Meal Prepping Tips That Save Family Caregivers Valuable Time
Studies find that when it comes to time spent prepping and cooking meals, the U.S. only spends about six hours per week. While that’s not close to the 13 hours people in India spend, it’s still about half an hour each day. When you’re balancing work, family caregiving duties, and personal time, it’s a lot to manage.
There are ways to shorten the amount of time you spend in the kitchen. These tips will make sure you’re using fresh ingredients and avoiding some of the less healthy canned and jarred ingredients.
Have Regularly-Used Vegetables Prepped in Advance
Take time once a week to chop the vegetables you use the most. Onions, carrots, and celery are going to be on this list. Chop them in bulk and place them in air-tight containers. When you need them during your prep work, they’re already chopped and ready-to-use. Aim to use them up before they spoil. If you find you’re disposing of them rather than using them, reduce the amount you are prepping in advance.
Stock Up on Fresh Herbs
Chopping herbs when you’re cooking a meal is time-consuming. Have them ready to use. Take time on a slow day to chop several cups of different herbs. Spoon them by tablespoons into ice cube trays. Top the trays up with water.
Once the herb ice cubes are frozen, transfer them to freezer bags that have the herb written on the label. When you have a recipe that calls for fresh herbs, grab an ice cube. You know each one is one tablespoon.
Make Bone Broth
When you roast a chicken on the weekend, don’t throw away the bones. Take the bones and place them in the slow cooker with chopped carrots, celery, and onions. Add a couple of bay leaves, a half-teaspoon of whole black peppercorns, and two whole cloves of garlic. Let that cook all day. You want it to cook on low for at least 12 hours.
After 12 hours, strain the broth through cheesecloth or a fine strainer. The bones and vegetables will stay behind. That remaining liquid needs to cool. Once it does, transfer it in cup portions into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. When you need broth for a recipe, you have fresh low-salt broth ready for use.
Home care aides offer many services and one is meal preparation. Your parents eat well, but you have time to spend on other tasks. A home care specialist is happy to answer your questions about caregivers and the services they offer.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Lincoln, CA, talk to the caring staff at Partners in Care today. Serving El Dorado, Nevada, Yuba, Sutter, Sacramento, Placer, Butte, Glenn, Yolo, & Colusa Counties! Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! (530) 268-7423
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/
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