Girl, stop wasting time in the kitchen! 🙅🏻‍♀️ 7 Effective TIme-Saving Mealtime Shortcuts 

🎉Fun Little Announcement🍾 But First, Coffee is now "That Practical Mom" Over a decade ago I started a little blog as a fun hobby to keep myself busy over the summer. Affectionately naming it "But First, Coffee" because it was the early 2010's after all. And I can't say I was exactly expecting it to become a full time business. Fast forward and here we are 😅 While I have a lot of nostalgia for my little blog's first name, the name hasn't felt like it has fit me for years. And after putting it off for awhile (because change it hard) I've finally made the leap to rename my brand something that better suits what I share and what my goals and aspirations are for what I plan to continue to share. So meet, "That Practical Mom" 🥳 🤗 Not much will be changing here but the name! You can expect all the same kinda content. Excited for this new chapter and to continue to share content that will help you simplify the chaos of everyday life ❤

I’ve heard it said that the most stressful part of adulting is food: planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning up afterwards, only to do it again, three times a day, forever. 😳🤨

Hey guys, I'm the generation that's older than you all and meal prepping and meal planning REALLY does actually save time, energy and money.

Fun tip for decanting flour. Pop the empty container over the bag so the opening of the bag is at the bottom of the container. Flip the container (with the bag of flour now completely inside it) right side up and pull out the bag of flour. No more cloud of flour!

To save time. I clean out my fridge the day before my grocery pick-up day. Helps in case of any last minute items I may need to add to my list.

If you're like me don't feel bad about the "just in case items" I buy them in bulk when on sale, put them in the freezer then have them on hand when I need them. I plan for meals according to what's on sale and make due with whatever is on sale along with those just in case items to balance things out. I absolutely love everything else but know that for me the buying things in bulk just in case works better for me especially with not always being able to get out to shop due to disabilities and not able to afford delivery.

Would love if you did a video on what you ate for the week, breakfast, lunch and dinner. We get to see your meal plan and also the prep work etc. I struggle with breakfast & lunch ideas that are healthy but easy!!

I still get coffee first but I like the new name "That Practical Mom", because practical moves as a homemaker makes more sense. Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations on the name switch. Meal prepping changed my life. My nutritional choices were bad for my body and I had to unlearn everything I knew about feeding myself. It lead to a new life in which I prep my ingredients, plan ahead, and cook two big meals a week which are frozen in quart containers to give me maximum variety while only spending about 4 hours in the kitchen twice a week and about 30 minutes daily pulling out ingredients for 3 meals and putting them together. Literally, it takes me longer to eat my meals than it does to put them together each day. I saved my life and a TON of money, and liberated my time to redirect it to painting and other things that give my life meaning.

One way I learned to really cut down on time making dinner is to cook the ground beef or turkey, even chicken, season it, then portion it out and store it in a sandwich size ziplock bag in the freezer. I also cut most of my veggies, portioned them out and stored them in the freezer. This was a huge time saver for me.

this is such great content about meal prepping. You forgot one big win that you were achieving. You are being an example to your kids and letting them see you prepping washing, caring, cutting, and doing all this for the family is such a wonderful example and they will remember it all their lives. so you are educating. EDUCATING ❤ Nutrition and family love. 💕 my most vivid memories of my mother or her in the kitchen and we all were running around doing stuff. Now I realize I probably wasn’t being all that helpful, but I really felt like it was at the time and it is such a lasting memory. Today I love working in the kitchen and I have to thank my mom for all of that. ✅

Change is definitely hard. It’ll take me a minute to get over the fact that you are no longer the face of “But First Coffee”, but my favorite part of watching you is your authenticity. It’s always fun to watch you grow. Thank you for doing you because it’s been helping me a lot too! :)

Bonjour Kallie, je regarde vos vidéos avec des sous-titres en français 😅 Pendant des années, lorsque je travaillais à l’hôpital avec des horaires décalés et fous, j’ai tenu des cahiers où je notais mes menus de la semaine à venir en fonction de mon planning. Cela m’a sauvé et aidé à rester organisée et à faire à manger des repas équilibrés ! Bravo pour votre chaîne que je suis depuis mon petit coin de France 🥰

