How I Meal Prep Without A Mountain of Dishes
Does a sink full of dishes make you dread Sunday meal prep or home cooked meals? These are my tricks to reduce the overwhelm of doing dishes when cooking at home.
Dishes are an inevitable part of cooking, but there are ways to lessen the burden. For me, it’s not always the amount of dishes, but the size of the pile that makes me feel overwhelmed. Big bowls, baking trays and pots take up more space, which makes it harder to throw more dishes in the sink while cooking. This creates overflow onto the counter, more clutter and less room for prep. The bigger dishes are also more cumbersome to wash, especially if the sink is full with no space to wash them. With that in mind, I wanted to share some things I’m especially mindful about to have less dishes when cooking.
Minimalist meal plan
Have you ever planned meals without fully considering if you want to prep, cook and clean it up? I have too, and it often ends up being more daunting than I anticipated. I either end up not making it when the time comes, or make it anyway and feel exhausted as I look at a sink full of dishes.
For weeks that I want low effort and quick meals, I choose simple recipes with minimal ingredients. These recipes include things like soups, simple sandwiches and frittatas. Recipe complexity creates more dishes, requiring more utensils, pots, pans and appliances. Personally, I’ll avoid foods like raw meat on these weeks, which require its own knife, cutting board and utensils. I’ll also avoid planning meals with multiple cooking steps and methods. I stick with recipes that use one pot to simmer, or one pan to roast or bake. Can I throw all the ingredients in one pot? Perfect. The grill is also my best friend in warmer months, there’s no pot, pan or stove top to clean up!
Avoid Bulky Appliances
If I’m wanting a lower effort week, I consider the cooking tools and appliances a recipe requires. If I’m thinking about making breakfast muffins for the week, will I really feel like cleaning the mixer, bowl, spatula, measuring cups, spoons, batter drips on the counter and muffin pan? Some weeks I’m definitely up for it, but others not so much. The food processor is another appliance that can be annoying to clean, so I’ll avoid it when I want to get in and out of the kitchen.
Spread out the to-do list
When I’m in the mood to cook more, I’ll spread out my to-do list a bit. When I get home from food shopping, I might wash the produce before putting it in the refrigerator. I could make a batch of soup on Sunday. Then, if I planned chicken burgers for the week ahead, I’d make a big batch of them the night we’re going to eat them, with some simple sides. Then put the rest of the burgers in the freezer for future meals.
Clean Up After Each Task
Rather than waiting until I’m done cooking to clean everything, I try to group cooking tasks and clean up after each. This might look like chopping all the ingredients you’ll use that day, then washing the cutting board and knife, and wiping up the counters. It also helps to simply wash the larger items as you go, and leave the smaller things that you can put in the dishwasher for later. As a bonus, it also helps to dry the dishes as you go. This helps keep the pile of dishes smaller and more manageable.
Overlap
A great way to cook with less dishes is to overlap ingredients, kitchen tools and cooking methods. What creates more dishes? Making recipes that sauté, simmer, bake, use the food processor, blender, and a bunch of bowls. It’s helpful to plan versatile ingredients or recipes that have similar cooking methods (bake, roast, grill). This way you can rinse between uses, or pile everything into one cooking vessel (like chili or roasted vegetables for the week).
Use Store Bought Ingredients
I’m not suggesting to buy frozen meals and microwave them, but using quality pre-made ingredients mixed with some homemade components is a great way to meet yourself halfway. There’s a growing abundance of brands that offer quality packaged and premade foods. Minimally processed packaged foods save you the time it takes to prep, cook and clean up, and offer convenience in a busy lifestyle. These foods include rotisserie chicken, pasta sauces (have you tried Carbone marinara?!), chicken sausage, polenta, refried beans, salsa, soups and veggies from the cold or hot bar.
Prep in The Containers You’ll Store It In
I love having versatile food storage options that can also be used for prep. These include options of various sizes, with lids. They can be jars, different sized bowls or baking dishes. You can prep or cook in them and store them right in the fridge. This will save the clean up for later, but cut down on the immediate pile of dishes.
Ask For Help
I’m including this one because it’s common to feel like you have to do all the things. If dishes are an overwhelming part of cooking at home for you, and you have people in your home that can help, ask! Double teaming can be a lifesaver, while you’re finishing up with cooking, someone can be helping with dishes that have collected in the sink.
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If you’re feeling overwhelmed with meal planning and prep, or looking for ways to feel more organized or up-level your meal plan, I offer one on one mentoring with a simple and structured approach, customized to your preferences. Learn more here.