If I’m (Litsa) going to the supermarket, I like to arrive home with a little—–or ample—-time to prep food in the kitchen! When fresh berries and other fruit/vegetables arrive home in my grocery bags, I like to have time to wash the produce and prep it for eating. If my refrigerator doesn’t house fresh juices, I also like to have time to juice enough for two to three days worth of juice. Thus, I tend to think of grocery shopping and kitchen prep as one segment of time! It may seem like more time is utilized to unload groceries, wash produce, and prep it for consumption but in the long run, the time set aside on the front end saves me time in the kitchen.
Likewise, when I’m prepping recipes for lunch/dinner/snacking, I think of working on sets of two recipes so that I’m focused on preparing more food to stretch out our ‘food’ selections for the week. This week I found myself looking for familiar recipes that we had not enjoyed for six weeks while we were away from our home and on vacation. I selected the Summer Salsa Recipe to recreate and the Avocado Corn Salsa Recipe. The ingredient list was similar. The cutting board was already out for vegetable prep and when I was boiling corn, I only had to use one big pot! Aside from having boiled the corn the night before (so that we could enjoy some for dinner), I didn’t have anything else ready for these two recipes. However, I was able to use my ‘after grocery shopping’ time to prep these recipes for the week! I left the parking lot of our grocery store at 11:19 and had these two recipes entirely prepped at 12:30 (with dishes hand washed too—-the dishwasher was full & I was ready for a cup of coffee)!
After sitting down with my cup of coffee, I was not only pleased with maximizing my time in the kitchen for the day but I also had lunch ready (although I did consume it standing up by the kitchen sink)! Additionally, I had enough salsa refrigerated for the week—-and enough to share with a widowed friend—–and somewhere in that time frame, I juiced (two and 1/2 pints of green goodness). It’s encouraging to prepare clean foods for myself and my daughter—-and to have enough to share with friends. There’s no perfection in the kitchen but I can say that it is worth investing time in your kitchen. Play around. Try new recipes alone or with a friend. You might enjoy a full day in the kitchen like Renae on a Saturday or Sunday. Check out her Freezer Cooking Day post. These posts are here to encourage you and cheer you on to be successful in your food frenzies! Keep what works and toss what doesn’t. There’s always room for change if we maximize our time in the kitchen!
How do you maximize your time in the kitchen?
Latest posts by Litsa @How to Have it All (see all)
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