Here’s another nudge to try batch-cooking.
Shannon Bannon, 25, says prepping all her meals has saved her £80 a month on her food shop and helped her to eat more healthily.
The housewife from Catterick, North Yorkshire, decided to start meal prepping when her husband was deployed to Afghanistan.
She told LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I wanted to make sure I had homemade meals in portions for just myself.
‘I hate cooking meals for just myself so I thought this would be a great way to make sure I was eating a nice home cooked meal every day with little effort.’
For two months now Shannon has stuck to a routine of making a load of different meals in advance of the week, planning meals and snacks down to every detail.
Alongside saving her money, Shannon says the process saves her the stress of deciding what to cook every night.
‘I make all sorts of meals when I prep, from the staples of cottage pie and bolognese to pasties and fajita wraps,’ she explains. ‘I’ve also started making my own oat pancakes and cutting them up for snacks through the week.
‘When I meal prep I write a list of all the meals I’m going to make that day. I make sure I have all my containers ready at hand alongside all my spices and ingredients.
‘I then go through my list and make each meal. I usually make two at a time as most dishes have the same basic ingredients.
‘I then portion out my meals and leave to cook before putting them into the freezer.’
Plus, while a day a week is dedicated to cooking all her meals, this means Shannon has more time in the evenings.
She says the key is preparation, and advises anyone who wants to give meal-prepping a go to sit down and work everything out in advance.
‘I would recommend meal prepping as it takes out a lot of the stress and time of having to cook a meal every night,’ she says. ‘You know what meals you have in your freezer after meal prepping and can work out what you are going to eat each day.
‘Batch cooking for one day a week frees up a lot of time for the rest of the week.
‘I’m saving around £60 to £80 a month on meal prepping and I’m not wasting food as I’m making sure everything is used up.
‘I batch cook enough meals to last me the month, so all that I have to buy is perishables. This means I know how much I’m spending and stops me ordering fast food.
‘My tips would be to make a list of all the ingredients you have in your kitchen.
‘From there, write a list of meals that can be made from these ingredients. It’s surprising how many meals can be made from what you already have.
‘If you’re going shopping, make sure to write a list of meals you’re going to batch cook and only buy the items you need for these. This stops you spending money on items you don’t need.
‘It’s really rewarding seeing how just a day of batch cooking can feed you for the whole month. There’s nothing better than seeing a freezer full of home cooked meals. My favourite recipe would have to be my mince fajitas. I love anything with wraps!’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/20/woman-says-saves-80-month-batch-cooking-meals-12270848/
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