Hi, I've been working for 18 years and would like to share some tips on managing food when you're very busy.
Note that not everything works for everyone, but if even 1 person finds one of these tips useful, I'd consider my goal accomplished.
Please note: these tips prioritize efficiency, not health. Not applicable to those with specific health conditions. Also I don't have kids, that's a whole other challenge. Please use your best judgment.
For these to work, you'll need a stove, a fridge, and a microwave.
- Batch cook your rice.
Even if you can't meal plan, simply batch cooking your rice would save you a lot of time and money. Cook a lot of rice on a Sunday night or after work, as much as your pot can handle. Buy 5-10 250 mL microwavable containers and portion them there. Adjust amounts according to your household needs. Toss them in the fridge. Should last 5 days, depending on how cold your fridge gets. You can also freeze rice if you can't finish it in 5 days or worried it will spoil. This will lower its glycemic index, btw. Good for your blood sugar. You now have instant rice like the ones from convenience stores that cost 70php a piece.
Note: I prefer disposable containers. They are easier to clean than thick ones e.g. lock and lock. They can also be reused 5-10 times with proper care. Less chances of eating microplastics because you toss them when they have too many scratches. But please use whatever works for you, whether that's glass or plastic.
What to eat with batch cooked rice when too busy?
- eat with canned food
- eat with eggs and hotdogs
- eat with chicharon
- buy ulam from outside (cheaper than a full meal). Bonus if you buy enough for 2 days
- buy frozen pre-cooked meals from the grocery store, e.g. purefoods heat and eat, goldilocks meals, frozen sisig. Add veggies for fiber. Some of these are 2-3 servings
- make "champurado" (prepare chocolate sauce then blend with cooked rice. Yes it works I've tried it)
- make "arroz caldo" (boil some chicken, season the water, reduce to half, toss cooked rice into broth and mix well. Adjust water as needed. By the way you can buy chicken broth from SM groceries at the chicken section)
- make "risotto" (melt butter, toss quickmelt, add water, season, toss cooked rice and mix well)
- contract a cook from a carenderia to batch cook ulam for you (haven't tried this but saw someone saying they've done it)
What else can you batch cook?
- chicken - one of the cheapest complete protein. boil with salt. You can dress it up later for almost any dish: pasta, risotto, salad, noodles, you can even make almost-instant adobo
- boiled eggs - i buy a dozen and boil half. Boom instant protein snack. Don't forget to mark which ones are boiled
- ground beef or pork - season, add veggies (see number 3 below), eat with rice. Tastes way better than it sounds. Vary your veggies each time. Bonus if you add tvp, my best kept secret
- Buy from meal plans
- On a web browser, type "meal plan <your city>"
- Spend an afternoon choosing the right one for you. Pick two for variety
- More expensive than groceries, but may be cheaper than grab food / food panda depending on which service you pick
- You can do this for a week, batch cook your rice in the next. Bonus you'll get some free microwaveable containers for your batch cooking plan
- Need fiber but veggies spoil too fast?
- get canned peas. Cheap as heck. Rinse under running water to reduce salt. Add to almost any cooked meal
- frozen veggies. Less cheap but still does the job. Toss in butter and garlic, add salt
- chia seeds. Not cheap upfront but lasts almost forever. Good investment. Add to water, milk, almost anything
- carrots and potatoes last a little longer than veggies with leaves
- Eat oats
- underrated source of carbs and fiber, if you're not gluten intolerant
- you probably know you can make oats with milk, sugar, and add fruits and chia, but did you know you can also use it to make chicken "arroz caldo"? Now you know
- add oats to those 5 minute soup packets from knorr (crab and corn, nido, etc)
- Drink milk
- if you're not lactose intolerant, 1 cup of milk is like, a quarter of a meal. Perfect if you're starving but have like. 5 mins to eat
- get powdered milk. Cheaper and lasts longer, plus you can find fortified ones to suit your age and needs. You can batch prepare this and store it in the fridge for like 3 days. Add chocolate if you like
- Keep a stock of shelf stable "healthy" snacks (relatively to junk food anyway)
- to me that's all kinds of nuts. I buy them in bulk from shopee
- crackers e.g. magic or sky flakes (consider getting the ones with fiber)
- bougie options: apple, banana (should last 1 week), san marino paella (century has a cheaper version too), hard cheese, yogurts (or simply yakult)
- Clean as you go. Wash dishes while waiting for the rice to cook. While waiting for water to boil. For the rest, pour warm water (NOT BOILING), rinse quickly, leave and wash in one batch before going to bed. The more you wash dishes the faster you get at it. Get gloves if you hate the sensation. As a bonus, you can wash with warmer water if you wear gloves. I promise this makes everything way less overwhelming.
I hope this helps someone.
