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While lots of people might quickly throw together a sandwich for lunch (and trust me this can be done quickly while not relying on any highly processed food), a basic sandwich doesn't cut it for me. Sure it would provide sustenance, but a PB&J just doesn't satisfy me like a grilled caprese pita sandwich made with fresh, homemade pesto. So as a result I take the time to make it.
Regardless, I recorded every moment I spent working on food preparation, dishes, and meal planning for a few days (below). And since I've never before added up how much time I actually spend in the kitchen I was a little shocked at some of the totals! I realize some of it (although not all) is because I want to be in there, and my goal is not always to "do it as fast as I can." Often times my girls are in the kitchen with me helping out, eating/sampling the food I am making, and talking about whatever silly things are on their minds. So please keep in mind this is not a minimum of how much you have to cook and clean if you want to eat real food...in reality it's probably more like a maximum! But since inquiring minds want to know the charts below show a typical week at my house.
Some Notes About the Times Recorded in the Charts Below:
- The time it took us to eat our meals is not included (unless we were eating/snacking while cooking).
- Sometimes it was me and sometimes it was my husband doing the cooking and cleaning...he helps around here!
- All interruptions are included in the time slots...so if we had to answer the door, answer the phone, discipline the kids, etc. while cooking then it took a lot longer to get our task done. :)
- As you can see we oftentimes eat a late lunch in the summer...we like things this way so don't judge!
Time Management Tips (for the Kitchen)
- Leftovers are king! If you are making a big pot of soup, spaghetti sauce, or gumbo then consider doubling the recipe while you are at it and freeze the leftovers so you can have a break another day.
- If you are already making muffins or bread then think about what else you might be able to cook simultaneously (like granola or tortillas) while you are already in the kitchen making a mess.
- Don't plan labor intensive dinners every single night of the week. One or two nights is realistic and then on the other nights plan to have leftovers or a super quick and easy real food dinner.
- Meal planning helps so you know what will be expected out of you each night, and it will also ensure you have the right groceries on hand to make it happen (making a trip to the store for only one thing takes time!).
Our Kitchen Time Charts (Recorded Last Week)
| Monday | ||||
| Start Time |
End Time |
Total Time |
Code | Task |
| 8:39 AM | 8:42 AM | 3 min | Cook | Prepare cereal for kids |
| 8:42 AM | 8:50 AM | 8 min | Cook / Clean | Prepare kids' camp snack, some breakfast clean up |
| 9:20 AM | 9:22 AM | 2 min | Cook | Prepare my cereal |
| 9:45 AM | 9:49 AM | 4 min | Cook | Make a maple syrup mocha |
| 12:28 PM | 12:42 PM | 14 min | Clean | Empty clean dishes, load dirty dishes |
| 12:42 PM | 1:05 PM | 23 min | Cook | Make lunch |
| 1:13 PM | 1:24 PM | 11 min | Clean | Clean up after lunch, load dirty dishes |
| 5:33 PM | 5:41 PM | 8 min | Cook | Smoothie snack |
| 5:35 PM | 7:10 PM | 1 hr 35 min | Cook / Clean | Make gumbo for dinner, set table, some dinner clean up |
| 8:55 PM | 9:15 PM | 20 min | Clean | Finish dinner clean up, start dishwasher |
| Monday Total | 3 hrs 8 min | Cook / Clean | ||
-
| Tuesday | ||||
| Start Time |
End Time |
Total Time |
Code | Task |
