How to Save 10 Hours a Week Cooking Plant-Based WITHOUT Spending More Money

As a busy business owner, wife, caregiver and mom to two teenage boys, my time is stretched thin. I love to cook, but don't have the luxury to spend all day in the kitchen. Here's how I save 10 hours every week and still put home-cooked plant-based meals on the dinner table every night.

My top time-saving tips that will keep you on track with plant-based eating - and here's the kicker - without spending extra money! We all know convenience = a higher price tag.

But, if you're smart about it, you can save time and money all in one whack. Let me show you how.

1. Jot down a quick plan

You can make meal planning as structured or carefree as you like. But, it does help to have at least an idea of what you wanna eat that week.

I'm not the kind of gal who has a detailed plan/spreadsheet of every meal I'm going to eat in a week. That feels restrictive to me personally, as a creative cook.

(If it works for you, go for it! I'm not knocking it, it just doesn't work for my personality.)

But, most weeks, I do take a look in the fridge, freezer and pantry at what needs to be cooked up, what we have on hand.

I brainstorm a rough sketch of what components I want to cook. Then, I'll handwrite a quick prep list and tape it to my kitchen cabinet with painter's tape.

This list will have all the things I need to prep to make those meals (like rice, sauce, beans, etc.) I'll make some one day and leave the rest to prep another day when I have time to cook.

That's my carefree "meal plan" for the week. Takes 15 minutes. Then, I don't have to think much more about it. And, if I wanna add something in or scratch something off, I do.

2. Batch cook a starch

What is batch cooking? Well, if I'm making rice to go with dinner, I don't make just the amount we need for that meal. I make a huge pot, then keep the rest in the refrigerator for the week.

The idea is that if you're spending the time and energy to cook that ingredient or dish, it doesn't take much more energy to double or triple the recipe. It would be much more work to make that recipe 3 or 4 separate times.

The time savings on this gets much bigger when you're making whole grains, like brown rice, which take longer to cook.

Easy starches to batch cook that keep well in the fridge:

• rice
• potatoes
• pasta

3. Pressure cook a pot of beans

Having cooked beans ready to go makes plating up a complete meal take just minutes. Making homemade beans in the Instant Pot is faster than soaking and boiling them on the stove. And making beans yourself from dry is much cheaper than buying canned.

We rotate making black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, lentils and pigeon peas. And, we freeze any extra, so they're ready to go for another week. Just thaw overnight in the fridge before you want to use them.

The more expensive but even more time-saving alternative to this: Keep lots of canned beans in your pantry.

4. When you cook, prep a little extra

When you're chopping veggies and you only need half a bell pepper, what do you do with the other half?

Do you toss it back in the fridge?

Or, do you take advantage of the fact that you're already in the kitchen with the cutting board and knife out and just prep the rest of the pepper?

Prep the extra bit of pepper! Slice it. Chop it. Dice it. Whatever works for you.

Then, when you're making a salad or dinner another night, it's ready. to. go.

Take an extra 5 minutes tonight to save you 10 minutes tomorrow and the next night.

Same goes for prep like marinating tofu, roasting vegetables, shredding carrots, zesting or juicing citrus, or washing lettuce. Do a little extra to save your future self time.

5. Use frozen fruit and vegetables

Frozen, steam-able bags of vegetables are so stinkin' easy to pop in the microwave or air fryer to supplement your lunch or dinner.

Even if you only use them when you're really short on time, they're excellent to have on hand.

We buy tons of them from Aldi, who have the absolute best price in our area for these convenient items.

Our favorites: broccoli, green beans, California medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot), brussels sprouts, corn, green peas and mixed vegetables

6. Keep prepared sauces on hand

A delicious sauce turns an arguably boring meal of rice and steamed veggies into a satisfying dinner everyone enjoys, with no extra effort. Buy these and keep them handy:

• Teriyaki sauce - We love Kinder's and Bachan's Japanese BBQ Sauce
• Orange sauce
• BBQ sauce
• Salad dressing

Making your own sauces takes time. Save it for when you need to make a sauce that you can't find at the grocery store. I reserve my time to make homemade vegan cheese sauce and mayo, for example.

When you do make homemade sauces, make extra so it lasts! And, freeze a little for another week, if it keeps well in the freezer.

7. Use those kitchen appliances

You bought that kitchen appliance to save you time. Use it!

This applies to:

• Instant Pot - I know it's intimidating at first, but it doesn't take long to get familiar with the Instant Pot. Make something easy, like beans first.
• Air Fryer - Because of the circulating hot air, food cooks faster and more crispy in an air fryer vs the oven. Use it to cut your cooking time in half! I use a Ninja Foodi
• Food Processor - If I'm making something that requires a lot of shredded or sliced veg, like poke bowls, carrot salad or vegetable dumplings, I'll use my Cuisinart Food Processor (and save my hands!) and the veggies will be prepped in a fraction of the time (and with better precision!)

8. Keep it simple most of the time

We all love elaborate meals that have taken time and a lotta love to prepare. Lasagna, tamales, enchiladas, cake, and more.

And, they're important but can't be made every night or every week even. Leave long-prep meals for special occasions or when you have extra time and energy.

Keep your day-to-day meals simple, but delicious. Use seasonings, sauces and condiments that you and your family love.

Simple does not have to mean bland.

Some of our most simple meals that we enjoy regularly are:

• Spaghetti with store-bought marinara sauce and steamed frozen vegetables
• Jasmine rice with steamed broccoli, baked tofu and store-bought teriyaki sauce
• Air fryer pita pizzas with store-bought pizza sauce and topped with our favorite veggies
• Baked sweet potatoes with steamed broccoli and everything bagel seasoning

Having some prepped starches, frozen veggies and store-bought sauces on hand make throwing these together an absolute breeze.

There you have it, 10 hours shaved off your week and you can still serve homemade, fresh, delicious food to your family.

What other time saving tips did I miss?