Attributed to: HelloFresh.com.au
At this time of year, when children are getting stuck into the new term at school and the end of summer comes to a close, time feels more precious than ever before.
For families short on time, creating wholesome and crowd-pleasing meals can often seem like a stressful and time-consuming task. This is particularly true when the evening comes and the prospect of sourcing ingredients from the depths of your cupboard to cook up a family feast, all the while keeping the little ones entertained, is daunting to say the least.
To take the stress off your plate when it comes to cooking, HelloFresh has shared time-saving tips for family meal times.
Explore alternatives to supermarket shops
Making meals for the family doesn’t always start in the kitchen. There’s meal planning, writing the shopping list, getting to the supermarket, scouting out substitutions and battling with the cost of living price hikes. Just this phase of buying ingredients and getting them to the kitchen can take up hours of time.
This is one of the many reasons that looking into alternatives such as meal kits can save you time in the long run. HelloFresh, for example, is committed to helping families achieve stress-free meal times. With pre-portioned, locally sourced ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes delivered straight to your door.
Plan your weekly menu
We all know how easy it is to spend half an hour staring at the contents of your fridge wondering what to make for dinner that night.
By planning out your weekly eats ahead of time, either through a meal-kit service or even with an old-fashioned pen and paper, you can take the uncertainty away from mealtimes.
HelloFresh reveals upcoming menus to customers a few weeks in advance so families can start to plan and prep for the weeks ahead. Preparation is the key to reducing stress in the kitchen and allowing you to have more fun making inspired dishes without spending time deciding what to cook in the first place.
Batch cook meals at the start of the week
Batch cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks on a Sunday afternoon or earlier in the week can give you precious hours back in your day.
A top tip is to batch cook household staples as well as meals – if you’re meal prepping a spag bol for the week, cooking and storing an extra few servings of pasta can set you up for a handful of quick lunches later in the week.
As well as saving time, meal prepping is also often a more sustainable option for families. Using ingredients in meals that are then properly stored or frozen prevents excess food waste and enables you to get every last bit of value from your food.
Always keep your balance
If you’re unsure where to begin when faced with an empty plate, think about the meal balance that forms nutritious and filling meals: protein, carbohydrates, fibre and healthy fats.
Taking a food item from each category can be a simple way to put together a fresh and varied plate. With HelloFresh, customers can also opt to view recipes that match their specific dietary needs such as vegetarian and flexitarian, and carb-smart, dietitian approved recipes.
Meal times are an opportunity for families to refuel and relax amidst the chaos of every day. With these time-saving kitchen tips, parents and guardians can enjoy satisfying meals without spending hours on prep and execution.