Batch cooking. It can be the best habit of preparing advanced meals for your family if you choose to take time and build it into your routine. Batch cooking is often met with much success, offering the opportunity to plan and prepare meals quickly.

Not familiar with batch cooking? It’s pretty simple!

Batch: a quantity of goods produced at one time (in this case, meals).
Cooking: the practice or skill of preparing food by combining, mixing, and heating ingredients.

PROS of batch cooking:

• Save money. You get the most bang for your buck with batch cooking. Preparing multiple meals throughout the week that use similar ingredients will require the purchase of only the foods needed for the weekly menu, helping to save a bit of money as you go.

• Save time. You’ll have no shortage of free time throughout the week to enjoy more family time once you start preparing batches of food ahead of time. All the cooking is completed in one session.

• Helps avoid produce and other fresh foods from going bad. By using similar ingredients in the dishes, fresh foods won’t have the chance to expire before they are eaten.

CONS of batch cooking:

• Planning ahead is key. Setting your weekly menu, checking your pantry for items on-hand, and creating a grocery list all must be complete before heading out to wander the aisles of the grocery store.

• Time spent at the beginning of each week. Setting a chunk of time aside for preparation is key and might seem like an inconvenience at first. But with some practice and careful planning, you’ll be scheduling your food prep in no time!

A few things to consider: 

• Batch cooking doesn’t need to happen every week. Maybe the week ahead looks busier than usual or company is coming into town. This is the perfect chance to prepare meals ahead of time. You’ll avoid spending time in the kitchen when you’d rather be enjoying friends, family and activities.

• Think long term. Even if meal planning is only happening for one or two, batch cooking is beneficial. Prepping multiple meals means extra servings for lunch leftovers and additional dinners throughout the week.

• Think ahead. Plan meals that can easily be frozen and reheated again without too much complication. This is especially useful when family members are going out of town and you (or your family) may not have the time to cook meals throughout the week. Simply pop a pre-made meal from the freezer and into the oven.

• Seasonings are your best friend. The beauty of seasonings is that the exact same ingredients can be combined in multiple ways but with a flair, thanks to the seasonings! A few to consider are Italian blends, taco seasonings, and all-purpose seasonings with multiple spices wrapped into one.

What’s next?

Head to our Aspen Wellness Pinterest boards for yummy recipe ideas and more suggestions for batch cooking.

Click to view our fitness & nutrition disclaimer.