I’ve been asked many times by lots of you on what to do when time poor, going through a stressful time at work or home or are working crazy hours. I've been asked about take -out options, home delivery services and pre -made dinners and what I think is best.

In a perfect world, my first recommendation is to get to the farmers market and get stocked on your weekly fruit and veg. I plan ahead on Sunday to get myself organised for the week. The reality is, though, for many, that this works some of the time, and when it does, it's brilliant. But, there will always be times where you can't get to the market, you have too much on, and / or you simply weren't up to it.

I talk a lot about compassion and this is where it counts! Don't be hard on yourself. Having the right intentions is everything and if you have health as a priority, you will make it work most of the time.

When times are tough, you need to do what works for you and sometimes, a home delivery service is may be what you need. Services that deliver pre-portioned ingredients for healthy and easily prepared meals are a great fall-back option. They allow you to continue cooking nutritious meals at home while allowing you to save time you would otherwise spend grocery shopping and portioning ingredients.

With that said, there are also plenty of tips and tricks you can use to make cooking at home take up less time so that you can still enjoy healthy eating when life gets out of control. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Plan your meals ahead of time

A great way to cook at home even when you have a busy week to build a meal plan that sets out what dishes you want to eat and what ingredients you will need to prepare them. Doing this means you won’t waste as much time in the supermarket or staring at the contents of your pantry thinking about what you want to cook.

If you know you will want an easy treat when you get home, try making some snacks that taste great frozen so that you can keep them conveniently in the freezer. My freezer stash is life! It saves me on the days that I’m craving that sweet something.

Invest in time-saving cooking appliances

If the length of time it takes for you to cook a healthy dinner is holding you back, there are many amazing kitchen appliances available right now that can save you a lot of time and effort in the kitchen. Lots of my friends use a thermomix and have been on my back abut getting one ‘cause it literally changed their life. I’m a classic stove top cooker, so it wouldn’t work for me, but it does work for many. 

Learn better cooking techniques

If cooking is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to you, follow easy recipes! There’s nothing that can build your confidence faster than having some beginner success with recipe making. I have plenty of recipes that are fuss free on the Hippie Lane App. 

If you prefer to have some hands on guidance, it never hurts to try to get some extra training and guidance on how you could improve. The reason you’re not cooking as much in your kitchen may be just a simple case of disorganisation. I find that organising your pantry and fridge regularly clears the clutter and allows for greater creativity in the kitchen. 

If you have a friend or relative who is a whizz in the kitchen, reach out and ask them to come around and show you their magic. Otherwise, you can always sign up to a professional cooking class. While this will cost money, you will learn a lot of really useful skills incredibly fast.

There are heaps of ways to minimise effort in the kitchen at times of stress. Taking alternative options, including food delivery, getting organised, planning ahead, asking for help and using kitchen appliances all assist in getting you through the tough times.

Hope this have given you little motivation.

T xx