep day | I’ll admit, this is not my strong suite - but when I do this, my week just flows so much better. Mostly, I just prep my salad vegetables so I’m more likely to eat a 🥗 for lunch. I’ll get a large glass container and chop up bell peppers, sugar snap peas, cucumbers and tomatoes. When I go to make my lunch I just grab the one container of veggies and some mixed field greens.
Roast your veggies in advance | Roasting veggies is the best way to bring out the flavor without adding a lot of fat in the form of butter and cheese…which let’s just admit makes everything taste good. Roasting isn’t a fast process but if you do it all at once it’ll be out of the way and you’ll have access to delicious, healthy veggies 🥦🍠 to act as a quick weeknight side. 💡 Roast on the weekend and enjoy all week.
Keep pre-chopped veggies in the freezer | Personally I don’t mind chopping, I find it somewhat therapeutic but that’s not the case for everybody. I like to keep onions, seasoning blend, celery, carrots, etc. on hand so i can quickly add to a recipe if I’m short on time.
Keep a well stocked pantry | Ahh, nothing saves time like not running to the store every time you need something. If you have no clue what constitutes a well stocked pantry look for an upcoming post about what I keep on hand at all times so I’m never without something to cook.
Buy a good set of knives and keep them sharp | Knives can make or break your kitchen mojo. A bad 🔪 can ruin your cooking experience with frustration, but a good knife makes things easier, faster and safer. 💡A dull knife is a dangerous knife.
Shifty cutting board | Cutting board giving you side eye and being all shifty while you’re trying to cut? Put a damp paper towel underneath the board to keep it from moving around.
Juicing lemons | To get the most juice from a 🍋, roll under your palm and press firmly to release the juices - if the lemon is older and more firm - you can also pop in the microwave for 15 seconds before rolling to help soften.
Freeze the last of that soup | I 💕 soup. I love soup for DAYS and then when there’s maybe a bowl or two left I’m over it. I can’t eat it for another meal but it was so damn good it can’t go to waste! Add leftover soup (most soups freeze just fine!) to labeled quart size freezer bags and freeze flat. Once frozen you stack easily and have the perfect lunch ready to throw in your bag on your way out the door. *Bonus points if you add it to your digital freezer list! 🤓
Veggie peeler | Mind blown guys. I’ve been using this incorrectly my whole life until my daughter showed me some random Tik Tok video and blew my mind. The big secret? Don’t lift the peeler when you move to the next stroke - the peeler peels the veggies on the way up and the way down. 🤯
Spices in order | When cooking, you’ll notice that you lean on some spices more than others. The key is to keeping all your spices in one place - arranged in an order that makes sense to you - with the most used up front and at eye level.
Rotisserie chicken | Store bought rotisserie chicken can save you loads of time in the kitchen. Almost any recipe that calls for “cooked chicken” can be modified to use rotisserie chicken. Save even more time and get it already pulled off the bone if your local grocery offers that!
Slow cooker | Make friends with your slow cooker. Talk about hands off. When you know how to really use your slow cooker - you can take 5 minutes of prep and let the machine do 8 hours of work. That’s my kind of ROI. 🤓
Double rice | Rice freezes well. Any time you’re making a batch of rice for one meal, make double so you can freeze the leftover rice to have ready to go. Perfect for fried rice or paired with a 5 minute slow cooker meal. Spend the $20 and get a rice cooker. It’ll make it super easy. The one I have is below ↓
Season by sight | I’m very much an ish person when it comes to measuring which saves a lot of time when you’re cooking. It’s also why baking was never much my thing 🤔 When you need to get in and out of the kitchen fast - taking time to measure every single ingredient with exact precision can really slow you down. Instead, take some time in advance and learn a few pointers to make this task easy. 💡 Size matters. Check out the size of the holes on the lid of your spices - the large the holes the more generous you can be.
Ice cube trays | I use ice cube trays to freeze leftover tomato paste, adobo peppers, egg whites, fresh herbs that I won’t be able to use before they go bad (just cover with olive oil), flavor bombs and more. Having these little bits available when you need them AND minimizing food waste is a win win.
Line your baking sheets | I ❤️ parchment paper. For non-stick, easy clean up - line those baking sheets with with paper when roasting veggies or proteins up to 425º - any hotter than that, use aluminum foil.
Get a scrap bowl | Avoid multiple trips to the trash can when cooking and grab a large bowl to place on the counter near your work surface for all the kitchen scraps.
Use your down time | Cooking is like the 🏈 of chores. There are spurts of activity, followed by a fair amount of down time. To take full advantage of your time in the kitchen, use that down time to multitask like a boss. Unload the dishwasher while the oven preheats, measure ingredients while your water boils, get your morning coffee or smoothie prepped while the chicken’s in the oven or even clean out the microwave! 👇🏼
Easiest way to clean a microwave | Exploded lasagna in the microwave? Microwave a bowl of water for 5 minutes on high before wiping out. *Bonus points for squeezing a lemon in the water first. The steam releases the food and makes the clean up fast.
Top 25 kitchen hacks
So there you have it friend. My best tips & tricks for saving time in the kitchen. Whether it’s part of your prepping or planning, your process, cooking style, or clean up - integrating these mind-blowing 🤯 hacks in your kitchen will help you save time. Get the downloadable quickie version as reference. ↓
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It’s a great way to help cover costs while I’m working out various ways to serve you. 💕