Time Saving Tips
Organize your shopping list:
Become familiar with your grocery store layout and organize your shopping list so you cross things off in the order you come across them in the store. That little time spent organizing your list saves time in the store and helps keep you focused and less likely to wander down aisles containing processed and refined foods/ingredients. It also reduces the chance you’ll forget something that gets “lost” in the list.
Buy spices from the bulk aisle:
This will save you a lot of money. Those cute little jars don’t come cheap!
Portion your meat out:
Have your butcher cut your meat into the appropriate portion sizes before you leave. Any good butcher who wants to provide good customer service will have no problem doing this for you. If you prefer to do it yourself, a kitchen scale works perfectly for portioning.
Store individually portioned meals:
Stock up on glass or plastic (BPA Free) containers that will hold individual portions of your meals. Pack them up when you’re finished cooking, and take them out to reheat when ready to eat. No measuring when you’re tired and hungry, and helps with the temptation to eat more than your allotted portion.
Rinse your veggies beforehand:
Clean your veggies as soon as you bring them home from the store. It will save you time when you’re ready to prepare them.
Prepare your veggies ahead of time:
Spend an hour or two chopping veggies ahead of time and place them in airtight containers for storing. These can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and you can pull them out when you are ready to use them to cook.
Herb tips:
Basil hates cold, so leave it out, wrapped in a moistened paper towel, and it will last longer. Other herbs can be rinsed, dried, and the stems wrapped in paper towels and placed in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
Chop your garlic all at once:
If you’re using a lot of garlic, chop a whole bulb of cloves in a small food processor (or go for it by hand with a knife if you’re so inclined), place in a small container and place in the refrigerator for easy access
Chopping garlic at least 10 minutes before using in recipes allows the cancer-fighting compounds to be released and become more potent.
Use your slow cooker:
Soups and slow cooker meals are a busy person’s best friend. Spend a few hours once a week prepping, measuring, and placing several meals in freezer bags and freezing them until ready to thaw and cook. A few days before cooking them, take out of the freezer, thaw in fridge, then place in slow cooker or soup pot and you’re done!
Use your pressure cooker:
Pressure cookers can be used when you’re in a pinch for time. Simply throw your meat and veggies in with some herbs and spices and you’ve got a complete meal that’s ready in just 30 minutes or less.
Kristen Stensland
A certified personal trainer and holistic nutrition coach.
