One of the silver linings of 2020 for me was all the time I spent in my kitchen, creating food and fun experiences around meal time for my family. It started with Valentine’s Day biscuits for Jamie, and quickly became a creative outlet that I clung to through the duration of quarantine and beyond.

Recently, I posted a peek of some of my food-prep tasks on Instagram, mostly documenting how I deal with groceries to be kinder to my future, home-cooking self. The messages I received, coupled with the many conversation I’ve had around the topic of food and meal prep, has pulled me to hold more space around this conversation. I know cooking feels overwhelming to some people. It has felt that way for me, too. In fact, my habit of food prepping has been sharpened by my need to get as many cooking-related tasks done as possible in one go — before it’s time to actually cook a meal. It’s far less overwhelming to me to deal with it all in a day or two, while still managing a very young person, who really prefers her mama to be sitting in the floor reading instead of in the kitchen cooking meals. In getting some of the pre-cooking tasks done ahead of time — for example, washing, chopping, storing, cleaning out the fridge — she gets her wish, and I get more home-cooked meals.

So in case you enjoy lists as much as I do, here is a list of tasks I do when I bring a fresh batch of groceries into the house:

1) Give the shelves a good wipe down and wash any drawers that have gotten gunky. My fridge is usually pretty barren by the time I restock it, so this is not a huge chore.

2) Clean fresh fruits and vegetables. Spray all produce (minus packaged greens) with a salt solution, rinse with cold water, then spread it out on dish towels to air dry. (You could wipe out your fridge while your produce is drying, if you haven’t done it yet.)

3) Start a batch of grains to use for meals for a couple of days. This can be brown rice, quinoa, jasmine rice...whatever you have on hand will do.

4) Put produce away when it’s mostly dry. If you have tiny, young people in your house who haven’t grasped the concept of patience quite yet, cut a bowl of fruit and place it on the top shelf to grab quickly.

5) Straigten up cupboards/pantry, put away packaged and canned items, and take inventory of what you want to use up. I keep a notepad on my fridge to write down the items I want to use during the week.

6) At the end of the day, soak some beans to cook in the morning. I love cooking chickpeas because I can make a batch of hummus, roast them for salads, or toss them in barbecue sauce for BBQ sandwiches. They’re one of my favorite, versatile varieties of beans. In fact, I think I need to show you all the ways we use them around here soon.

I know getting into the kitchen and cooking a meal — or, dare I say, a couple of meals?! — can feel daunting and full of friction. It can be easier — and it will get easier the more you roll up your sleeves and get in there. This list isn’t meant to be yet another source of stress. You don’t have to do it all. Pick and choose what works for you. Maybe just start with a couple of things. But, the key word is start. Momentum begets momentum.

I hope this helps you find more ease in your kitchen.

6 Tips for Food Prep