One of the things we mommas care about is providing healthy and nutritious food for our families. Of course, what with taking care of the kids, the home, and working, cooking fresh, healthy meals from scratch, that everyone enjoys can be more of a burden than a pleasure. Happily, there are some tactics you can use in the kitchen to help cut down the effort involved. Read on to find out what they are.
Start meal planning
It may seem like a simple suggestion, but meal planning really is the way to ensure your family get healthy and nutritious food. In fact, by planning in things such as eating out or takeout once a week, you can make sticking to a healthy meal plan a lot easier.
Additionally, while making your meal plan, you can ensure that the dishes you choose are as quick and straightforward as possible to cook. Something that can make all the difference when you are exhausted after a long day.
Invest in the right gadgets
Another way you can help to ensure your family has healthy food is to invest in the right kitchen gadgets. Of course, that doesn't mean that you have to get every techy kitchen item going. Instead, be sure to choose the ones that will make the most significant difference in your routine.
One such gadget is a slow cooker. Something that will allow you to throw in your ingredients, switch it on and get on with your day. Only to come back later to a perfectly cooked and delicious meal.
Alternatively, you may wish to go for a good quality food chopper instead. The advantages of this being that it makes short work of chopping vegetables and herbs for your dishes. You may even wish to use it for creating healthy and nutritious baby food when the little ones are weaning.
Consider meal prepping
No matter how organized you are, some days, it's just too much to cook a meal from scratch. This doesn't mean that you have to go for an unhealthy option, though. In fact, if you spend a few hours at the weekend preparing and freezing meals, you can defrost what you need day by day, without needing to make any effort at all.
Keep emergency ‘stone soup’ in the freezer.
Now, this soup doesn't actually contain a stone at all. In fact, it's a reference to an old story where a poor visitor promised to make the most delicious soup for his hosts with nothing but a stone. However, as the day progressed, he also asked for the scraps from the kitchen. Then added these to the broth to give them flavor. An idea that you can definitely use in your own cooking.
In fact, at the end of each week, collect up all the veg that you have not yet used, pop in in the slow cooker with some stock and leave to simmer. Then blend into either a chunky or smooth soup and freeze in portions which you can get out and heat up anytime for a quick, healthy and filling family meal.