Tips to Prepare Fast Home-Cooked Meals for Working Moms

Working while taking care of your family is more than difficult. It is demanding and laborious as well, and most people cannot even comprehend how to make or balance both work and family. But Mothers are not 'most people' - they have the responsibility to take care of their family and keep up with the ordinary people’s workload too. One of the things that working moms find especially difficult to do is to cook after a long day at work. Despite still under MCO, some companies already started to operate (though not like usual). So, in an effort to help all incredible women out there, here are some tips on how you can prepare fast home-cooked meals especially during this Ramadhan. 1. Plan Ahead (Suggestion-weekly) Source: Adobe Stock Working moms have to be efficient, fast, and crafty when we talk about cooking for your family, every day. Instead of contemplating on what you should cook once you reach home, it is better to plan ahead for the entire week. Thinking of the menu everyday can cost you your time, energy, and motivation - well, once you are demotivated, I believe you would opt for the easiest option which is delivery! To plan out your weekly menu, our suggestion would be: chicken for Monday and Wednesday, vegetarian on Fridays, and fish dishes for the other days. Decide on the menu for each ingredients, and jot it down in your planner. 2. Keep a Well-Stocked Fridge/Pantry Source: Adobe Stock Knowing what is and what isn't in your fridge or pantry is as important! To put your well-thought plan into action, you have to make sure that you have all of the ingredients. Thus, always check your fridge and pantry whether you have the things that you need. However, make sure to stock up according to your family's consumption ability. Just buy what you really need. DO NOT panic buying! 3. Get to Know Your Freezer Source: Adobe Stock Yes, frozen foods are not as healthy as non-frozen and fresh foods. But by freezing the ingredients and food, it keeps the freshness and the can be used for another day. So, why not? Get some freezer bag or zip lock bags, so you can prepare a lot of food ahead of time as well. Frozen vegetables also helps to speed up your cooking time as you don’t really have to spend much time on cutting or chopping the vegetables. Save those prep time for your food and get it done in an easier and hassle free way. 4. Invest in Top Of the Chart Cooking Tools Source: Adobe Stock Get an assistant chef(s)! But, yeah not that a real-person-chef. Opt for a good electronic kitchen appliances and other jiffy kitchen tools that can cut down your prep and cooking time. I would say that an electronic pot or infrared induction stove with timers are two of the best decisions you could ever make! You just have to put on a few ingredients, set the temperature and timer, and you are free to do other stuff without worry. 5. Leftover Makeover Source: Adobe Stock Wasting is a sin, so let’s take that extra step and keep the leftovers for our future meals. Some dishes can be heated up and eaten the next day. Dinner leftovers like rice and vegetables can be made into fried rice or use that extra soup or curry to eat with noodle or bread. Recycle everything and bring your waste to nil, by creating another delicious, fast, and easy home-cooked meal! Cooking once can garner twice the meal, so moms stop pouring all that leftover into the bin and get creative with your cooking. 6. Make More Whenever You Can Source: Adobe Stock Use those big pots and just make morrrr. That’s right! You can do so for foods like rice, soup, curry or anything that need huge pots and saucepans. While you are at it, who not fill it up to the brim? Plus, it is easy to reheat these foods and it can lasts to up to two days (at least). Every time you want to reheat, make sure to heat it up to boiling temperature to kill all the bacteria that can spoil the foods. 7. Google is Your Friend Source: Adobe Stock Go ahead and google for any instant or easy to prepare home-cooked meals and bookmark them. Furthermore, you can find new recipes as well whenever you and your ilks are bored with the normal food menu. There is no harm to indulge a more costly food like seafood and high-end meat. Marinating your poultry in all different flavors are also a way of making mealtime a lot more fun. There are even cooking styles that take less time than you would think. Explore and try to enjoy the process as there is nothing more delicious than a Mother’s cooking for your little ones. Nothing is ever easy, but taking good care of your family can be fulfilling when mothers know that they are providing the best for their little ones. Moreover, home-cooked meals are the best way to show your family how much they mean to you just like the saying "Actions speak louder than words". Once you are done taking note of all the tips, head over to Motherhood.com.my to get the groceries that you need.

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