Kitchen Hacks That Simplify Meal Prep

For those of you who know me, I am a super type-A, multi-tasker who loves to bake and cook, but I don’t have the luxury of spending hours in the kitchen every night. Let’s be honest - most of us don’t have or want to spend hours preparing a weeknight meal.

That’s why I love a good kitchen hack!

I have always been efficient in the kitchen, but after having a baby I found myself looking for more tips and tricks to make cooking easy.

Many of my clients feel the same way. They are busy, working long hours, and have other commitments. Some love to cook and others do not…remember there is also the time needed after cooking to clean :(

Why not have a few hacks in your back pocket to simplify cooking? I’m sure any trained chef will turn their nose up at some of these hacks, but we are real people who need quick and healthy weeknight solutions!

10 Kitchen Hacks

1) Buy Pre-cut Vegetables

Some may argue this hack and say it’s too expensive. But if it makes your life easier and puts a healthy meal on the table then I think it’s worth the extra money. Buying pre-cut veggies is a huge time saver and you can find almost anything pre-cut or trimmed like brussels sprouts, butternut squash (HUGE time saver), spiralized zucchini, and riced cauliflower.

2) Cook Once, Eat Twice

This is seriously one of my favorite sayings. If I am already in the kitchen I am going to maximize efficiency and make enough for 2 meals or roast a pan of veggies or make a quick pesto sauce to keep handy. It never hurts to have extra food in the fridge or freezer for unexpected nights when you have no time to prepare a meal. Think easy meals like crockpot soups, stews, or casseroles.

3) Use Frozen Vegetables

As my previous blog post here mentions, frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh ones. They are also a huge time saver, cheaper, and last longer. I always keep 2-3 types of frozen vegetables in the freezer to add to soups, stews, sauté as a quick side dish, or add to omelets. No need to worry about washing and chopping, simply dump in as much as you like to your dishes.

4) Serve Breakfast For Dinner

We serve breakfast for dinner at least once or twice a month. There are no rules as to when you can eat certain foods and breakfast can make for a nutrient-dense dinner option. Omelets, scrambled eggs, or a frittata using some frozen veggies from tip 3! Make some pancakes or waffles on the side and you have a pretty balanced meal! The kids will love it too and appreciate you throwing out the food rules and doing something fun for dinner.

5) Speaking Of Eggs…Make Egg Muffin Cups

What is an egg muffin cup? The easiest breakfast (or lunch) option to keep in the fridge or freezer. Simply add 8-9 eggs to a bowl with your favorite veggies and spices, whisk, pour into lightly greased muffin tins and bake 10-12 minutes. Serve with a side salad or bagel and you have a quick and healthy meal!

6) Meal Prep When The Kids Are Napping

This tip goes out to my work from home parents. I know remote work does not necessarily mean time to do meal prep, but if you do find yourself having an hour free at lunch or in the morning or while your kiddies are napping do some meal prep! Wash veggies, marinate meat, dump some stuff into a crockpot! You will appreciate it come dinner time when your planned hour to cook in the evening dwindles to 15 minutes due to homework battles or late meetings.

7) Utilize Store-Bought Sauces, Marinades, Dressings

Again, any trained chefs are sticking their noses up in the air at this hack, but seriously who has time to make homemade sauces? I personally love Trader Joe’s for all of its amazing pre-made sauces, marinades, and flavor enhancers. They are flavorful and one less thing to worry about making. For example, I like to keep dressings on hand for marinating meats and poultry. My only disclaimer to this tip is to be mindful of the sodium content as some of the pre-made sauces/marinades/dressings do contain pretty crazy amounts.

8) Keep Pantry Staples At Home

I highly recommend keeping some shelf stable pantry items at home to make your life easier. I like to keep things like bean-based and whole wheat pasta, canned beans, oats, whole grain rice, and canned sardines in my pantry to add protein and fiber to quick and easy weeknight meals. For example, I frequently make bean-based pasta, add store-bought tomato sauce, frozen veggies, and some ground meat to make a balanced and nutritious quick meal.

9) Make Sheet Pan Or One-Pot Meals

I LOVE sheet pan dinners for many reasons. They require minimal clean-up, require minimal ingredients, and are a huge time saver. Try making my sheet pan chicken thigh and broccoli recipe here. Another idea is to make a one-pan stir fry where you sauté fresh or frozen veggies (using tips #1 & #3), add a protein, and store-bought soy sauce or coconut aminos. Serve with quinoa or whole grain rice for a super quick dinner…bonus points for easy clean-up. If you own a crockpot make soups, chilis, and stews all requiring minimal ingredients and effort. Crockpot meals are also great for leftovers!

10) Plan Ahead

If you don’t love meal prepping then at least take an extra 10 minutes to make a plan for the week. For example, when you are making up your grocery list think about 2-3 meals you can prepare for the week with the foods you are buying. This eliminates food waste and also saves you time when you know what you are going to cook each night of the week. This can also be a fun way to get your kids involved by asking them to each pick a dinner they want to help make. Involving kids in meal prep and cooking increases the likelihood of them trying and accepting the dinner. Win-win for all! Time saved for you, and happy kids eating a healthy dinner!