Dinner time can be a complete rush of trying to get a healthy, flavourful meal on the table before it gets too late in the evening. We’ve all been there, feeling like the only way to beat the clock is to offer up something thrown together or worse, eat the same batch-made meal for days in a row.
Thankfully, here at Better Homes and Gardens, we’ve found five clever solutions to midweek mealtimes that are going to save you time and money in the long run.
5 Midweek Mealtime Hacks
Meal plan
Okay, we know this feels like and obvious step that might not actually save you time to start with, but in the long run, it’s going to save you time, brain power and even money. Planning your weekly meals is not only a great way to organise your weekly shopping list but will also help reduce food waste and curb that 5.pm panic and indecisiveness. Especially when you get the whole family involved with a group notes app to help think of hearty, flavourful meals.
Keep your kitchen organised
It sounds obvious we know, but an organised kitchen will save you serious time. Our top tip is to not only keep all your foods easy to see (and grab) in both your fridge and pantry, but also keep your storage space clear. Use clear dividers to make sure your plastic wrap doesn’t get caught up, and handy plastic bag organisers so you can easily grab a resealable Ziploc bag out when prepping.
Have meals and ingredients ready to go in the freezer
The most genius hack is all about putting in the time and effort in advance and reaping the benefits later. Prepping the time-consuming elements of dinners, such as making marinades or sauces in advance and freezing them in a Ziploc bag will be your midweek dinner saviour. Best of all, you can even pre-portion and freeze meats with a clever layer and divide system. Not only will it lock in the freshness and extend the life of your purchases (thanks to a durable double-zipper seal), but you can also ensure portion control, therefore preventing any unnecessary waste. It’s a win win.
Not to mention, if you see any veggies on sale or about to turn, chop them up and freeze them in a resealable bag so they’re ready to transform into a soup, pasta sauce or even roasted. Or even better yet, freeze everything in the one ‘dump bag’ to save time energy and effort on the other end, all you’ll need to do is adjust the spices and slow cook away. Future you will thank you.
Store leftovers in the freezer
While we’re all about making smarter choices when cooking, sometimes you just have leftovers. If you’re not planning to take the leftovers for lunch the next day, simply place them in a freezer bag, write on the label with the name of the dish and date (a key step) and pop them in the freezer. Regardless of the quantity of leftovers, there will be a freezer bag big or small enough for your needs, without compromising on freshness or worrying about freezer burn.
Refresh and revive vegetables in water
Much like flowers, most herbs and even vegetables require water once cut. If you notice your fresh bunch of herbs starting to wilt, pop them in a little jar of water in the fridge, and they’re bound to perk back up. The same goes for some vegetables. You’ll be surprised by how much longer cut celery lasts when it’s in water.
Whether you’re storing meats, vegetables, leftovers, or pantry essentials, Ziploc® Storage Bags have you covered.
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