Hi Kallie! Love your channel! I am a 54 year old mother, who works full time, and has a 9 yr old and a 7 yr old. So, when I get home I am exhausted…my husband helps when he can because he works full time too. I have struggled so much with trying to think of what to cook when I get home and it makes everything more chaotic especially when it’s so easy to say let’s grab fast food, pizza, etc. This month I meal planned and did 2 freezer meals (so far) but just with the meal planning alone I feel less stressed and I’m not yelling at everyone when I get home 🤣

I need to start meal prepping again. I don't have kids, but I work full time. Some of your ideas transfer amazing to busy Dog Mom life

I save so much money by meal planning and using what's in our kitchen, first! I also meal prep on the weekends. This is such a great video, Kallie! ❤❤❤

I love this too!! PLUS another benefit is less dishes to wash! Instead of washing a knife and cutting board every evening when making dinner, you only need to wash it on prep day (maybe 2-3 times during the day but still much easier)! So youre saving water, soap, time, etc!

I'd love if I'd be able to maintain this level of control over mealtime but NO WAY - it's definitely not neurodivergent friendly nor for those struggling with mental health 😂 those extra meals prepped would end up forgotten, those extra steps of decanting after an already straining getting groceries experience would exhaust me for the rest of the day, meal prepping on a specific day would be impossible if that day is one with low energy and there is just no way I could ever eat something that specific day that I don't feel like eating. This level of meal planning would just not make me stick to it. But I agree that meal-planning is important, so here some tips how I made it neurodivergent friendly for myself: - most important, keep inventory low, the more stuff I have the more likely something gets forgotten, even with a plan, it's just too much to manage - ban any recipes from the kitchen that take longer active time than 20 minutes INCLUDING cleaning up (seriously, every recipe should include that time - I keep sticking to recipes that stick to basic items so I don't need to clean a million pieces while cooking) - do a felxible meal plan: I usually plan one soup/stew per week and one dip, those can be used in so many different ways throughout the week (soup can be eaten as soup, on rice, as pasta sauce, mixed with beans or potatoes, etc and a dip can be a spread, the star of a sandwich, a snack, eaten with veggies, with bread, tortilla, thinned with pasta water to pasta sauce) - in addition to a soup and dip, I plan one additional meal and then mix and match throughout the week (it's enough to live off of leftovers if I don't have enough energy to cook more than that but also leaves room for those days where my impulsive mood tells me "I need that one specific meal today" without being wasteful) - I do not have a designated meal prep day: I leave the produce for the soup/stew out after grocery shopping, which forces me to prepare it within 2 days to avoid spoilage, so a lot of the produce doesn't even need to go in the fridge (saves space in our small apartment fridge and won't be forgotten this way - it's right on the counter so I'm extra motivated to handle it to get it out of the way and have more space again), then I prepare the dip and or the additional meal when I feel like it or have a slow day; - the best purchase I ever made: a dry erase calender and grocery list for the fridge with a magnetic dry erase marker (no more looking around for where that notepad went or where the pencil is, getting distracted and then forgetting what you wanted to add to the list) - use that calender note section on that dry-erase calendar to write down the produce I have in the fridge (that was such a major pain for me for so long but this way I finally no longer ignore produce in the fridge), especially the stuff for the kids (they don't remember what vegetables they asked for, they are 2 and 4 and if it's not part of one of my meals, it's so easy for me to forget that we have that) - grocery pick up yes but if you're specific about certain items, don't get all groceries that way (the idea of someone else choosing my produce makes my skin crawl) - be relaxed with feeding your kids, it seriously stressed me out to see those detailed many little things prepared for her Kid's lunch boxes, no way would I stick to that; instead, I let my kids choose and by dinner time, we think about what they had today and which food group we still need to cover: less work for me, less waste from the kids, and since it's nealry game-like we actually stick to this (plus they help with the 3 to 4 meals that I am making per week and most times try that too and eat it alongside what they choose - letting them choose, truly choose, helped to greatly reduce their pickiness and not even asking them to try foods, made them actually try most things) - only provide snacks when the kids ask (this is such a big one for me - they started eating their meals so much better this way, most days they don't even want a snack or just want an apple in the afternoon - so many countries do not do that crazy level of snacking that the US does and it can remove a lot of stress and decision fatigue to have to choose yet another food item; but of course that depends on the person, I always preferred bigger meals and no snacks myself) Hope this helps someone - it takes a lot of trial and error to get a system running that works for your family. And just like every family is different, every meal planning/prepping can be different so it works for your family

