If you’re reading this article, there’s an 80% chance you’ve once bought a meal that messed up your gut and had you frequenting the toilet. That, or you’ve had to give yourself the hard talk after calculating how much of your income goes into ordering takeouts. 

Of course, it’s a lot healthier and cheaper to make your own meals, but capitalism has got us all in a chokehold. Most busy professionals admit that their current feeding patterns need some improvement, but their excuses mostly revolve around having so much work to do and very little time to spare in the kitchen. Who wants to spend two hours preparing a meal they will consume in less than 20 minutes anyway? 

It turns out that some people have cracked the code to a work-diet balance. Here are a few tips to help you achieve a faster and less stressful cooking time so that your diet no longer has to suffer for your busy schedule:

1.       Pre-cook your beans

Beans is one of the healthiest staples you’ll find around. Rich in fibre and nutrients like plant protein, B-vitamins, iron, calcium, and potassium, it’s perfect for adults and growing kids. But most people avoid beans because of how long it takes to cook. Not mom of three and full-time writer, Jennifer Udeh, though. 

Jennifer says she’s able to enjoy beans with her family at any time because she pre-cooks and stores [large portions of] it in her freezer. Pre-cooking till soft means you can always scoop out whatever portion you need into a pot, add some palm oil, pepper, salt, and other preferred ingredients, and allow to cook. Even better, you can spice up this meal with diced plantain, potatoes, yam, or corn. 

With this hack, Jennifer says she’s been able to cut her beans preparation, which used to take over one hour each time, into a maximum of twenty minutes.

2.       Prepare sauces and stews on your free days

Managing a thriving media and graphics business in Port Harcourt should be challenging enough for anyone, not to mention also having two rambunctious kids to prep for school every weekday. But surprisingly enough, Tamara Williams does not look the least bit overwhelmed. For her, once feeding for the family is sorted, everything else is a breeze.

“I just make sure I have enough food in my freezer for the week,” she says. “Every weekend, I make stew, sauce, and as many soups as I can and portion them into my freezer. So all I have to do most mornings is boil rice or pasta to go with the stews/sauces, and we’re good to go.”

I vote for Tamara’s method because it makes the idea of cooking or determining what to eat less strenuous — like on days when you get home tired, get the soup out of the freezer and make some swallow. (Here’s where eba reigns as G.O.A.T. Eba is loyal and won’t reject any soup as accompaniment. And you can prepare eba in five minutes!)  

3.       Leverage the services of offline and online grocery shopping and delivery services.

Anyone who spends some time in the kitchen knows that the process of cooking starts long even before you light your stove. Preparation involves sourcing ingredients (usually from the market), which can be stressful and time-consuming. But Tamara (mentioned above) shared that the thoughts of cooking became less discouraging since she started to use the services of personal grocery shoppers. 

This is also a good idea to consider if you’re in the catering business. Restaurant managers and online food vendors in Nigeria and Ghana trust Vendease, number one food procurement company sourcing and delivering food supplies to help businesses elevate their customers’ dining experience. 

4.       Prepare dinners that can also be had as breakfast

Of course, I haven’t forgotten that Nigeria happens, and so you might find yourself out of power for a few days or weeks. The idea of cooking fresh meals every day before work is almost unthinkable, but you don’t even have to. 

Olumide “Lummy” Adeniran  is one of the few bachelors who loves to make his own meals and pack his lunch for work. The HR specialist shares his “dinner leftovers” tip and a background on how he came about it. 

“I live around Alimosho local government, and in January, our power supply was practically cut off for over one month. As my generator couldn’t power my freezer, rendering it useless, I had to wake up very early to cook from scratch most mornings.

“After a few late appearances at work, I learnt to cook foods like rice, pasta, or beans for dinner and make it in larger quantities. This way, I could heat the leftovers the next morning and my lunch would be sorted out in just a few minutes.”

5.       Cook or order meals in multiple batches

Ask Yomi Alade the most valuable asset in his possession, and he’ll mention his freezer second. As with many other people who don’t fancy cooking, the freezer is Yomi’s saving grace since he gets to store the soups and meals his mother sends over for weeks. Sometimes, this tech bro also orders a variety of takeouts from restaurants and stacks them in the freezer.

If, like me, you’re wondering why he doesn’t just order the meals fresh when he needs them, well, Yomi says he’d rather just pop his plate of food in the microwave and eat in five minutes than wait for twenty minutes or more for his order. 

Are you looking to try Yomi’s food hack? Here are some restaurant suggestions you’ll find helpful. And if you’re vegan, no problem. We’ve got options for you too.

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