{"id":50356,"date":"2018-06-26T15:43:06","date_gmt":"2018-06-26T15:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/jessicaprobus\/22-genius-tips-to-help-you-cook-more-on-weeknights"},"modified":"2018-06-26T15:43:06","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T15:43:06","slug":"22-genius-tips-to-help-you-cook-more-on-weeknights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/archives\/50356","title":{"rendered":"22 Genius Tips To Help You Cook More On Weeknights"},"content":{"rendered":"
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSave money, eat healthy, and organize your kitchen all at once!<\/b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Just add a little chalk paint. See how to do it here<\/a>. That way no one will need to ask ‘What’s for dinner?”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t See how to make this one here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n bhg.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t etsy.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Then you can pull the cards right out and take them with you to the grocery store as a pre-made list. <\/p>\n Get this menu board here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t thehomesihavemade.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t thehomesihavemade.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Meagan at The Homes I Have Made<\/a> uses these clever code letters to add sides to her magnetic menu board. See how she did it, and more menu planning tips, here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Apps like Evernote<\/a> (free), MealBoard<\/a> ($3.99) and PepperPlate<\/a> (free) let you organize all your meal planning right inside their interface, and even import recipes you love from other sites.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Taya K of Simply Frugal<\/a> uses these theme nights when she’s stumped on new ideas. <\/p>\n Some easy theme ideas include:<\/p>\n -Mexican Night View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t That way you can mix and match weekly so everyone is happy. <\/p>\n Get this vinyl organizer from Controlling My Chaos<\/a> here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t That way you can make easier meals on busier nights of the week. <\/p>\n See how to make this Ultimate DIY Menu Board here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t This can come in many forms, including ‘leftover night,’ ‘feed yourself night,’ etc. It’s especially useful towards the end of the week right before you go grocery shopping. <\/p>\n Pro tip: Label all your leftovers so it’s easier for everyone to pick what they want. Get these printable labels here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Just type in the ingredients you have on hand and it will come up with several recipes! Check it out here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t To avoid the ‘leftover night glumness,’ learn how to re-invent the meals instead of just reheating. <\/p>\n Some great way to do that are: View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Planning meals in advance can start to feel tedious when you’re using the same meals every week. Take time to browse websites or cookbooks for new ideas that will bring excitement back into the planning. <\/p>\n Here are some of our favorite recipe sites:<\/p>\n – Food Gawker<\/a> (for general food and recipe porn) View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t If chicken is $1 per pound one week, that’s a great reason to make your favorite chicken dishes! Check your local supermarket circulars for upcoming sales. There are also great apps that help you match your local sales with recipes, like this one on iTunes<\/a> from Food.com.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Save time during the week by cooking anything that can be cooked early on one night. Roast chicken, brown ground beef, stew tomato sauce, blanche vegetables and then mix-and-match them in several meals throughout the week. <\/p>\n Learn how to master the art of vegetable blanching here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Many things can be pre-prepped and frozen to use weeks later. Soups, herbs<\/a>, breadcrumbs, beans, shredded cheese, sauces, and many other ingredients can be frozen to save time. <\/p>\n See a list of what you can freeze here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t The Pioneer Woman<\/a> is the master of the tasty freezer meal. Check out some of her recipes for things that can be made ahead and savored later here<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n homecookingmemories.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t favfamilyrecipes.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Pre-make things like pancakes<\/a>, sandwiches<\/a>, breakfast burritos<\/a>, and muffins<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n View this image ›<\/b><\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n1.<\/span> Menu planning can be as simple as making your fridge into a shopping list and menu planner.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n2.<\/span> You can also make a cute and simple DIY message-board to keep track of your weekly plan.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n3.<\/span> Use recipe cards to display your upcoming menu for easy access.<\/h2>\t\t
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\n4.<\/span> To see how to make a more complex master meal planning board, and even download tons of kid-friendly recipes, check out this master database<\/a> by RobbyGirl<\/a>.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n5.<\/span> Adding sides to your menu ahead of time will help you make even more balanced meals.<\/h2>\t\t
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\n6.<\/span> There are lots of streamlined online planning tools to help you organize your meal planning.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n7.<\/span> Try setting up nightly themes to help you come up with ideas.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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-Pasta Night
-Sandwich Night
-Soup Night
-Beef Night
-Chicken Night
-Casserole Night
-Stir Fry Night
-Breakfast for Dinner
-Scrounge Night (more tips on how to do a scrounge night below!)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n8.<\/span> Create a master list of everyone’s favorite meals.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n9.<\/span> If you want to get even more organized, color code the meals by difficulty or number of ingredients.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n10.<\/span> Master the ‘scrounge’ night for when you don’t have time to make a whole meal.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n11.<\/span> A great resource for making the most out of whatever is left in your fridge is Recipe Puppy<\/a>.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n12.<\/span> Make extra servings of the most versatile meals to use on leftover night.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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–Pizza-fying<\/a>
– Putting leftovers in a wrap<\/a>
– Adding leftovers to a salad<\/a>
– Turning savory leftovers into a delicious breakfast<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n13.<\/span> Spend time adding new meals to your repertoire.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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– Simple Bites<\/a> (for kid-friendly recipes)
– Little Leopard Book<\/a> (for creative takes on old recipes)
– Dinner: A Love Story<\/a> (for frugal and family-friendly recipes)
– BuzzFeed Food<\/a>, of course!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n14.<\/span> Use weekly sales to help you pick which meals to make.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n15.<\/span> Pre-cook parts of the meals in advance.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n16.<\/span> Once a month, have a “freezer day.”<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n17.<\/span> Make whole meals ahead of time and use them on weeknights when you have less tine.<\/h2> \t\t\t
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\n18.<\/span> You can even make lots of freezer-ready breakfasts…<\/h2>\t\t
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\n19.<\/span> …and lunches…<\/h2> \t\t\t
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