| 8:33 AM | 8:43 AM | 10 min | Cook | Pour cereal for kids' breakfast, prepare kids' camp snack |
| 9:25 AM | 9:34 AM | 9 min | Clean | Work on dishes |
| 9:33 AM | 9:36 AM | 3 min | Cook | My cereal |
| 11:03 AM | 11:07 AM | 4 min | Cook | Make a maple syrup mocha |
| 1:58 PM | 2:18 PM | 20 min | Cook | Make lunch |
| 2:26 PM | 2:53 PM | 27 min | Clean / Freeze | Clean up after lunch, start dishwasher, make camp snack for next day, freeze some smoothie pops |
| 6:11 PM | 6:24 PM | 13 min | Meal Plan | Plan out dinners for week and start grocery list |
| 7:15 PM | 7:55 PM | 40 min | Cook / Groceries |
Put together dinner (leftovers plus salad) and put away farmers' market groceries |
| 9:15 PM | 9:43 PM | 28 min | Clean | Clean up after dinner, start dishwasher |
| 10:02 PM | 10:10 PM | 8 min | Freeze | Put leftover gumbo in individual containers in freezer |
| Tuesday Total | 2 hrs 42 min | Cook / Clean / Freeze / Meal Plan / Groceries | ||
-
| Wednesday | ||||
| Start Time |
End Time |
Total Time |
Code | Task |
| 8:40 AM | 8:50 AM | 10 min | Cook | Pour cereal for kids, prepare kids' camp snack |
| 9:19 AM | 9:21 AM | 2 min | Cook | Pour my cereal |
| 1:29 PM | 1:58 PM | 29 min | Cook | Prepare lunch |
| 2:04 PM | 2:33 PM | 29 min | Clean / Freeze | Clean up after lunch, empty dishes, start dishwasher, freeze leftover smoothies |
| 5:50 PM | 7:22 PM | 1 hr 32 min | Cook | Cook dinner (including making tortillas) |
| 8:45 PM | 9:15 PM | 30 min | Clean | Clean up after dinner, start dishwasher |
| Wednesday Total | 3 hrs 12 min | Cook / Clean / Freeze | ||
-
| Thursday | ||||
| Start Time |
End Time |
Total Time |
Code | Task |
| 8:43 AM | 8:52 AM | 9 min | Cook | Make oatmeal |
| 1:45 PM | 2:40 PM | 55 min | Cook / Clean | Make lunch (eating a little simultaneously), clean |
| 5:00 PM | 5:20 PM | 20 min | Meal Plan | Make out grocery list |
| Note: out to dinner | ||||
| 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 43 min | Cook / Clean / Groceries |
Put away groceries, work on dishes (empty and load), make granola |
| Thursday Total | 2 hrs 7 min | Cook / Clean / Meal Plan / Groceries | ||
-
| Friday | ||||
| Start Time |
End Time |
Total Time |
Code | Task |
| 8:32 AM | 8:40 AM | 8 min | Cook | Prepare cereal for breakfast, some clean up |
| 1:12 PM | 1:40 PM | 28 min | Cook | Lunch preparation (eating a little simultaneously) |
| 1:50 PM | 2:12 PM | 22 min | Clean | Clean up, start dishwasher, make a dessert recipe for freezer |
| 5:00 PM | 5:05 PM | 5 min | Cook | Make a maple syrup mocha |
| 6:48 PM | 7:14 PM | 26 min | Cook / Clean | Make dinner, some cleanup |
| 7:20 PM | 7:45 PM | 25 min | Clean | Finish dinner cleanup (my husband and I together) |
| Friday Total | 1 hr 54 min | Cook / Clean | ||
-
Cady says
This is eye-opening and interesting! I work 30+ hours outside the home, yet also prepare 3 meals and snacks every day for my family (husband, toddler, self) and. FEEL as though I live in the kitchen some days (not always in a good way, though like you, Lisa, I also enjoy cooking and planning and preparing wholesome foods). Maybe I sort of do livein there! I wonder if I spend 2-3 hours daily as well. Goodnes! I might record it just to see, thanks for the idea.
beverley says
I love this i really do. I often feel like i should be spending less time in the kitchen but i like good food and salad doesn't take that long to put together. I need to get into the food planning. Being on my own most of the time now i tend to go to the store and buy what i like with the real food rules that is not sure if it's a good use of my meagre budget though - thinking!