Sweetie, due to a serious chronic illness I have not been able to cook real, fresh and healthy food for a long time!! I do my best for the husband and son as much as possible, but I usually buy peeled potatoes and prepared vegetables (frozen or fresh (one of the supermarkets will make them if I ask!)), but for myself I lack energy and courage. Too much pain and extreme fatigue sometimes mean that I myself barely eat. Or I eat something that is ready very quickly (vegetarian pizza baguettes from the freezer). My husband (almost 59) eats meat but not many varieties, the son (almost 30) eats partly vegetarian and partly minced meat or chicken. And I have been a vegetarian since I was a little 'Pinkie'. I really can't eat meat/fish/poultry but I don't mind if others do! It literally makes me sick (I know many will find this ridiculous and that is their opinion and right) eating meat/fish/poultry would be the same as eating human flesh. Fortunately, everyone is different and that makes life less boring and predictable HAHA. ;-) I respect people who think and act differently. Lots of love too you and the family from old Pinkie

Love all these suggestions! Every family's tastes and needs are different, and schedules can slide sideways in a hurry, so having things prepped for meals make the whole family dynamic and our personal head space so much calmer. Proactive always wins, no matter what game we're playing.

I love your channel. I enjoy crocheting and listening to you chat about whatever. ❤Thank you.

Off topic, but I'm so happy you have three babies when I know how much you guys struggled to get the first. You're great parents.

I needed this. I have one and I’m overwhelmed everyday especially bc I’m diabetic so everyone’s meal needs is different. Thanks for this . Hopefully I can get on this

I am an uber organizer, so years ago (after my then boyfriend now husband started living together) I got feed up of each week going to the grocery store and standing there asking each other “what do what what to eat this week?” And getting “I don’t know…” I decided to meal plan. It has been the best thing ever! Has saved my sanity! I now know what we are having each day, I purchased only the stuff we need and avoid the extras that can go to waste. Over time, I have gotten more organized (this takes time and work) and looked for deals and specials and meal planned based on that. This is something that takes effort, but the time, energy, and frustration it saves is well worth it!

Love the rebranding! Best move for you in this season of life! Congrats!

Glad to see someone who knows how to cut a bell pepper... With the meaty side up.

I buy peppers and onions in bulk and spend one day chopping all of them with my chopper and portion them out and freeze them. Then when I want it I take out what I need.

It's always nice to plan meals ahead, especially when cooking for one. Plan 7 meals and you're maybe ready for a month. We used to do a "round robin" sort of thing. If we had white pasta with tomatoes, we could have tacos the next day. Then, the leftover onions, tomatoes and lettuce would go into a chicken or tuna salad for sandwiches. If there was a run on peppers at the produce stand, you can bet stuffed peppers, bell pepper stew, and fajitas along with stir fry would be on the menu sometime in the future. These experiences come from 20+ years of marriage and knowing how your mate shops and cooks. My hubby loved to cook and he loved to camp. He also loved to cook while he was camping and I miss those days.

I am re watching this. The piece that really resonated is when you said you had one baby and you didn't understand how other moms had the time or energy to cook certain things but as you have .lrw babies, you adapt. I have felt this. And it is so encouraging to hear!

Great ideas! I give you a lot of credit for the types of meals you make and freeze extras, along with baking bread.

I love my time in the kitchen and don't like to rush. My kids and I spend hours there:)

The little lunches you made for the kids look so good! Great variety. All the meal planning and prepping you do is such a good idea. I've been ordering my groceries online and picking them up for the past few years and love it. I never liked grocery shopping!

Great tips! Routines make such a difference, especially with young children. I'm a mom of 4 and my youngest is 10 years old. Meal planning gets a LOT more complicated when you have teenagers and arent even home at dinnertime most evenings, or everyone is going in different directions and can't all eat together. Its chaotic! 😅 I still make a meal plan and try to stick to it, but being flexible is key. And those "just in case" items, especially on sale, have actually helped us many times!

