If you’re responsible for meal time in your home, you know the dedication it takes to keep your family fed. And when school starts, things only get more hectic. From packing lunches to planning dinners, it can be overwhelming to organize a full week of meals. Save some time and avoid last-minute panic with these tips to streamline back to school meals with a better organized kitchen.
Keep things organized with inside cabinet accessories.
What hides behind closed doors can be the secret to successful meals. Have you ever started a recipe only to realize you don’t have the right spices? Or discovered your favorite casserole dish is still at your mother-in-laws right after you’ve prepped all of your ingredients? These kind of blunders are easy to eliminate with the right inside cabinet accessories.
Organize every kitchen pantry cabinet with spice racks and tray dividers and all of your kitchen essentials can be in plain sight. These handy organize comes in all sizes and cover a multitude of needs so that everything in your kitchen can have a proper place. Because of this diversity, they can also be used in your pantry, cabinets, and even your kitchen island.
Food prep for easy weeknight meals.
Last minute decision making can cause stress and often lead to takeout orders and other unhealthy food decisions. Before you do your weekly grocery shopping, plan out the meals you plan to make. By shopping with purpose, you can eliminate the daily stress of wondering, “What’s for dinner?”
It is also helpful to start prepping for the week ahead before it starts. Cleaning berries, roasting vegetables, and boiling staples like rice ahead of time can cut the time it takes to put together snacks and meals throughout the week. Use food storage containers that are designed to keep food fresher longer to reduce spoilage and keep your prepped food delicious for days.
Set up a breakfast bar for busy mornings.
When your family eats breakfast at the kitchen island, you can get more done while worrying less. Having kids nearby while you pack lunches or get ready for your workday can save you precious minutes in the morning – which are worth their weight in gold.
Set up a quick breakfast bar in the morning with juice, cereal, fruit and milk so kids can help themselves — or whip up a smoothie that the whole family can share. Breakfast is easier when you keep this meal time in the kitchen rather than the dining room so you can multi-task and minimize clean up.
Put afternoon snacks in arm’s reach.
Are your kids gunning for food the minute they walk through the front door? After school snack time can keep kids focused and productive for homework and satisfied until dinner. Make afternoon snacking easy by organizing healthy options in the refrigerator and your kitchen pantry cabinet. Choose a shelf that is in arm’s reach so that younger ones can easily reach for items on their own.
Refrigerated options can include carrots with hummus, celery and peanut butter, yogurt with berries, or hard-boiled eggs. Some pantry staples in our home are nuts, trail mix, popcorn, kale chips and single-serve, low-sugar oatmeal cups.
Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, home bar, laundry room, TV room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood cabinetry, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!