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Having to manage a busy family and have them well fed is such a great challenge for busy parents. Knowing how to prioritize things and having a timetable for all the activities can make things easier. Time element is always the big deal for busy families. I should know as I was once before one of them. I have 5 kids and it was really difficult at first but following some tips made it manageable.
Before anything else, have a freezer and a slow cooker in possession. Make a weekly menu plan and set a day for marketing and shopping for all the staples in the kitchen and other food commodities needed. This won't only save time but also estimate how much money is going to be spent.
No matter how busy you are, there's always a day off from work in a week. Make use of it as a day for marketing and shopping in the vicinity or a place where you are familiar with. It makes sense to buy fresh produce like vegetables and fruits at the farmers market and so with freshly slaughtered cattle and livestock and fresh sea foods. This is an assurance that everything that is bought from there are fresh. Stocking them in the freezer can still preserve the food nutrients that the body needs.
Buy fruits and vegetables that are only good enough to be consumed for the week as they easily perish. The best way is to have fruit salad and vegetable salad in the refrigerator even for just some servings. This only requires mixing and tossing. Dressing and dip are readily available in supermarkets or grocery stores but, this can be prepared easily in the kitchen. Canned fruits are also an alternative.
Buy eggs by the dozens. Aside from being nutritious, you can cook a lot of things with egg especially for breakfast. Omelets with vegetables and meats, sunny side up or just plain hard boiled eggs are just but few dishes that can be cooked with egg. Spreads for sandwiches can also be made from egg. This takes only a few minutes to prepare. Cereal is great with boiled egg too.
Pack meats in freezer bags in such a way that each pack is for a particular dish and place them in the freezer. You can easily defrost a bag of meat by taking it out of the freezer and placing in the refrigerator before going to bed for use in the following morning. Ground meats must always be included as there are several dishes that can be cooked out of it like hot chili soup or egg and meat omelet. It only takes about 15 minutes. Pork chops and beef can be marinated. Choose the topside of beef because it is lean and marinate it with red wine and vinegar. This can be safely left in the refrigerator for a week. The longer the meat is marinated the better. The acid in the marinade acts as preservatives and helps breakdown the connective tissues of the meat. Cooking it requires less time. For casseroles or stews and other dishes that require a lot of time, this is where the slow cooker comes in. Place them in the slow cooker, plug it and set the time. A hot dish is waiting for supper.
Marinate fish for about 30 minutes. Take it out from the marinade. This can either be cooked in an oven preheated 450EsF for at least 8 minutes depending on its thickness or can be fried in a pan for about 10 minutes. Another way is cooking it in a microwave for at least 3 to 4 minutes.
Leftovers from previous cooking should also be taken in considerations. Cookbooks and recipes in the net are easy to access so you can have more ideas on how to deal with leftovers and recipes for easy meal preparations. They are not just for soup or for sandwich spreads or for fried rice but there are still a lot of recipes for them.
These are only some of the many tips on how to prepare meals for busy people. Just be creative and systematic so you can find time for everything. But, there's also one thing that should be kept in mind, no matter how busy you are, don't prepare meals just for the sake of feeding a hungry stomach. Make sure that they are healthy enough for a healthy mind and body. After all, health is wealth.
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