Be grateful that you have this under control now - enjoy the routine. It could all get more complicated in the future. I moved across the country, at 70, to be with my daughter's family. My grandsons are now teenagers, each going a different direction every day and evening after school for football, band, choir, theater practices. Both parents have jobs that are not 9 to 5 and end at different times on different days. There are constant games, concerts, plays and musicals to attend at dinnertime, plus tutoring and private lessons, fundraisers, emergency urgent care or "Mom, I just found out I need (fill in the blank) for tomorrow" runs. It's nonstop. On top of that, the whole family are picky eaters, with my grown son-in-law being the worst, not liking any food you can name. As the cook I am constantly frustrated, stressed and left with very low self esteem, that I can't plan and serve them a decent meal once a day. I can't tell you how many times I have had no idea what to make for dinner or a thawed, sometimes already started dinner goes out the window because something comes up that overrides dinner. I love them, but I feel like they have sped up my ageing by many years. I love all your tips, though. Many years ago I was able to do much of the same thing.

I’m impressed! Such great ideas. I’m 65 and started cooking dinners for the family when I was in high school. My mom worked full time and I didn’t mind cooking. Fast forward 50 years! Our kids are grown and it’s just me and my husband. I still don’t mind cooking, but I told my husband he needs to plan the meals. I am seriously over trying to decide what to cook every night. Haaa! Haaa! I worked full time and wish there had been someone like you with such great ideas!

Great ideas. I've learned so much from your channel the last few years. It's taught me to clean as I go and other tips to be tidier. ❤ to you and your beautiful family

I have seing your videos and yes you talk about meal planning in every single video of your but I didn't have any idea about its impact. The way you made connection from meal planning > groceries> meal prep all before hand cooking make much sense now! and this all also motivated me to declutter and organize my kitchen as well to make it more functional! you are doing amazing work! and I am really going to follow the meal planning using the planners.

I’ve recently started keeping my meal plan in the Notes app on my phone. So simple but so easy to edit, check off like a satisfying to do list, go thru my kitchen and make notes of meals to make each day, AND check throughout the week when I’m feeling anxious.😊 Edit: Also I started using the brown paper bags to line my fridge because who likes wiping the fridge out after every grocery shop?! When they get gross I just toss them in the recycle, wipe down the shelves & re-line them.😊

Your top and necklace are giving me Saved by the Bell 90s vibe today. We done! 😊

As someone with 3 tween/teen boys, that bag of freezer tacos would be a pre-dinner snack for one of them. We stuff our fridge to the brim and, by shopping day, it looks completely barren. It is really shocking how much teen boys can eat. We had chicken legs last night for dinner and one boy can eat 3 whole chicken legs (drumstick & thigh) and still ask for more while I'm full from having one piece of chicken with my pasta. What do people do who have really big families? I just can't find the space to put prepped food (our freezer also gets stuffed). I have dreams of doing meal prep ahead of time, but they eat everything I've prepped on the day I prep it, there's no getting ahead of their bottomless stomachs. They will also do some of their own cooking, so ingredients sometimes get used up before the meal that they were slated for and we have to change the plan. Or the amount I planned for wasn't enough and I have to do 2 dinners in one day because they're always hungry. I had heard of the bottomless stomachs of teen boys, but cooking for them is a whole other story. I think that spring time must also be growth spurt season or something, because their appetites shot up.

Would love to hear more about this prepping two of things and putting into the freezer! Please do a follow along with me example!

Omg I think we all had that haircut when we were young children hahaha so cute 🥰

Admittedly, I am only 3 seconds into this video, but am already compelled to comment: Baby Kallie is sooooo adorable!!! 🥰 Reminds me of Miles. He looks like your husband too, though. Too cute, ya’ll. Anyway, back to the video!

Thank you for this helpful video. I’m a single parent and I’m doing most of the wrong things you describe. With your tips I can shop and prep meals much easier.

I've been meal planning for a while and it makes a huge difference. I like to do weekend lunches as leftover meals, using up anything from weekday dinners.

