I value time with my family, I value making good-quality home cooked meals, I value buying ingredients at the best price, I value using my kitchen efficiently, and I value my energy level at the end of the day for the ones I love.

In my mid 20s, we used to make decisions for our family following this little questionnaire: what are we doing, why are we doing it, and who are we doing it for. 20+ years later, those few questions still ring true.

If you are anything like me, you have had times when meal prep took hours, no one enjoyed the meal, you have a sink full of dirty dishes and a mountain of food waste, and no energy to even sit and enjoy the stories your kids are telling at the table, frankly, you aren’t even in the room. You are in the kitchen, elbows deep in dish soap.

Well, one day when I was going through my little questionnaire, what are we doing, why are we doing it, and who are we doing it for, I just decided. This sh!t nonsense 💩 stops here.

The solution for me was batch cooking, and truly it happened by accident. I am a “fixer” type person and I just could not accept the frustration I felt around feeding my family.

Follow along to learn my Batch Cooking values. This might just be the solution you've been looking for! Not only does it help reduce waste, but it also saves you time, money, and energy. Let's dive into the wonderful world of batch cooking values!

How does batch cooking reduce waste?

Batch cooking is all about being efficient with your time, ingredients, preparation, and cleanup. Look for little “pockets of time” throughout your day, week, or weekend to semi-prepare certain ingredients, so you can throw together meals quickly each day.

I prefer this method to Meal Planning because I like the option to make changes. I am not a “planner” by nature and I thrive on inspiration and spontaneity in my life, so naturally I am the same in the kitchen.

By preparing staple food items in advance and storing them for later, I have the option to make flavour/cuisine changes on the fly. I prepare all kinds of “basics”, then I make adjustments with flavours, side dishes, veggies, spices, and sauces. I am telling you, this is an efficient and FUN way to cook. I will also teach you how to “trust your instincts” and get away from recipes. There is so much freedom in just cooking without following a recipe to a T. Check out a few items I keep on hand to make meal time delicious and easy breezy.

The basics of batch cooking ...

Keep these items prepared in a simple way, ie: salt, pepper, and simple spices. Then place in portioned ziplock bags or containers in the freezer or the refrigerator for quick and easy use.

1. Prepared meats - beef, pork, chicken (recipe coming soon), turkey, etc. Fish is great to have as well, I simply freeze it in individual portion sizes and cook quickly in the air fryer on a fish night.
2. Prepared starches - potatoes, rice, and pasta are great options. We eat a lot of rice bowls, so all you need is an idea, some veggies, a meat, and a sauce to get that one on the table. Keep a container of 1-2 of these starches at all times.
3. Washed and chopped veggies - veggies are quick to prepare and not messy. I like to have a staple of carrots, celery, cucumbers, and peppers washed and cut at all times. I also like to have cauliflower, broccoli, broccolini, or those packages of Kale/cabbage slaw on hand as well. And, in a pinch, I always have a bag of frozen veggies ready in case I do not have any of the above.
4. Sauces, spices, and condiments - this is where you add flavour. It doesn't take much to transform a plain chicken thigh into Texas barbeque, Mexican taco night, Honey garlic rice bowl, and so on.  

Technically, batch cooking is constantly reinventing “leftovers”. That may sound boring to you, but I promise, it is anything but boring. I have heard so many people say “we don’t eat leftovers” and all I can say is, “wow, you are really missing out - we only eat leftovers.” Reheating leftovers is usually bland, mushy, or dry. If you follow my batch cooking techniques, you will never experience any of those things.

How “batch cooking” saves you money?

When I go to the grocery store, the first thing I look at in my batch cooking preparation is for the main course, for my family, that is the meat. I immediately go to the sale section of the store, and buy accordingly. Then, if I need 1 package for a meal, I buy 3-5 and that is the start of the “batch cooking”. Buying on sale in bulk lets me save money now, food preparation later, as well as cleanup, because I prepare it once, then reinvent it later. I cannot even tell you how this has reduced my kitchen budget and cleanup. 

Another few BIG wins with batch cooking is, it allows you to portion out meals if you wish. Then, when you need a quick meal, most of the work is done. I very very seldom (almost never) opt for takeout. It is frankly easier, faster, and healthier to eat at home. And, once you have a few “batch cooking” meals under your belt, the meal is a breeze to make and it tastes better than any takeout. Talk about a win-win for your wallet!

How does batch cooking save you time?

Imagine coming home after a long day and having a delicious, homemade meal ready in minutes. With batch cooking, you use those little pockets of time during the week or weekend, and you benefit continuously. Free up your time and energy for more important things, like the people in your life. After all, life is about relationships. Let’s choose what is best!

How does batch cooking save energy?

Not only does batch cooking save your personal energy by cutting down on daily meal prep and cleanup, but it also saves energy in terms of cooking appliances. Instead of using your oven or stove multiple times a day, you can cook large batches of food at once, maximizing the efficiency of your kitchen appliances.

Let me give you a real life example: for your energy, food prep and cleanup can be a real time suck. A few of the ways I lessen the food prep and cleanup pain is to plan in advance. I will look at the coming week and think about food items I will be including in meals. This is NOT MEAL PLANNING specifically, but, I do know that I need the basic (listed above) on hand. 

So, if I am preheating the oven to bake a couple loaves of sourdough (a pretty regular thing for me), I will often roast some veggies in that preheating oven. This may be just throwing some washed potatoes in the oven to bake, or quickly washing some cauliflower or carrots, cut into bite size pieces, toss in a little olive oil, and cook until tender 20-30 minutes (about the time it takes to preheat the oven for sourdough.) Once they are cooked, transfer to a container and place in the fridge. Just make sure to write it down in your food inventory, or keep it in the back of your mind, so you use it in one of your upcoming meals.

Then, after I bake the sourdough, the oven is still nice and hot. I may choose to cook a Roast Beef, Pulled Pork or my famous Dry Brined Chicken (recipe coming soon), this could be for dinner that night, or prepared to transform into another dish later next week or next month. The point is, I am using an already “hot oven” and a bit of forethought to get ahead of a meal or two.

What am I doing, why am I doing it and who am I doing it for ...

Following my batch cooking values, I can happily say, I am using pockets of time to pre-prepare basic food items on a regular basis - THE WHAT. I do this so I can quickly pull together healthy meals that also save time, money, and energy - THE WHY. And the reason I do it is for the people I love - THE WHO.

Feeding my family and friends is something I absolutely LOVE to do and gathering around a table is my happy place. I read this quote by Alan D. Wolfelt, "Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate." I couldn't agree more.

Whether you're looking to reduce waste, save money, time, or energy, batch cooking has got you covered. Follow along with this blog to get some tips and tricks on how to implement batch cooking into your life. 

From my family to yours,

Shannon xoxxo