Planning and cooking for meals throughout the week can be stressful and time consuming. As a mother of five children, I need the extra help of planning to get me through the week and minimize the effort of cooking each night. Bulk cooking has helped me do this. It may seem daunting, but it really isn't difficult and can allow you to share extra food if you want to take a meal to someone in need.

My first bulk cooking tip is to write down your meals for the week in list format! I like to write out a daily menu for my family, so I can shop for specific ingredients. This helps me to stick to a budget. I also look at this menu to see if I can double or triple a recipe for bulk cooking. I buy double the ingredients for one or two of those recipes. This gives me exact measurements and keeps costs down because I'm not wasting anything unnecessary.

My second tip to make bulk cooking easier is to shop your pantry or fridge first! Are there any ingredients that you have on hand already that go with a recipe you love? Pick that one and double it! I like to keep bell peppers, onions, potatoes and rice in a constant supply in our pantry, for example, because I use recipes that call for them a lot. This makes creating a large meal easy in a pinch.

The last tip for easy and inexpensive bulk cooking is to shop for fruits and vegetables that are in season! Because they are in season, they will be less expensive! Here is a quick list of fruits and veggies in season right now:

Do you see any fruits or veggies you'd like to use right now from this list? I'm thinking of a delicious spanish rice casserole with sauteed bell peppers! Or a gluten-free lasagna made with sliced zucchini instead of lasagna noodles! I hope this post inspires you to get cooking and share a meal or two! Happy bulk cooking!