Try one tip per night this week to simplify your dinner preparation!

1. USE Your INSTANT POT!

If you have a instant pot, (or a smart electric pressure cooker of any type) don’t leave it in the cabinet! Get that baby out and start using it . For two whole years, my electric pressure cooker collected dust. I thought I needed to find the best “instant pot” recipes before I began putting it to use. I was even somewhat intimidated by this contraption because I couldn’t peek in while ‘mid’ cooking.

That’s when one of my dear friends filled me in on all I had been missing out on. She encouraged me to start out with cooking meat in my pressure cooker and forget the meals until I became more confident in the cookers features. I have hardly cooked my meat any other way since! It’s amazing, I can cook a large pack of chicken all at once, (it’s so tender and moist!) And my burger grinds up much easier, without all the grease splatter!

So, if I have one word for you, fear the instant pot no longer! Grab that meat you’ve put off cooking. Check your instant pot settings, manual (or google) to determine the time for your meat. Then go get something else accomplished while it does the work for you! Because that’s what this is about anyway, making dinner prep simpler ????

2. MIX THAT CHICKEN! Did I say mix chicken? Yes!

If you haven’t heard, the rave of the internet is this little trick of using a HAND or STAND MIXER to shred your cooked chicken. This surprisingly works amazingly! And It’s as easy as it sounds! Trim and cook your chicken (preferably in the instant pot) ????

1. Place 2-3 chicken breast in a large mixing bowl without broth.

2. Mix on slow-medium speed (Make sure not to mix too much or your chicken will be more like powdered

parcels instead of shredded pieces)

This little trick saves so much time, I know longer need to wait for my chicken to cool before shredding or have burnt finger tips from not waiting. And the shredding process itself is so much quicker. I actually look forward to cooking with shredded chicken now!

3. COOK EXTRA.

This sounds so simple but it’s such a time saver in so many ways with dinner prep! Cooking extra of anything can be a plus. The options here are endless, but if you need some ideas on how to use the extras you’ve cooked up, then keep reading!

4. USE IT

if you love leftovers, consider making double once or twice a week and plan for a couple ‘leftover’ nights. If you’re not big on “traditional left overs” then try turning your leftovers into new meals, add them to a casserole or heat them up as a easy throughout the week. (No one will ever know)! Don’t want to eat anything twice this week? There’s still a solutionfor you! (next tip ????)

5. FREEZE IT

So, you have cooked a bunch of extra meat, or even a entire extra meal, you won’t be able to use them in the near future, now what?Freeze it! This seriously saves so much time!Imagine being able to pull out a frozen pot of soup in a gallon freezer bag.

Thaw, heat, and eat!

Can’t get much easier then that!Or my favorite.. only cooking raw meat once or twice a wk! (If that!) The trick to this? Cook your meat in bulk (I usually do this once a week, rotating types I purchase) . Keep out what you need, then freeze the rest in one meal portions. Once you have a small stockpile built up, you can thaw & heat the meat of your choice, this saves loads of time!I learned this trick from JORDAN PAGE. Look up her you tube channel or blog for lots of great tips for cooking & FREEZING food, while budgeting for a big family! She’s great, Thanks Jordan!

6. DON’T WAIST TIME ON TADER’S!

First of all if your don‘t know what a “tader” is, it is Kentucky talk For potato! I’ve been a big fan of the traditional hand potato peeler for a long time . (I love the Rada brand) that is, until I discovered a amazon treasure! The electric potato peeler! When I cook any homemade dinner, I usually want some good, homemade mashed potatoes to go with it. But I really hate peeling potatoes! Now with my electric potato peeler, I don’t dread the job! Anytime I need potatos peeled for a recipe I let my electric peeler do the work. While it’s peeling, I chop them up (if chopping is needed). And Wa-La! The job is cut in half. Considering how much I like this appliance, personally I feel like the price is very reasonable. I have had my rotator for over a year with know issues. It’s very easy to wipe off. And is compact! Bow what about those nights you are really hurting for time, but you still want something besides instant potatoes. On nights like this, you might consider the Bob Evans pre made REAL mashed potatoes. They have several flavors. And are sold at many wallmart’s and Kroger’s. Yes, you will be paying for convenience, and I don’t recommend it on a regular basis. But if it’s in your budget and you have a week that you need the convenience, then go for it! (You can also check out your stores generic version of these pre made potatoes).One thing I like about these, they are SO QUICK to heat up, they usually have a couple weeks before expiration date, and they taste JUST LIKE homemade mashed potatoes! 7. MEAL PLAN

This tip may be obvious and many of us take it as a given. But really, meal planning will save you more time then anything with meal preparation.Plan your weekly meals before you shop so you are not scrambling for your ingredients.As you begin your day, check or decide which meal you want to make early on. This gives you time to thaw out any frozen items and gives you the chance to begin any additional prepping throughout the day, instead of all at once, or at the last minute. Interested in more tips for meal planning? Keep checking my blog for more on this topic!

Hope this article helps! If you enjoyed this post then Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! ❤️ New post will be added each week! God Bless, Other articles you may be interested in!