Simplify Food Prep and Cooking: Here’s How

If cooking from scratch isn’t a regular occurrence – and you instead revert to grabbing something from the freezer to pop in the oven – our simple hacks should help you escape a food rut. 

Read on for our top tips, designed to help you simplify food prep and cooking to ensure you can claw back some time in the day - and week.

Breakfast

Do you find the school run is, in fact, a mad dash? You still want the kids to get something in their bellies but don’t want to rely on toast and cereal every day.

Well, you can have a few simple – and tasty – breakfasts ready to go. All it takes is a little prep (at a less busy time of the week) and you can present them with something delicious (and different) to start the day.

We love this fruity Weetabix loaf – it’s so easy to make and it can be sliced up and wrapped in foil (in individual slices), before popping it in the freezer. Then, simply take a slice out as and when you need it, pop it in the toaster and, once ready, spread with butter or jam. It’s delicious and will take you no time at all to prepare (and to warm up). 

You could do the same with pancakes, which are easy to freeze – then simply warm them up as and when you need them, drizzling them with some syrup or topping them with fruit and yoghurt.

Finally, this Bircher muesli – with apple and banana – is another great breakfast idea, ideal for pre-preparing before tucking into later in the week.

Lunch

When it comes to lunch, batch cooking is your friend once again. To ensure your weekdays run smoothly, consider recipes that can be prepared in advance and frozen.

If you want to tuck into something warm, why not prepare a big batch of macaroni cheese on the weekend, which can be portioned up into smaller containers and added to the freezer? You can take out a portion the night before you need it, taking it into the office with you the next day. You’ll want to heat it in the microwave first, but in all, this dish requires very little effort.

Alternatively – and if you’re fed up with sandwiches – why not toss together a large salad for your evening meal (complete with chicken, bacon, egg, and your favourite dressing), and save yourself a portion for the following day?

Tea/Dinner

We call it ‘tea’ here in the north, but if you’re reading this in the south (or even the midlands), you might instead refer to it as dinner. Whatever you call it, we’re talking about the last main meal of the day (but no, not supper) – and here’s a few tips to make preparing and cooking it much simpler.

If you’re short of time but would still prefer to cook than grab something from the freezer, how about these five-ingredient recipes?

Recipes with minimal ingredients mean less time spent in the supermarket buying the bits you’ll need – and, often, less time throwing said meal together too. We tried this butter bean and chorizo stew and loved it – give it a go too, perhaps?