I need some insight into this ..!! So those who are working and have a family to look after to , how do you manage the kitchen? do you tend to cook every alternate day? cook it all on the weekend to last the working week ? What is the best way forward please?
Hi, I am a working woman and having a kid of 2 years old. I am sayig my routine of work so that it might help u in one or the other way. Actaully i will do cooking daily both in the moring and evening. The thing is what ever i do i will involve my husb also to share. so in that way i will get more time for leisure. mostly we will cut easily cutting veegetables only in the morning. rest we will cut and store i the previous night in ziplock cover.max onion and garlic we will peel of and get ready for 1 week and store in ziplock cover. and i will grind batter for idly/dosa once in a week i.e sundays. morning i will prepare easy bfast say idly/dosa/upma for which we will take the same sambar which we r doing for lunch.For dinner max dosa/chappathi. so this way i am managing my cooking. Anyway my MIL is there with me to take care of my kid so if i going late to home she will take care of dinner.so as of now no problem for cooking.
Hi Laxmi, I have listed what I follow now, but this was all based on my experience and a lot of adjustments I am ok with this now. I do have constraints and based on those we came to this plan as of now. Also I am a working woman with no kids, this might also work with kids when you do a little bit of adjustments in the plan. I start for office from home at 7:30 and come back by 6:30. First the constraints, I and my husband have are, -> He cannot help me in Kitchen because he has his calls in the evening. -> I start in the morning for office at 7:30 so no elaborate cooking in the morning. -> We mostly prefer fresh food, and I dont prefer to keep cooked food for more than a day. -> I dont like to cut vege and keep in fridge. So based on these constraints this is what I do. I downloaded a meal planner from net. My husband does the meal planning, as he is a picky eater so I go by his preferences. He ensures to keep cooking really easy towards the end of week that is on Thursday and Friday as I really have low energy towards the weekend. He does this planning on Thursday. On Friday I prepare grocery list and vege list based on this planner. Saturday shopping day for grocery etc, I take it easy on Saturdays, sometimes I dont cook at all. Sunday stay at home. Saturday morning skip BF or have cereals I get up really late. Sunday heavy BF(like poori, pongal etc) and elaborate lunch, same lunch for dinner as I need to get things ready for the week(listed below). Lunch for weekdays we try to keep it simple like lemon rice, tamarind rice, cocnut rice, sambar rice, carrot rice, peas pulav etc and one vege is a must. So here goes.. -> Dosa batter for a week on Sunday it will be less as I grind it in mixie. -> chappati dough for 2 days on Monday. -> I prepare Pulikachal or tomato thokku or coriander thokku for rice mix on Sunday itself. -> Extract tamarind paste and I boil it and refrigerate it on a weekly basis. -> I prepare dinner and vege or sambar etc for lunch for next day if chutney or kurma for BF at night itself. -> morning as soon as I get up I keep rice for lunch and then go for bath and come. -> After that I make dosa/Idli/chappati. -> Packing food my Dh takes care. We came to this solution after a lot of fights:rant and tiffs at home. We mainly used to fight due to food at home but now it is easy...:cheers Also in the planner we do put some days in a month as outside food. Initially it will be difficult to fit urself into the planner but within a couple of weeks it is easy and you enjoy homefood when you really get used to it. If you have doubts I am glad to help you. Thanks Malar
Hi Sabari, I have attached the planner I use. The weekly planner is for meals and daily planner is for managing my time and to remind me of any activities. The daily planner is useful in my work place also. Thanks Malar
Thanks a lot Malar!!!! this 90% suits our life style also..this is the way me and husband manage cooking (my DH also doesnt help me in cooking as he dont know cooking and / or not interested )
Hi Dear, initially we did that only..but the timings and taste was not matching....my husband didn't like l..so he is not ready now..
Hi Sudha, ya like you time management..i wish if i have some one at home to look for me and my DH..we both have to run for everything....to manage the house for working couple is really difficult... i don't know when my weekends goes..