Nearly every day we are presented with the same kitchen questions:
- What’s for dinner?
- Do we have all the ingredients for that?
- Is there enough time to thaw the meat?
- Where is all this clutter coming from?
- What snacks can I pack for tomorrow’s outing?
The same questions day after day, the never-ending line of decisions to make, can leave us feeling burnt out before we begin. It’s like we have to constantly react and we’re never prepared.
The problem isn’t usually the cooking, it’s that we lack systems to keep things running smoothly and to answer these questions before they come up.
After 20 (plus) years of learning from experience, I have figured out a few simple systems that keep me a few steps ahead in the kitchen. Systems that support our busy family life, not consume it.
Let me share with you some of the things that keep me a few steps ahead in the kitchen. They help me cook from scratch without spending all day cooking, keep ingredients on hand without constant shopping trips, and maintain a kitchen that’s ready to use without cleaning from morning until night.
1) Simple meal planning –
Meal planning doesn’t have to mean detailed spreadsheets or brand-new recipes every week. A simple list of familiar meals, a realistic look at your family’s schedule, and a little flexibility remove much of the daily decision-making.
Read more about my simple meal planning methods here.
2) A Dependable Pantry –
With a well-stocked pantry you’ll have things on hand if your planned meals need to pivot when something changes in your schedule. Keeping a few extra shelf stable items on hand – pasta, marinara, beans, frozen veggies – gives you the foundations to many simple meals that can be put together quickly.
Read more about my Pantry Staples system here or download a free Pantry Staples List here.
3) Kitchen Rhythms –
Establishing a kitchen rhythm is the backbone of keeping up with all the things going on in the kitchen. It’s not about developing a strict schedule of work at specific times, but rather simple routines or an established pattern of tasks that keep things running smoothly. My rhythms include emptying the dishwasher while the morning coffee brews, prepping ingredients before I need them, and clearing clutter before it gets unmanageable.
Here is where you can find more details about my Kitchen Rhythm and you can use this free printable to help guide you to build your own rhythm.
4) Batch Cooking –
Every single meal doesn’t need to start from scratch. Batch cooking is simply doing a little extra while you’re already cooking. Brown several pounds of ground beef instead of one. Freeze extra rice. Roast additional vegetables. Make broth whenever you cook a chicken. Those small efforts become your own homemade convenience foods later in the week.
Get more information about Batch cooking here.
Now, I’m not trying to say you need to implement all these systems at once. Start slow. One change at a time.
Choose one system that would make the biggest difference in your daily life. Maybe that’s creating a simple meal plan. Maybe it’s stocking your pantry a little more intentionally. Maybe it’s trying batch cooking for the first time.
Small changes have a way of building on one another. Before long, you’ll spend less time scrambling and more time simply enjoying the work of feeding your family.
You’ll stop constantly reacting and feel a bit calmer.
If you’d like to learn more about building all these systems together the Sensible Kitchen Guide walks through each system in depth, step by step.
What makes these systems so effective is how they support one another.
- Meal planning tells you what to cook.
- Your pantry provides the ingredients.
- Your kitchen rhythm gives you time to prepare ahead.
- Batch cooking makes busy evenings easier.
