Category: Time Management

Meal Timelines

Published on by Kim2 Comments

Do you ever get to the end of the afternoon and realize with a shock that dinner will be expected shortly and you have no idea what it will be? Well, it happens to all of us, but if it happens regularly, I’d recommend reading two previous blog posts, Planning Your Day and Meal Planning. This post will build on what we have already started discussing.

Planning ahead involves knowing how your day will go (roughly) and knowing what you plan to make for a meal, but you also need to know how the various steps for your chosen menu will fit into your schedule. When do you need to start preparing? Do you need to figure on 2 hours in the kitchen or 20 minutes?

Many recipes now include prep time and cook time, which is very helpful. But you still need to know what you’ll be doing when.

Note: if you use frozen meat for your meals, remember to add defrosting the meat to your steps or your schedule the day before or early the day of.

As you look at your menu, map out the different steps and when you’ll need to do each of them (i.e., 2 hours ahead, 45 minutes ahead, right before serving, etc.). Some recipes or dishes are simple enough that you only need 5 minutes of prep time 2 hours before dinner. Some have a few more steps. Others are all last minute, just before you eat. Write it down in a timeline, counting backwards from your target mealtime.

Note: if you collect tried-and-true recipes or standard menus for a monthly meal plan, this will be helpful to keep with the recipe. That way you don’t have to think it through each time.

For an example, using the menu outlined in A Simple Meal, you would sketch out a timeline like this:

  • 2 hours prior — prepare meat and put in oven
  • 45 minutes prior — prepare sweet potatoes and put in oven
  • 15 minutes prior — set table and steam vegetables

Now you know that you have less than 30 minutes needed for the meal, but also you don’t need to do anything between the 2 hour mark and the 45 minute mark. You can plan on 75 minutes to devote to other tasks.

Now you also know what you are doing and that your bases are covered. Way to plan!

Simple Solutions for Meals

Published on by Kim2 Comments

Knowledge is power. Knowing a few basic methods of cooking will empower you to compose a simple, delicious meal for your family quickly and easily with what you have on hand. Today we will discuss a couple of these methods.

Slow Cooker

Every mother’s favorite, right? So many wonderful recipes available, but you can also use it simply, without having to look up a recipe.

Most pieces of chicken, pork or beef can be cooked easily with water or broth and some seasoning. If you keep seasoned salt on hand, you will always have that to use. There are also many seasoning mixes available or you can experiment with your own tastes. Adding fresh root vegetables (onions, carrots, potatoes) adds flavor, but remember that they will absorb the seasoning and meat flavor. Also be careful to include enough liquid to keep the meat moist.

Note: A whole chicken can give you cooked chicken in the freezer for future meals, like chicken divan or poppyseed chicken. A pork roast today can yield pulled pork sandwiches another day.  It will also help your budget if you stretch the meat by portioning it out before it is on the table.

There are also plenty of marinades available off the shelf, so you can throw chicken breasts in the cooker with a bottle of Hawaiian teriyaki to enjoy later with rice. A bottle of Italian dressing, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, or even barbecue sauce does the same thing. Cream soups and some water will also provide a simple sauce.

Finally, if you simply want cooked chicken or pork for other recipes later, you can just put in plenty of water with the meat and cook all day. Seasoning will happen with the recipes when you assemble them.

Oven Roasting

High heat, butter or olive oil, and a little spice or garlic — voila! You have your entree.

Line a cookie sheet with foil, place the meat on it, drizzle the oil or dab the butter, sprinkle with seasoning, and place in a pre-heated oven at 425 degrees. Fish usually takes 15-20 minutes. Chicken is more like 25-30 minutes. Timing depends a great deal on your oven and the thickness of the meat, so experiment until you are comfortable.

Vegetables work the same way, usually around 15-20 minutes, so you can expand your menu to roasted vegetables as well. I personally recommend Brussel sprouts and sliced sweet potatoes this way. Yum!

Or you can cut up chicken or smoked sausage with vegetable chunks and have a complete, delicious meal in one pan and fairly quickly. Play around with combinations and seasoning blends, or find one or two that work for you and use them regularly. Either way, make the option work for you.

Bon appetit!

 

Bonus

One recipe I’ve found useful is slightly more involved than simply roasting — but not much! It is easy and delicious; let me know if you agree. Click here for the recipe.