I joined 5 dinners in 1 hour through your link last month and LOVE it!! My kids are grown (I sure miss the stage of life you are in!) and I'm cooking for just two again. it was an adjustment -- 5D1H has been so helpful! I describe it as a meal delivery service where I use and prep my own ingredients. The recipes have been really good, and being able to select number of servings for each meal has made prep SO easy. Thanks so much for your tips! ♥

I hope breakfast for dinner is your Sunday dinner. Smelling pancakes and other breakfast items mid afternoon means breakfast for dinner! 😊

Thank you for sharing, I have been using the meal plan and love it. It feels great knowing what we are having for dinner. I have saved money because of meal planning.

I find it easier to plan 3 lunches and 3 dinners and 1 snack for each week. I make the grocery list with the meal plan for the week, print it out, and save them to reuse later in the month. Having a bunch of meal plans and grocery lists to rotate saves so much mental energy. I cook/prep a double batch of each meal. I serve half of it and keep the other half in the fridge for reheating later in the week. If I want a freezer meal I make a triple batch or more, keeping 2 in the fridge for the week and the rest in the freezer. I'm creating a culture and expectation for leftovers-an important mindset and practice. The snack is a bag of single serve fruit and big bag of nuts or seeds. One week it's a couple of bunches of bananas, another week it's a bag of apples another week it's pears or tangerines or grapes or baby carrots, etc. They don't require much prep, and I just grab a handful or the nuts or seeds to go with it. On day 7 it's an inexpensive freezer type meal for dinner and we eat out for lunch.

I was married once. At about 5pm everyday was dreaded. I’m not married anymore and no dread!

Your channel came to mind recently because you are one the few New England "influencers" that I know of 🙂 I am glad to see your channel update and excited to listen through on such a challenging topic 🫠. I am on a mission to make great meals while working smarter to save time so THANK YOU! Congrats on your beautiful baby!

You are so right, I couldn’t do anything with my first baby. #5 on the way and I’m a pro now

Thanks to you I sit down every Sunday and plan the week it’s goes on the wall and it’s been amazing. Unlike you though I do switch it up if I don’t feel like that meal or if a kind neighbour has brought some fresh food over. ❤

Great job! I applaud your discipline. Knowing what to cook is a big hurdle for me and doesn't seem to get easier with age. I do like to stock up when things are on sale. Especially meat and seafood. A lot of times I have the food and no idea how Im preparing it.

Hi Kallie I’m a physician and mum of 3 aged 4 and under. Congrats on the pregnancy! (I won’t be joining you this round!) You are amazing for doing all you do and having healthy, balanced, home cooked meals on your family table. Good with the new name (in my head you are “facty Kallie” anyway although we always start with coffee here!) I am a non foodie (live to eat not the other way around) and have also come to the grave realisation that I now “get to” cook three meals a day plus snacks for five people… and it never ends…. My approach is slightly more militant (kids are recently banned from the kitchen for their own safety!) and I have set meals Monday through Sunday, 3 of which I prepare the day prior. When Monday rolls around, the cycle repeats. Instead of a big day of meal prep (which I tried but it killed me), I have set tasks on set days. It takes the mental load out of meal prepping although I have much less variety than the beautiful meals I’ve seen in your video. Do your kids eat everything you prepare? I’m struggling with this as my 4 year old daughter often ends up with a smidge of whatever we are eating with a peanut butter sandwich…any tips?

Hello! Please make more videos about this!! I'm moving in with my boyfriend and we really want to eat good food without soending too much time!!

Hi Kallie, love the new channel title! Thanks for all the awesome tips!

Thanks for sharing your tips!

Love this topic!

Great job mom! Love the video

Great ideas.

Very good topic. Thanks for sharing!

I would so love to see a meal prep video from you. 😊

Great ideals for meals thanks for sharing. Hope you have a wonderful day !!!!!! ❤❤

great tips too, gonna try these out in the summer/next semester.

Loving the new channel name ❤

High quality sharing. Thank you soooo so much

Hi there! Great video thank you. Lovely new name of the channel!!

Love the new name of your channel. I do "some" meal planning and prepping, but don't have it down all the way. But days when I've done the work, it is so much better.

