Cooking extra for tomorrows lunch. A game changer!
I’ve recently had a small but meaningful breakthrough. Batch cooking. Or more accurately, cooking for tomorrow.
One of my daughters, now 24 and living in London, came home recently and casually taught me something I’d somehow missed for the past 30 years. In our house, we’ve always cooked from scratch.
We like real ingredients, proper food, no ready meals or pre-made sauces. And to be fair, that approach serves us well. If you start with good ingredients, you’re usually on the right track.
Our routine has always been simple. Cook for whoever is home, serve up, eat, job done.
But here’s the shift. Instead of just cooking for the evening, my daughter lays out extra plates, or more accurately, Tupperware containers for the next day.
It sounds obvious, but it was a bit of a revelation. If you’re already cooking, adding an extra onion, a bit more chicken, another sweet potato takes very little effort. Yet it completely changes lunch the next day.
She goes further and cooks for three or four days in one go. I’m not into that sameness. But even just cooking once and eating twice has made a noticeable difference.
The biggest change? Lunch. Instead of getting to midday hungry and having to make something, or grabbing a sandwich or whatever is easiest, I’ve got proper food ready to go. Something tasty, filling and actually nutritious.
It also ties neatly with the previous article. A lunch with protein and vegetables helps keep energy levels steady and reduces that mid-afternoon dip where the biscuits start calling.
Related article: Is Snacking Really Bad for Heart Health? Here’s What the Latest Research Says
So now, if I know I need lunch the next day, I simply plan for it. Same cooking, slightly more volume, much better outcome. Just set an extra place for lunch tomorrow.
You may have cracked this years ago. If not, give it a go. It’s a simple shift, but a real game changer.