Kristin says
Great post! It is nice to see other people are spending as much time in the kitchen as me. I get frustrated when people say making everything from scratch is just as fast as processed food. I make most everything from scratch, just spend a lot of time doing it. Plus, it's hard to take time away from my 3 young girls (1,3,5)to do it, so often meals don't get started until my husband gets home. My 2 oldest like to help, but then it takes twice as long. So, I usually cook with them on the weekends. I do LOVE to cook. Though, like you, I'm not content to eat mediocre food. Why eat an ordinary sandwich when you could have a caprese panini and a side of strawberry spinach salad.
Some day I'd also like to tally all the hours I spend grocery shopping. I have to go weekly to my local grocery store, plus or stock up runs to trader joe's, whole foods and 2 other local grocery stores to get everything I need to cook from scratch, find/afford organic items, etc. Plus, it is summer so, now I am adding runs to the farmer's market. Last weekend I went to my local grocery store, whole foods and the farmers market, next weekend it's my local grocery store, trader joe's and the farmer's market. Not to mention the increase in our grocery expenses!
Lee says
One of the things Karen Le Billon talks about in her book is that she made a conscious effort to cook slowly and calmly -- and then found it didn't take her any longer to cook, and it was much more enjoyable experience. It sounds like you, and a lot of the commenters here, have already realized that cooking as fast as you can just makes you stressed out about cooking, so you might as well just enjoy the process. Of course it doesn't help when little people keep yelling "I'm HUNGRY!!" LOL But I try to remember most of the time that I do like cooking and it's so satisfying to make good food that people enjoy.
Erin says
I like that too. I try to use the time in the kitchen to listen to new music (I like to listen to whole albums on NPR's First Listen segment, or stream music from elsewhere). I also like the idea I heard of a cook who puts out carrot sticks, or other crudites as a starter, to keep family members satisfied (and QUIET), and to encourage them to eat some raw veggies when they're most hungry. I think it was from one Jessica Seinfeild's books. I like her ideas for feeding families in general.
Mrs. B says
It's so hot here in Southwest Iowa and we only have one window air conditioner for the whole house, I admit that my cooking has all but disappeared. I still manage to do it, but we've eaten more processed food in the last couple weeks than we have in months. It's just so much easier. And makes the house much less hot. I cannot wait for fall! I need to get back to cooking. I do seem to spend a lot of time in the kitchen when I am cooking. Last week I spent all day in the kitchen making Father's Day dinner for my dad. It was crazy and I even mentioned it on Facebook.
Did I mention that it was just sooooo hot? Not an excuse I know, but a girl can only handle getting so hot and sweaty for so long. And I really need to make granola for hubby so he'll quit mentioning it.
Lori B. says
Cook outside! I always cook out on the grill in the summer. I just put my stockpots right on the grill and boil, sautee, etc.. I rarely grill meat on my grill!! Keep that heatoutside! It is 103 today in Atlanta!
Or when you do turn on that oven, cook several things at the same time or one right after another so you dont have to keep reheating the oven and reheating your home.
Stacy says
Yes! I had never done it before, and we now have homemade pizza on the grill (baking stone) about once a week. We've also baked cake and protein cookies. If it can go in the oven, it's been on our grill this summer. :) Try it...especially if you have a gas grill with a thermometer. Baking probably wouldn't work on charcoal, but the pizza and such should if your coals are even.
Rachel says
Also a good time to test out some new slow cooker recipes!
the good doctor's wife says
This is great - thanks so much for your site - simple, practical, healthy! LOVE IT!
Jill Allen says
I easily spend 2-3 hours/day in the kitchen. I, too, love it. When I'm bored, I make something or prep something or dig through the pantry for something fun to play with or start cooking. I also read cook books for fun so this is all part of how I'm wired. I especially love making complicated dishes or doing big messy projects (making jam, brewing beer, baking bread, candy making) that take up all the counter space in my small kitchen. I'm happiest when cooking. I also strive to feed my family well and love how my food tastes. I know what goes in every bite. I'm usually reluctant to eat out since I always feel like I can make it better and cheaper at home -- and I do. Besides, making it is half the fun -- the other half is eating it. :)
Rach (DonutsMama) says
I also think it's worth the extra time in the kitchen. I love making healthy meals for my family. My only problem is finding the time with a little toddler running around. I have to be quick.