Such useful ideas!

Thank you for this video! I’ve watched a lot of your videos and do a lot of things (like meal planning) already. But there were some great new tips in this video that I am excited to try!

Oh I have been doing this for ages for myself! Having celiac, I can’t buy just a case of ramen or canned crap to warm up and eat. I have to cook unless I want to spend an arm and a leg to have already prepped food for the week. We just started doing this for dinner this year and it’s made a world of difference. I factor in one night to be easy grab and heat type foods because my two older kids are in sports activities and we generally aren’t home one night a week but otherwise I’m cooking for 6 most nights of the week using this strategy 😊

God bless you, it was useful 👌👌💐💐

super super helpful tips

Hey Kallie. Love your new title. Very fitting. You have motivated me to start meal prepping. Especially now. Basketball season with my son😊🏀🏀

I've noticed, at least in this video, you are doing all the chopping and grating by hand. Since you are prepping so many different things ahead, I think you would really benefit from using a food processor for those tasks. It is just so much easier and quicker. I mean literally in seconds! :) just last week I got myself a new one, even though the previous one was totally fine... This new one was can even dice in cubes! You can grate, slice, dice and what not :) and yes, it takes time to take it apart, wash all the parts and then put it together again, but the amount of work it does for me is worth it :) i mean since i'm already using it i might as well grate/ slice double of something and freeze it for later, it's not like i'm grating just two cloves of garlic with it :D

I got ALOT of valuable information from this video. Thank you for this and I'm definitely going to save this video so I can go back to it when need be. From 1 mom to another, i appreciate you. Thanks lady 😊

Congrats on your new name for your channel !

I love the neon striped shirt and the new game is very fitting 🎉

Still seems like magic to me! I’d love to know more about how much time it actually takes- have you ever tracked how many hours you spend prepping ahead, and then actually cooking the dinners? I also imagine having a spouse who also prioritizes this by watching your kids must play a part?

Congrats on the pregnancy announcement !!!!!!!🎉

Helpful tips, thanks! Would love to see how you do homemade hummus please!

Love the name change!

nice tips...but need to reduce plastic whereever possible..

I'd love to learn more about the bread that you bake weekly!

My life changing hack was making 4-5 weekly menus that I just rotate (for lunch and dinner; for breakfast we usually alternate 2-3 options and DH makes pancakes on Sundays). If I'm feeling creative I might try a new dish one day instead of the planned one, but if I don't want to think about it, the decision is already made. I don't even have to take the time to plan weekly, I just bring out the next one. I printed them and keep them in a sheet protector tacked on our command center, each week I slide the one we just did in the back and then follow the next one. You can also print the grocery list in the back of each weekly menu. It saves soooo much time and energy. And I also always cook 2-3 times the amount if possible to freeze for next time.

Wow, awesome new channel name.

Loving the video, great advice as ever. :D BTW I was in northern Sicily last year and saw a town with a name the same as your last name.

Would love a downloads in digital planer format with links. When that comes out, I’ll buy it for sure.

I love looking at recipes and thinking about dinner 😂 (why I sell premade meal plans!) but even for me the constant mental energy put towards feeding my small family can be draining!

Aww! R.I.P. But First, Coffee❤ Thank God I read your message! I honestly thought you were cloned for a moment when I clicked on the notification!😅

Aesthetic collander 😂. IYKYK

Please tell me where to buy the egg rack for the refrigerator I saw in this video. I checked your storefront and couldn't find it. I love it! Thank you.....

I love your top at the beginning of the video! Would you mind sharing where it’s from? Thanks!

Mommy goals/ wifey goals

Can you do a video on your kitchen staples? I have a really hard time with stocking my pantry!

Could you share which brand are these food containers with the white lid? they look awesome!?

I like the new name but i REALLY liked But First, Coffee😊 Good content on this video!!!

Hi from Perth Western Australia 🇦🇺 ❤ love your videos!! I'd love to know what meals you make and what prepped dishes good after frozen as I found some things reheated from frozen isn't the nicest.

One of the things I struggle with decanting is what do you do with the leftover in the container? Like do you wait until it’s absolutely empty, do you toss the little leftover, do you pull it out and then pop it on top?….