If food allergies are new to you, the amount of time you are now spending in the kitchen may seem overwhelming!  Fortunately, these  convenient tips will help restore free time and flexibility back into your life:

1. Double Recipes and Freeze Meals

When cooking dinner, make enough for two meals instead of one.  Plan to eat the second meal later in the same week or freeze it for a later date.  If the meal doesn’t freeze well together, consider freezing the ingredients separately, then storing them together in the freezer.

2. Flash Freeze Individual Serving Sizes

Muffins, pancakes, cupcakes, cookies, rolls, even individual slices of bread can be frozen separately, then stored together in the freezer so they don’t stick together.  You can then enjoy the convenience of making a full batch in advance and just pulling out one or two at a time when you need them.

3. Make and Store Seasoning Mixes

Because pre-made seasoning mixes often have added ingredients you can’t eat, you probably make many of your own from scratch.  Try making large quantities of each of your favorite mixes in advance.  Label them and store them in your pantry so that actual meal prep time can be more convenient for you.

4. Make Every Dinner Safe

Prepare dinner meals in a way that are safe for every family member to eat and place any unsafe ingredients on the side for other family members to add to their individual servings, if desired.  Making just one meal at dinner time that all family members can enjoy is both practical and achievable.

5. Set Aside Leftovers for Tomorrow’s Lunch

When dinner is on the table and ready to serve, set aside a plate for food allergic family members to eat at lunchtime tomorrow.  This will prevent you from having to prepare a lunch from scratch the following day.

For more time saving tips written specifically for food allergy families, click here.