Katy says
As a mom of a child who has survived cancer (no sympathy, just background) I am really conscious of what I feed my kids. I work so many meals are rushed and sometimes I cut corners too much for my own liking. It is summer now and I'm looking for ways to get my mojo back with the meal planning. I am so glad I found your site. it is wonderful!
dreadedjaws says
Used to spend that much time in the kitchen... before kids. Now, there just isn't time with work, kids, and house stuff. Like you said, I don't find that it necessarily takes more time to eat real food.
I did note a pattern that we also have and we've been working to change in our house - eating fast. You take 2-3 times longer to prepare your lunch than to eat it (usually 6-8 mins to eat according to your schedule). It's a trap we fall into a lot too.... We've been working at taking our time more and enjoying the food we're eating, but so far, I'll admit, we've been only marginally successful.
Sharon says
Guess I'm at the other end of the age spectrum. My husband & I are both retired, really sensitive to chemicals found in prepared, deli and restaurant foods. So we do almost all our own food prep/cooking. Once or twice a week we batch cook which can easily take 2 hours for 2 entrees and a salad. That's not counting the daily prep and cleaning. Yes, I wish it didn't take quite so much time. I've been retired 2+ years and married one year. Even when I was single I'd batch cook on the weekend, & package everything so it was ready to grab during the week. Leftovers are my friend! We eat mostly protein, veggies, fruit & some whole grain so I don't deal with bread making.
Pam@behealthybehappywellness says
I love to cook and be in the kitchen, but I just don't have as much time - I'm sure I'd be right up there with you if I had more free time!
cara says
I have a question for ppl who order their Bob's Red Mill grains online. Where do you order from? We have Marc's here in NE Ohio, and I get a pretty good price there, but they don't always have it in stock. Thanks!
Mrs. B says
Amazon. We love their Scottish oatmeal and unsulphured raisins for our granola.
Lissa says
I get my through vitacost.com, they have TONS of natural and organic products - food, healthy/beauty, and household! You can go through the link below and you get a $10 off coupon when you sign up to use on your first order!
http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralCode=90343201
Sarah says
I haven't read the other comments yet, but I don't think that is a long time. I'm in the kitchen at least that long making meals and cleaning up and we don't even eat as wholesome as I would like. Thanks for your time in putting this together.
Lori B. says
I save most of my time by always doubling and freezing recipes, always chopping several veggies when I do (Onions, carrots, etc), always have bean soaking & then freezing and when I shop for groceries I only go and pick up produce, milk, eggs, butter. I order my Bobs Red Mill grains, crackers & fruit leathers online and then everything is pretty much made from scratch. I save a ton of time and money. And yeah, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but I really like it.
Also, I used to work over 100+ hours a week and cook from scratch, homeschool & take care of kids. For me personally it was exhausting. So... I changed our lifestyle. Sold our house, so I dont have to work anymore, put both the kids into a great public school. Now I can cook all day long and make sure they the best food I can possible provide for them. What is key here is that I CHANGED our lifestyle to fit into what I believe is a BETTER life. :)
Jenn says
I'd be very curious to make a chart like this for myself!! I work full time, so I don't have the luxury of fixing each meal at mealtime, so often I will make the following day's breakfast and lunches the night before (after I've finished making and cleaning up after supper). Some days I feel like I am in the kitchen from the time I step in the door after work, until I go to bed..probably a good 4-5 hours. But like you say....I mostly enjoy it! My girls are in the kitchen with me a lot of the time, helping cook, snacking, talking about the day's happenings. And I enjoy after dinner when everyone has left the kitchen and I'm left to wash dishes in peace. I also try to double up and make several things in one evening if there is nothing else going on...bread, tortillas, granola, muffins, etc. I think I WILL make a chart a few days this week and see...just out of curiosity, how much I really do LIVE in the kitchen! :)
Sara says
I am GREAT at multi-tasking so when I feel like being in the kitchen, I make a mess on purpose and work on several things at once, just like making a meal with 3 or 4 separate parts! For example, I'll throw a quick batch of bread in the breadmaker, start some cereal to get in the oven on another patch of the counter, prep veggies for snacks/cooking/freezing in another area, and work on a recipe somewhere else. I also ALWAYS have a sink-full of dishwater so I can wash dishes as I'm making the mess so it's not quite so daunting for clean-up. This works really well for me--and I think that's the key: finding YOUR groove in the kitchen.
