I don’t cook for fun.  The fun part for me comes into play when it’s time to chow down.  I know there are amazing chicas out there that LIKE to hang out in the kitchen to relax and thoroughly enjoy the process.

That is NOT me.

But I do have a rather fondness for eating good food, and so do the rest of these crazies living here, so obviously I have a problem.

Er, I had  a problem that is.

I had always heard of the insane Martha Stewart types who did once a month freezer cooking, but really… WHO wants to spend an entire day in the kitchen cooking?

When I heard of this new idea of prepping just the dinners for one week in an hour, I was definitely intrigued.

And a bit skeptical.  Would the food even taste good after sitting in the fridge for a few days?

I was at a season of life when the dinnertime hour was simply wretched with my two younger boys wanting ALL of my attention and appendages, and something HAD to give.  I was desperate enough to give it a try.  I even called it my Martha Stewart Experiment, ha!

Surprisingly, it worked.

It worked so well, it brought amazing changes in our house.  It cured my previous abysmal menu planning failures.  It opened up my cooking ability and willingness to try new and different dishes.  It somehow even spurred us to start eating dinner at the table together… something we obviously should have been doing anyway.

Over the last year+ of doing this virtually every week {I’ve even done it on vacation} I’ve found Some TIPS for making the process work… and work better.

Tip #1… The NUMBER ONE tip for making it work at all is menu planning.  Decide on a day to tackle this each week and sit down with your pencil and pinterest and plan away!  It always helps to have designated meal nights if you’re into that… like, one night for pizza or one night for leftovers etc.  That automatically cuts down on your task since you know from the start Sunday night is Pizza and Thursdays are Leftovers.

Make a list WHILE you’re doing your menu planning of ingredients and supplies you’ll need while the recipe is open in front of you.  That will save you a step of having to go look it up again when you’re making your grocery list AND when you’re ready to start your meal prep.  All the needed items for all your meals will be listed on this one page which means a quicker start!

Tip #2… This next tip is one I can’t say loud enough.  This one would even work without the weekly prep factor… double or divide meals each week to send to the freezer.  It barely takes any additional time to do this and the rewards are WELL worth it.  Having a freezer stuffed to the gills with meals means that you can allot one or two nights a week as Freezer Meal Nights, which means one or two LESS meals you’ll need to prep each week too!

I did a rough count, and it looks like right at this moment I have THIRTEEN meals in the freezer and ready to go.  WOOT!

Freezer Meals work great for the weekend for us since our plans aren’t always concrete, and we often may end up not being home for dinner.  Planning a freezer meal for that day means no harm no foul if we don’t end up eating at home.

I never, ever, ever would have imagined that I would have a freezer full of meals, but it is one huge blessing that has come from learning this method.  :)

Of course, the downside is much lamenting and mourning when a power outage occurs.  :)

Tip #3… Cut down on the extra mixing bowl step.  Just mix ingredients in your baking dish or Ziploc bag instead of a mixing bowl. This saves you a step and prevents you from being left with an extra bowl to clean.  I love this tip I got from Michelle.  She’s my inspiration in starting this whole process, and I love her time saving tips!

When filling your ziploc, slide it over a small pitcher or large measuring bowl to make easier mess free filling.

If you don’t want the extra step of grabbing a pitcher… just take the bag and make the opening go inside out a bit to give you an extra large opening that will stay.

I’m always and forever scanning recipes for steps I can eliminate. :) I definitely avoid cooking things twice whenever possible, as in I usually put chicken in casseroles or crockpots uncooked instead of browning it first. I’m completely addicted to cutting corners to save me some time in the kitchen.

And I don’t think I’m the only one, right? :)

I fully believe that this method of Weekly Meal Prep can be a lifesaver for mamas like me.  Mamas who don’t want to live life enslaved to the dinner hour!  I hope these tips will be helpful for you!

Stay tuned next Wednesday for Part 2!!   For more info in the meantime, check out my Basics of Meal Prep Post!

*Sometimes I link up at these parties… Weekend Bloggy Link up, Tatertots & Jello, House of Hepworths,Bowl Full of Lemons,Organize & Decorate Everything, Not Just a Housewife, Funky Junk Interiors, Shabby Creek Cottage, Skip to my Lou,Today’s Creative Blog, the 36th Avenue, Thrifty Décor Chick, Home Stories A-Z, Five Days Five Ways, How to Nest for Less,Positively Splendid, Six Sisters Stuff, and Someday Crafts. You should check ‘em out!!