Hasta La Ideas

Reader Beth sent us the following wonderful suggestion for organizing meals at home for little money and little stress. Thanks to Beth for such wonderful advice:

I understand the challenge of cooking — I live alone and love to cook. So, I wanted to share some of my ideas on “uncluttering” mealtime:

[1] Make a list of staples that you always have in your pantry. I have tried weekly meal plans and sometimes I don’t feel like cooking on Thursday what I scheduled on Sunday! Here are some things I always have available –

• Pasta
• Canned Tuna Fish
• Tomato Sauce
• Eggs
• Bacon
• Cheese
• Ground Beef (frozen)
• Chicken (frozen)
• Fresh vegetables (whatever is in season)

[2] Pick a day (usually on the weekend for me) and cook a big dinner. Tonight, it was a big dish of pasta with fresh tomatoes (out of my garden) and cheese. I now have leftovers for two other meals. Other times, I will make a dinner that is too big for just me – such as meatloaf. I have purchased plastic freezer containers with partitions (they look just like a TV dinner) and I usually have leftovers for 3 to 5 dinners. They go in the freezer — marked with the contents and the date frozen. An easy and more nutritious dinner than takeout!

[3] Set a grocery budget and stick to it! Be creative! That tuna fish salad can be used for soup and sandwiches one night and tuna melts the next.

[4] Trade meals with friends or relatives. My mom lives with my brother so she has the same problem as me. If she is cooking a big dinner one night for the two of them and has leftovers, I might say to her “hey, save me some lasagna and I’ll give you a tray of chicken parm.”

I would be interested in hearing others ideas!

I agree with Beth, I would love to hear other ideas, too. How do you make mealtime uncluttered in your home?