Marcia @Frugal Healthy Simple says
This was great to read! I've never added up how much time I spend in the kitchen, but it's probably a little bit less than you per day. It really depends.
I love to cook, so my "normal" would be about 2-3 hrs on Sat and Sun in prep for the week, including cutting fruit and vegetables for snacks and making two big meals, maybe baking bread, plus dishes. And then I'd cook one or two meals mid-week at about an hour each night. But that doesn't count dishes, because my husband does the dishes. That's probably 20-30 min a day.
NOw, though, I'm hugely pregnant and simply can't spend that much time on my feet anymore. The big weekend cooks are out and I cook less mid-week. I'm back to the "nap time cooking", which is just prepping for 15-20 min a few times a day so that dinner cooking is faster.
A little more processed food has found its way back into my life too.
I am a big fan of leftovers though.
Jennifer Blanton says
This post made me miss my kitchen :-(. I'm pregnant, and morning sickness is making the thought of seeing, smelling, preparing any food prevent me from making our meals. It's quite a switch from making 95% of our foods from scratch! My husband does what he can, and we are eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables that require little to no prep. I am ready for this trimester to be over, so I can go back to preparing more real foods.
carol cassidy says
I really don't know how much time,espiecally after we started to eat so healthy.I know its probably shorter than 6 mos ago,as when i make all my sauces etc from scratch I make them for two dinners etc.I chop my peppers,onions and other vegies for the week on Sat or Sunday.We usually have two large meals a week and from that its broken down into other meals.Like two roasted chicken will be dinner with my vegie/wheat bread stuffing.Then I make either mexi rice cassarole with the chicken or chicken enchiladas or soup and then I get a 4th meal if I make soup,which I usally freeze.Bones are simmered with vegies and spices for broth and frozen also. We have been married 44 years and after we raised our 4 children I thought that I would be happy to be out of the kitchen,but the opposite has happened.Everytime my husband or I see something that we would like in the store,or magazine we look at the ingredients and make it"clean" Its so much fun and we get the benefits of eating so healthy and less expensive!
Kay says
I spend most of my time in the kitchen on Sunday evening. I cook for 2-3 hours to prepare breakfast and lunch for the week. This helps me stay organized and allows me to eat real food and work full time.
Jen says
Wow, I can see now why my lunches never look as good as yours! I consider myself lucky if I can get 5 minutes to throw something together before work most days. And I almost never have the luxury of spending even an hour on dinner. Usually we have about 45 minutes from the time we get home to cook AND eat before we have to start the bedtime process. Sigh. I remember before I had kids I used to be able to spend so much time in the kitchen, and I loved cooking. Now it seems like such a huge burden to me, trying to eat reasonably healthy food without much time to cook. If I run out of time and energy and resort to chicken nuggets I feel guilty and awful for feeding my family that junk, but if I rush around trying to cook a homemade meal in 20 minutes I often end up cranky and exhausted. We eat lots of uber-simple meals like eggs and grilled cheese simply because they require almost no prep. I do routinely make things for the freezer too which helps a lot, but that ends up eating up a big chunk of my weekend. I always feel terrible telling my son that even though I haven't seen him much all week, mommy can't play or go to the park this afternoon because she has to make three casseroles and a batch of muffins. :(
But it is really illuminating to see your account! Thanks so much for posting.
