5 Tips for Meals in Minutes

Five Tips for Meals in Minutes, so you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to make a nourishing meal

While I love cooking, I don't always feel like spending hours in the kitchen...

The great news is that you don't have to spend hours to get a tasty and satisfying recipe on the table for your (and your family).

I'm all for meal prepping and being super organized, but if I'm being completely honest, it doesn't happen on the reg for me. I desperately want to prepare everything in advance and always have a meal plan for the week, etc. But this isn't the case.

Feel free to call me lazy, but I think I've all but mastered how to make a meal in minutes that doesn't require a ton of planning, prep work, or effort. And I'm sharing a few of those ideas today.

I've also created an eBook exclusively for my email subscribers that includes these tips, extra info including a pantry staples list as well as my freezer & fridge favorites list, and over 15 recipes 🙂

You can sign up for it here.

[clickToTweet tweet="5 Tips for Meals in Minutes so you're not spending hours in the kitchen to make a nourishing meal" quote="5 Tips for Meals in Minutes so you're not spending hours in the kitchen to make a nourishing meal"]

Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite ideas for preparing meals in minutes with minimal effort:

Tip #1: Do a Little Extra

Instead of looking at meal prep as something you do all in one day, break it into manageable tasks that you are already planning on doing. Just do a little extra.

Instead of making the exact amount of grains (rice, quinoa, pasta, etc.) needed, double it for another night. Or freeze it. Cooked grains freeze really well. Bake extra potatoes when you're already baking. Chop extra veggies when you're already chopping.

Doing a little extra work will save tons of time later.

Tip #2: Love Your Leftovers

Leftovers make life so much easier, but leftovers unfortunately get a bad name because people label them as boring or repetitive or some other sad term that they don't deserve.

Loving your leftovers is different than making extra (Tip #1). It's taking those leftovers and making them new again.

Stuff leftovers into a vegetables. You can stuff all kinds of veggies: peppers (any type), tomatoes, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, lettuce, eggplant, avocados, cabbage, and potatoes. Another way to revamp your leftovers is to turn them into a salad. You can also deliciously use leftovers to make fried rice or fried quinoa.

Tip #3: Stock Your Pantry

A well-stocked pantry is one of the keys to never going hungry (or having to order takeout). Having pantry staples like canned beans & vegetables is an easy trick for making a quick meal.

Check out the pantry staples list in the eBook for ideas on great things to keep in your pantry.

Tip #4: Take Advantage of Convenience Items

Taking advantage of convenience items can help save you precious minutes in the kitchen.

Be sure to buy high quality convenience items, like pre-washed lettuce, sliced veggies, rotisserie chicken, pizza dough, hummus, cooked chicken sausage, broth, and tortillas.

Tip #5: Make Friends With Your Freezer

Take advantage of all the great things you can keep in your freezer to make a quick meal.

For example, frozen veggies are great for stir-fry, sauteing, soups, and casseroles (and you won't have to do any washing, chopping, etc. because it's already done for you). Frozen fruit is great for smoothies or even dessert.

The freezer is also great to freeze some of the "extras" you've made. You can freeze cooked grains and cooked protein (like chicken, ground beef or turkey) to use later for a quick meal.

To prevent overcrowding your freezer or wasting precious freezer space, try a first in first out mentality. Push anything you're adding to the freezer to the back, so it's not the first thing you grab. And be sure to know what's in your freezer.