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The organization makes every mother's life easier, and good organization also includes the kitchen. Meal prep is a valuable aid for every mother, every woman, and every family.
We often hear the words "Mummy, I'm hungry!" and the younger they are, the less we can manage to wait between their request for food (expression of need) and the serving of food (satisfaction of need). This means that, on those spring days when we easily lose track of time and stay out longer, dinner must already be thought out, planned, or even prepared. Pain: screaming, attacks on the pantry, and unappetizing and unhealthy improvisations.
Preparing meals in advance, some or all of them, totally or partially, not only has the advantage of being able to respond promptly to the request "Mum, I'm hungry", it has many more. So let's see what meal prep is, 5 good reasons for choosing it, and how to take action.
MEAL PREP: what is it?
The Anglo-Saxons call meal prep the preparation of meals in advance.
Meal prep professionals prepare all the meals (from breakfast to dinner, including snacks) for the whole family throughout the week, portion them and divide them into containers labeled with the name of the meal and the day they are to be eaten. Some meals will need to be stored in the fridge, others in the freezer; the good news is that everything (or almost everything) can be frozen and, therefore, that almost everything can be prepared in advance.
You don't need any special tools for meal prep, the classic containers that we usually have at home allow us to store our food in the fridge or freezer, but there are techniques such as pot roasting and vacuum cooking, which are functional and practical for meal prep, but which require specific and dedicated equipment.
MEAL PREP: The advantages
But is it really necessary to do meal prep and is it a good help?
It is not compulsory, but it is one of those things that makes life much easier for mothers and it is worth doing for 5 good reasons:
1. You optimize preparation time and reduce the time spent cleaning the kitchen. If you cook at once, in fact, you will only clean once, not day after day. Often we avoid using certain appliances because cleaning them is cumbersome and we feel that for a small amount of food they are not worth the effort; by cooking in quantity we will use them willingly and justify the effort required to clean them.
2. You optimize energy. You can cook more food in the steamer or oven and use the fact that it is already at temperature to prepare more dishes in the same cooking session. Baked vegetables, pizza, a pie, a sufflè.
3. Limit food waste as much as possible because, by cooking at once, you will have an overview that allows you to use every part of every ingredient. For example, you can use some parts of the vegetables that you would normally throw away to make a stock.
4. You guarantee yourself and your family a varied and healthy diet because you can plan it (with the weekly menu) and prepare it (with meal prep). You don't have to improvise the classic pasta and tuna or resort to take-away or "four sautés in a pan". It will be easier to follow diets or particular dietary regimes.
5. You will be less fatigued because, by combining a weekly menu and meal prep, you will no longer be constantly thinking about what to cook or what to invent, you will have more time and you can delegate the preparation to someone else.
MEAL PREP: the practicalities
The advantages of combining a weekly menu and meal prep are considerable. Introducing them into our daily lives may seem or feel complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to do it by hand.
So how do we take action?
1. Prepare a weekly or bi-weekly menu, it will help you get a general overview and cook in quantity.
2. Make a good shopping list - you'll optimize your time and costs.
3. Identify the best time (or times) to cook. It doesn't have to be time-consuming. Vegetables are the most laborious because they need to be washed, cut, and then prepared: dedicate a moment just for them.
4. Cook with joy and together with the family. Also, give the youngest children a task.
5. Put labels on and store them in the fridge or freezer when the containers have cooled.
6. From day to day check what the menu says and defrost accordingly. Remember not to thaw at room temperature or in a water bath or on a radiator. The only safe way to defrost food is either in the fridge or in the microwave/oven program. Or you can throw it straight into the pan and cook it.
All you have to do is enjoy spring and find the best recipes for your meal prep!
This blogpost has been written by
FEDERICA CANNATA - Professional Organizer
"I help women (and mothers) relieve themselves from physical and mental burdens by teaching them functional and stylish organisational tools."
Where you can find her?
On her personal blog www.federicacannata.it and on instagram www.instagram.com/federicacannatapo