Erin says
I'm there with you Jen! Working moms gotta give themselves a break, tho. My son is getting to the age where he enjoys going to the farmers market, helping me water the garden (kale and tomatoes - nothing too ambitious!) and do simple tasks in the kitchen. I also satisfy myself with the knowledge that kids like simple food like corn on the cob or steamed rice or vegetables, and they like repetition. We eat almost every dinner as lunch the next day. I give myself a big pat on the back when I cook some black beans in the slow cooker during the work day. We're vegetarian, and sometimes I too often rely on processed soy foods I'd rather not name here, but this blog encourages me to do the best I can. I have ambitions to get better as he gets older, and I'm happy knowing he eats lots of veggies and whole grains that other kids don't touch. Take it easy on yourself and enjoy your family and your food!
Janet says
Well, I guess that explains why this seems so impossible at our house. I have 2 kids, ages 1 and 4, with special needs, and between their care and appointments, and the part time job that pays for our insurance, I never feel like there's enough time to manage cooking regularly on top of everything else....I know there's not an extra 2-3 hours a day, because if there were, I'd be getting a reasonable amount of sleep :)
We cook 1 or 2 big meals (usually on the weekends) and freeze leftovers for at least one additional meal when we do cook. We have fruits and veggies delivered to the house (which dramatically cuts shopping time, but impacts planning, since we don't know what we'll get until the day before delivery). Lunches are almost always leftovers. Breakfasts are a struggle unless I get things lined up for the whole week on Sunday, but that means not having time Sunday for anything but cooking. We're trying to figure out how to get from eating out 3-4 times a week down to one or less with real food, and I am still not sure how to get there....
Wendi Wilkins says
I posted a question under your refried beans recipe and I haven't seen an answer yet. I want to make those refried beans, but I need my question answered first. Thank you! https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/
Andrea says
We're on the GAPS diet for digestive issues and we have a large family, so I spend a ton of time in the kitchen! One way I cut kitchen time is by having leftovers for lunch frequently. I try to make extra for dinner each night so we can do this.
Rose says
Thanks for sharing. I'm glad I'm not the only one that sometimes rely on the same breakfast every morning. My kids like cereal, waffles, pancakes,and muffins for breakfast, but most days it's cereal around here. I like to pair w ith fruit and/or yogurt. Unless its a special day, l like to keep It simple.
Kayla Sansom says
*Forgot to add my Facebook page as well*
I have been slowly cutting out processed food from my diet. I was very hard at first until I realized that as long as shopped mostly on the outskirts of the grocery store I was eating good clean food. Of course they are some exceptions to this and you just have to read ingredients and use come common sense, but it has made a huge difference in my energy level. I am 25 year old cancer survivor and currently struggling with productive system health problems and I have noticed that eating clean and pure has helped my symptoms and has improved my condition.
Kayla Sansom says
I have been slowly cutting out processed food from my diet. I was very hard at first until I realized that as long as shopped mostly on the outskirts of the grocery store I was eating good clean food. Of course they are some exceptions to this and you just have to read ingredients and use come common sense, but it has made a huge difference in my energy level. I am 25 year old cancer survivor and currently struggling with productive system health problems and I have noticed that eating clean and pure has helped my symptoms and has improved my condition.
Erin says
Interesting post! I'd love to discover how much time I am in the kitchen since it is like a part time job.... but how satisfying it is when you know you are feeding your family the best! One thing I do that has been helpful in the kitchen is to have a 1-day a week "baking/snack-making" day, since I make most foods and snacks from scratch like bread, cereal, crackers, cookies/grahams, tortillas, oatmeal bars, etc. I got overwhelmed being in kitchen every day with one of these tasks, so I decided I'd rather put it all together and have a 1 day a week where I get it all done for the entire week. That way the "big" stuff gets done early and it minimizes my time in the kitchen for the other stuff. Just thought I'd share that idea. :-)
Jennifer says
I wish that I could figure out a way to spend less time. This morning, I haven't left the kitchen, and am just now done (@ 1:30pm). And I didn't do that much. Carrot pancakes this morning, cut up our summer quash and blanched/cooled/froze it for later this year, then made lunch for the kids. Dishes in between...and that is all.
I would love to see other people do it so that I can figure out how to give my kids a little attention too.
