Real Food, Real Easy

Time Management in the Kitchen

Time management is my nemesis. Making everything from scratch can be time consuming, and if you are not a plan-ahead type person you will find yourself scrambling to just get something on the table.

I think one of the worst hurdles for me to overcome with eating healthier is that it takes more time to make my food. I am busy enough as it is with 5 kids 6 and under, homeschooling, and a home business. We are a busy brood and so “extra things to do” do not come with extra time.

So how can you save time when preparing real food?

Menu planning really does save you time. I am one of those people that if left to myself I will be scrambling at 5:30 to throw something together for my family. Menu planning helps you to decide all of that beforehand.
Freezer Meals and Crockpots are a life saver! I really want to do more of these. There are some great resources out there with cheap and easy freezer meal and crockpot ideas and healthy options like $5 Dinners.
Making items in bulk - I make my homemade “Cream of” Soup mix, taco mix, ranch dressing mix, etc. all ahead of time in large portions to store to be used at a moment’s notice. If you soak your beans and grains, don’t do this at the last second. Keep a continuous batch going so that they are always ready to grab.
Titus 2 - Our church does a canning event at least once a year, where all the ladies of the church young and old get together and learn to can, as well as make large batches of jam to take home. You can do this with canning or freezer meals. It is a great ministry to learn from those older than you, but also to get to know other women in your church whom you may not normally converse with. You will also leave with a lot of pre-made meals to feed your family!
Have FUN with your food! Allow your children to help you prepare according to their ages. This will make some wonderful memories and keep them entertained.

FREE Printable

I like to prioritize my real food budget by only buying those items organic that are on The Dirty Dozen list. Sometimes I can’t even afford that, and that is okay, but when we can we stick to this list. Feel free to print it off and add it to your homemaking binder or to hang inside a kitchen cabinet. CLICK BELOW ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD

Bonus Tips!

I have found that cutting down on my grocery shopping time has really made a difference for my time management as well. My husband has just started helping out with that area since the new year and it has rocked my world! He has been taking care of the grocery shopping and I prepare the food! He also has been offering to help clean up the kitchen a couple of times a week too and that has just been icing on the cake.

Other ways that I cut down on my grocery shopping time … I purchase in bulk from co-ops like Azure Standard and Bountiful Baskets. We have an Amazon Prime membership and I order things as I have need, but always checking the price tag to make sure that it is on par with what I would get in the store.

Do you have any ideas that are not mentioned here that help you save time and money when it comes to eating real food on a realistic budget? I would love to hear them! Please share with us in the comments below.

Interested in Learning More About Budgeting for REAL Food?
Check Out My Post on Hip Homeschool Moms!

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Lindsey

I am a wife to a wonderful husband and mother to four beautiful children five and under: three girls and one boy. I am a disciple of Christ and I am fulfilling my role to my husband and family as a homemaker. I began The Road to 31 almost two years ago in an effort to focus more as I studied the Word of God and researched those things which were important to me. I found that God used The Road to 31 within my own life to bring community to my front door and allowed me to minister and be ministered to by other women who are walking along the same road as I.