Genius Family Cooking Tricks That Make Life Easier

Here's some great cooking hacks that really have made life a whole lot easier. 

Life is busier than ever these days.If you have young kids, like toddlers, they are tough work. As naps get shorter and demands get higher it can feel increasingly difficult to get everything done and strike a balance.  This doesn't  get much easier as the years roll on as there's after school activities and 'big kid' itineraries that can be loco!
 
I love cooking and preparing our meals but recently I feel as though I have less and less time to do it. I've discovered a few cooking hacks that really have made life a whole lot easier.
Hopefully they will help you too.
  • Frozen peppers. Who knew they were a thing? I certainly didn't. Frozen vegetables are just as good quality as fresh as they are frozen at their optimum point of freshness. Frozen peppers have made life easier for me. We love adding peppers to curries, pasta dishes and omelettes. It's now as simple as throwing in a handful of the frozen ones and they cook in seconds. Saves time and mess.
  • Poaching meat or fish. Don't have enough time to stand by the cooker and make sure your meat or fish doesn't burn? Simply fill a pot with boiling water and one stock cube and add the meat. Chicken fillets and salmon fillets work particularly well. The result will be delicate tender food and no fear of the meat/fish burning. The clean up is a lot easier too as nothing sticks to the pan. Very handy mid-week when you are trying to do ten things at once.
  • Hate peeling butternut squash? Me too. My son adores it but I detest peeling that tough skin. I've recently discovered that if you cut it down the middle, remove the seeds and pop it (flesh up) in to the oven for an hour you get perfectly cooked butternut squash. Try it, you'll never look back.
  • Leftovers. At the end of the week I take all the random vegetable leftovers from the fridge and add them to a pot with some water, a stock cube and a potato. Boil for 30 minutes, blitz and there's a big pot of vegetable soup for lunches next week. Simply freeze and defrost as you need it. Makes life easier the following week when I'm stuck for lunch ideas and I love not wasting the food too.
  • Overnight oats. The perfect solution for a busy work morning. I want to have a healthy filling breakfast but I'm stuck for time. Simply add 35g of Porridge oats to a small pot of yoghurt, top with berries or fruit of your choice and leave in the fridge over night. Simply grab it on your way out the door the next morning. The yoghurt “cooks” the oats and you have a healthy delicious breakfast without the fuss. Kids will love this one too.
Written by Tracey, mummy blogger and staff writer with www.familyfriendlyhq.ie
Check out her own blog at love-of-living.blogspot.ie

Tracey Quinn

Proud mum of two who got married on Don't Tell The Bride and had an accidental home-birth (loves a good story). She's passionate about breastfeeding, positive thinking & all things cosy.

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