Meal Prep 101: How to Save Time (and Sanity) Cooking for the Family

Between work, school drop-offs, after-school chaos and the occasional toddler tantrum, dinner time can sneak up fast. And when you’re cooking for a family, it's not only about getting food on the table – you ideally want to cook something nutritious, edible, and not too repetitive.

Enter: meal prep. Now, we’re not talking about spending your entire Sunday making identical meals in plastic tubs. Just a few smart steps, the right cookware, and a bit of forward-thinking can save you serious time (and stress) during the week.

Start with One Big Cook-Up

If you’ve got time to do one proper cook, make it count. Use a Dutch oven to batch-cook something hearty (think slow-cooked ragù, pasta, butter chicken, chilli, or a veg-packed lentil stew).

Once it’s done, portion it out into freezer containers or glass jars. You’ve now got dinner for tonight, plus at least one emergency back-up meal in the freezer for a night when everything goes sideways.

Big-batch meals now mean less cooking (and less chaos) later.

Roast Something You Can Stretch

Got a crowd to feed? Roast a big tray of veggies or meat in a casserole pot and use it across multiple meals. Roasted pumpkin can go into pasta, soup or frittata. Leftover chicken can become wraps, fried rice or tossed into salads.

Use what’s already cooked as the base – then switch up flavours with fresh herbs, sauces or cheese to keep things feeling new.

Prep Your Sides All at Once

While that main’s bubbling away, use a ceramic pan to prep a few easy sides – roasted veggies, sautéed greens, cooked rice or quinoa. They’ll keep in the fridge for a few days and mix-and-match well across multiple meals.

This saves so much time on weeknights. Instead of starting from scratch, you’re just reheating, combining, or quickly finishing things off in a pan.

A ceramic fry pan is an easy way to quickly prep a bunch of veggies!

Use Your Air Fryer for Quick Wins

An air fryer is a lifesaver when you’ve got hangry kids and no time. Toss in some frozen veggies, leftover meatballs or sweet potato chips and dinner is nearly sorted. It’s also great for turning leftovers into something crispy and new again.

Don’t Forget the Steamer

Cooking accessories like a steamer are low effort and high reward. It lets you steam a big batch of greens or dumplings while something else is on the stove, and you don’t need to stand there watching it. Prepped veg stays fresh and reheats well – just dress it up with a drizzle of olive oil or tamari at dinner time.

Steamed gyozas = fast, easy sides that actually get eaten.

Set Yourself Up for Easy Weeknights

Here’s the trick: don’t try to do everything. Pick two or three things to prep – one big meal, a side or two, and maybe a few lunchbox-friendly extras – and you’re already ahead.

The right cookware helps you do more in one go. Whether it’s a deep frypan that fits everything, a Dutch oven that handles big batches with ease, or a steamer that frees up your hands, the right cookware makes everyday cooking simpler, not harder.

Cook Smart, Not Constantly

Meal prep isn’t about being perfect. It’s just about setting yourself up so that come Wednesday night, you’re not staring into the fridge wondering what to make. 

Explore Crumble’s family cookware collection and build your weekly menu around cookware that actually works for family life.