Cooking our own meals during the week not only gives us a financial benefit, but it also allows us to control what we eat
(goodbye, corner snacks!) and is an excellent way to relieve stress. However, we know that always being on the go, work tasks, household chores, and lack of organization can make getting into the kitchen almost impossible.

Here are some ideas for better organizing your time to cook during the week:

Make a menu for the entire week.

To make it easier to choose what to cook, create a list that includes several dishes that have more or less the same ingredients. This way, you can plan your menus in advance by combining foods you have in your kitchen and ensuring a balanced menu to your liking.

Noodle and bean soup

Filled enfrijoladas with strips 

Plan your trips to the supermarket.

Based on your weekly menu, make your grocery list and plan everything you might need for your different meals. Remember that
there are some foods, like pasta, grains, sauces, and frozen items, that you can buy in advance and keep without problem in your kitchen for several weeks.

Potato croquettes filled with cheese and bacon

Baked potato with mushrooms

Have a plan B in mind.

If you consider cooking daily, think of quick and alternative menus that you can make in case something unexpected comes up. Canned tuna, precooked rice, and frozen vegetables, among others, are very versatile ingredients that can help you prepare a large number of healthy dishes in no time.

Avocados stuffed with shrimp cocktail

Design a schedule for your kitchen.

If you are going to cook all the meals for the week, start by making an action plan. First, analyze the cooking times of
each meal and their preparation to be able to perform several steps at once. Also, try to have everything ready the night before: chopping, peeling, defrosting, etc. Any step you can advance will save you a lot of time while cooking.

Spaghetti with sausage in tomato sauce

Dedicate one day to make large quantities.

The freezer and containers can be your best allies when it comes to saving time. Dedicate one day to cook large quantities of pasta, meat, chicken, sauces, chicken broth, among other staple foods for your most frequent meals; separate into portions and freeze them. Thus, when you start planning the weekly menu, you only need to check the freezer and see what dishes you can have ready quickly.

Chicken in pineapple sauce with avocado

The secret to staying organized when cooking your meals for the week is to think ahead and shop wisely. Tell us, how do you usually organize your meals for the week? Share your tips in the comments.