Symphoni says
Jennifer, I'm the same way!!! I feel like I'm in the kitchen all day long now that I'm attempting 'made from scratch' approach. I have got to learn better time management because even though my girls are with me all day, I feel like I miss them at the end of it. I hope with practice it will fall into place a little easier. Sheesh. :)
Stacy says
I feel the same way. I have 2 and 4 year old boys, and hanging out in the kitchen doesn't spell quality time for them, even though I try to incorporate them. I end up staying up crazy late trying to catch up on food prep and dishes. If we are going to do something fun and out-of-the-house the next day, it's another hour to prepare breakfast, snacks, and lunch suitable for on-the-go.
eva says
carrot pancakes!? please share your recipe, they sound fabulous!
Sarah says
I love this site and this post! I also have a lot of allergies, so I usually make most things from scratch. It usually takes about the same as you, about 1 hour 30 minutes to make a meal and clean up. Luckily, it's just my husband and I, so we usually make a meal last a minimum of two days (4 dinners and 1 of his lunches). Now I can prove to him I really spend that much time!
Just Jaime says
Interesting! Thanks for sharing
Carly says
I definitely spend way more. I have a ton of food allergies (13 different foods) so I have to make ev.er.y.thing from scratch...my coconut milk, rice milk, bread, etc. I don't think your times are bad at all! I also love to cook, so I (mostly) really enjoy the time I spend there.
Kamela says
Awesome post! I spend most of my Sunday in the kitchen. I work a full-time job during the week, so I do a lot of meal prep on the weekends. I simply don't have a lot of time during the week. I made a triple batch of cheesy shells this weekend, so I've got two dinners in the freezer ready to go! My girls love to be in the kitchen either helping out or playing and creating artistic master pieces. The hubby is in charge of the garden. It's a family affair!
Meal plans are an absolute MUST!
And like you, I LOVE to be in the kitchen and enjoy knowing that my family is eating well...THAT in and of itself makes it all worth it for me!!!!
flyinjuju says
Thanks for taking the time to do this. It is so interesting. I feel like I am in the kitchen alot and I probably am. :)Love your blog. We are doing clean eating for dinners cooked at home and maple mochas. Small steps over here, but we are loving it!!
RevAllyson says
We spend a LOT more time in the kitchen, but mostly because we like to congregate there. It's "the place to go" when we're in the mood for tea or something. We have an island with a couple of stools, and it's not unusual for the kids to be there with us, or a couple of us sitting and talking in there while we drink tea or iced tea. :)
Rachel @ The Mallory Report says
I love it that you timed and categorized how much time you spend in the kitchen! I also enjoy cooking and don't always do things as fast as possible like my husband does. I think that our dinners probably take a little less time on average than yours do, but that's because I'm making a lot less from scratch. This is a great post!
Jackie Gonzales says
I don't think that seems horrible, but I also like to cook and spend time in the kitchen :) Plus I do daycare so I am cooking for/cleaning up after ten kids. It's worth it and when you take the time to include your children, it's so much fun!
Erica says
I am amazed at your time in the kitchen! I haven't recorded it but I'm sure mine is double. I know for sure it takes me about an hour to meal plan and write a list, and I only meal plan dinner! How do you get it done so fast?
Erica
Amy says
I'm with you! I spend at least an hour meal planning. I do cut coupons, which takes a lot of time, but I would love to take less than an hour!
100 Days of Real Food says
Sometimes I spend much longer meal planning, but I suppose it all depends on how much time I have to spare. I love when I have an hour so I can be really creative and incorporate a lot of new recipes into our dinner plan, but if I am tight on time we mostly don't plan on making anything too new or exciting (it doesn't take too long to write down homemade pizza and quesadillas...two of our staples!)
Rachel says
We keep a list of our favorite dinners (about 2 dozen ideas) next to the calendar and I meal plan mostly from this list. I usually only do one creative/new dinner per week max. It saves me stress and time.
Melissa@Mom's Plans says
We have dairy and soy intolerances, so I make most of our food from scratch, and like you, I love to be in the kitchen. It is a good thing because I am guessing I spend as much time in the kitchen as you. It is like a part-time job, but I am glad to feed my family healthy, nutritious, homemade food.