If you have read our article on the importance on learning how to cook, I am sure you are waiting to understand how you can manage your day to day cooking whether you are a working person or a homemaker living in a joint family.
Meal prep is the best for working individuals;saves time and you can have a simpler morning instead of rushing which usually ends up in skipping your breakfast because you were busy preparing lunch to take to office. One needs to understand that if for yourself you have set a certain goal; one has to plan towards it.
Whether its your personal or professional goal, without planning the whole thing will come crashing down and in turn lead to stress which ofcourse at the end of the day leads to bad eating habits.
We have all gone through this phase where we have not been able to set our priorities straight and that’s why we are there for you. Self-discipline is a must and it will only come with practice so start small and let us get going. Nothing we set our mind to is not achievable.
Now let us look at how you can plan and manage things:-
The Dos:
1. Decide what you would like to have for breakfast first and then lunch on that day.
2. Breakfast is a priority. You can decide what you want to eat beforehand so that you can take out the required items and keep at eye level so it is easier for you to quickly whip up something.
3. Cut particular vegetables you require for the meal and store in refrigerator in an air tight container. Alternatively, invest in appliances which shorten your dough making, or chopping time, so you can quicken the entire process.
4. If you want to prepare dal for lunch, you can simply keep the pressure cooker ready and while you are preparing your coffee just put the dal to boil, this way by the time you freshen up and complete your other chores the dal would be cooked after which its just ten minutes of cooking time.
5. If you are taking chapatis, prepare the dough as the last thing you do in the evening. Store dough for maximum 1 day [Avoid making extra, as dough spoils and the chapatis do not come out soft].
6. Plan your grocery shopping every Sunday so you are ready for the week. Here it is very important that you understand what’s in season so when you shop its easier for you to make the right choices. Always go for the seasonal vegetables and fruits, as it is fresh produce and will be cheaper.
The Don’ts:
1. As discussed above, do not prepare your dough early morning and store overnight.
2.Do not cut fruits beforehand as they start to brown except for pomegranate and melons.
3.Make sure to not refrigerate in plastic containers.
4.Avoid cutting potatoes, onions, tomatoes and garlic beforehand and store overnight it will surely spoil and you will have double the work in the morning.
5.Do not store any food items longer than 1 and a half day as their texture changes.
Leftover options:
- Out of sabzi you can make parathas for morning breakfast
- With leftover rice you can make vegetable fried rice,curd rice,Phodni bhaat,etc
- With chappatis you can use to make wraps/burritos, use as pizza base, chappati chat,etc
Weekend preps:
- Hit the grocery store
- You can prepare overnight oats and keep
- Salads
- Prepare snacks in bulk like roasted makhana, chivda,stc.
- Lean meat can be cut pounded and marinated and stored for the week.
Let us look at some easy meal options you can go for:
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| Dudh Poha | Cucumber/carrot salad | Dosa |
| Eggs | sabzi | Paratha |
| Banana and milk | Curd rice | Kichidi |
| Sandwiches | Dal rice | Sprouts pulav |
| Jaggery,ghee&chapati | Chapati | |
| dosa | ||
| idlis |
Hit me up on any queries regarding how to plan your meals.
Understand that excuses do not bring results, discipline does!
