9 Essential Kitchen Tips and Tricks for Quicker Weeknight Meals
So it’s back to school for some kids this week, and the start of a new school adventure for others, including my little one! Can’t believe it! Parents - a word of advice... make the most of your time with your baby and enjoy every moment – weaning, first steps, first words. It all passes by so quickly. My little one is starting school for the first time and whilst I'm excited for her, I can't help but feel a smidge of sadness - my baby is not a baby anymore! So if you're getting prepared for the start of the school year and a new weekly routine (like I am), here are my top 9 essential kitchen tips and tricks for quicker weeknight meals for the family.
- Cook meals in batches and freeze for the week ahead.
- Prepare more ‘one pot’ family meals to reduce the amount of washing after mealtimes.
- Plan meals for the week ahead. If you're lacking inspiration, get the family inadvertently involved in filling in the weekly meal planner by quizzing them on what they want for dinner.
- Cook vegetables in the microwave. Halves the cooking time and you can steam vegetables to perfection. Just make sure you don’t nuke them!
- Cook with ground spices. They are quick and simple to whip out of the packet. No roasting or grinding involved. But buy the smaller packets as ground spices lose their flavour quicker.
- Cook with frozen garlic and ginger. You can peel, mince and freeze fresh garlic and ginger in ice-cube trays yourself, or you can buy ready-frozen cubes.
- Keep freshly frozen herbs in the freezer – coriander leaves, curry leaves, fresh green chillies.
- Keep bags of frozen vegetables in the freezer. Reduces the need for last minute dashes to the supermarket.
- Read recipes in full and in advance so you know all the ingredients you are likely to need.
