Cut the chaos with a weekly kitchen reset

What’s a kitchen reset

A kitchen reset is when you make a loose meal plan for the week, assess what’s in the fridge and pantry, shift some items around for easier access and cook simple ingredients that can be used for multiple meals. Most people can finish a reset in about an hour, though you can take longer if you want to cook extra ingredients. This reset can help you avoid spending half your food budget on food away from home.

Start with leftovers

Every reset begins with the refrigerator. You get a quick picture of what you bought, what you actually used and what needs attention. Open the fridge and take a careful look at each shelf. Toss anything that’s past its time. Anything still good for another day or two should move to the front so you see it every time you open the door. Add those items to your meal plan for the week, and make a point of using them first.

Is your fridge full of takeout containers? Can some of that leftover takeout be repurposed? Crumble that leftover hamburger into vegetable soup, a quesadilla or a taco. Try to think about your leftovers with a big picture focus rather than just what they are.

Reheat leftover pizza in the air fryer to make it taste like it just got delivered. Add a side salad, and you have a meal ready to go in 10 minutes.

This part may not seem important, but it’s the step that saves you the most money as food prices continue to rise, and prevents food waste. And it’s nice to peer into your refrigerator when the clutter of styrofoam containers or pizza boxes is gone. A clear fridge makes it easier to cook, pack lunches and see what you already have, so you don’t buy duplicates.

Cook a few basic ingredients

Unless you’re an Instagram influencer, you probably don’t have hours to spend meal-prepping on the weekend. Those freezer meals in gallon bags sound great in theory, but they don’t always taste great coming out of the crockpot. And what happens if you forget to dump something in the crockpot during the hectic morning rush? Then you’re grabbing takeout again.

Cooking multipurpose ingredients is the solution to this problem. It’s easy and mostly hands-off to cook a couple of proteins that can be used in different meals, along with some vegetables and rice or other grains. And these items can cook while you’re busy organizing your kitchen.

Meats and proteins

Ground beef: Brown 2 pounds and keep it plain so you can season it later. This works for tacos, spaghetti sauce and soups.

Shredded chicken: Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker and let them cook while you handle other tasks. Shred the chicken and store it in a container in the fridge. Alternatively, grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred or chop the meat. It’s ready to go.

Bacon: Line a baking sheet with foil and cook a sheet pan of bacon in the oven. You don’t have to stand over it, and it cooks evenly every time with no mess. Crumble cooked bacon into salads, breakfast sandwiches or scrambled eggs, or make a BLT for a quick supper.

Grains and vegetables

Rice or quinoa: Make a pot of either or both grains. Both reheat well and fill out dinners and lunches. You can add cooked grains to soup, salads or roasted vegetables.

Lettuce and produce: Wash and prep lettuce so it’s ready for salads during the week. Chop vegetables like cucumbers, peppers and carrots that you can grab quickly for lunchboxes or to add to a salad.

Roasted vegetables: Peel and chop a couple of sweet potatoes and roast them. Roast other vegetables at the same time, such as broccoli or cauliflower. These hold up for several days and help you build fast grain bowls or serve as easy sides.

When you’ve got plenty of already prepped ingredients in your refrigerator, it’s much easier to come up with meals on the fly. You’re not staring at a package of raw hamburger meat, wondering if the kids are more likely to eat spaghetti or tacos. You have flexibility and choices, all for quick options.

Set up breakfasts

Breakfast might be known as the most important meal of the day, but it also can be the most difficult. You’re trying to get out the door to go to work or get the kids to school, and everyone wants something different, while you’re already thinking ahead to dinner. A few minutes of planning during your reset can calm the morning rush.

Think about what your family will actually eat, not what sounds ideal. If pancakes are popular, mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. Combine them right before cooking.

A frittata holds up well for several days and reheats quickly. You can put together overnight oatmeal in minutes and store it in the fridge. If you rely on freezer waffles or pancakes, or those little frozen sausage biscuits, check your supply and move everything to an easy-to-reach spot in the freezer.

Place the syrup and butter where everyone can see them and easily spread on their own waffles. Place grab-and-go items like granola bars, Pop-Tarts or string cheese sticks where kids can reach them.

The goal is to eliminate the hunt. When breakfast is ready and visible, you spend less energy running around looking for things.

Organize lunches and lunchboxes

Lunch packing can be a daily frustration if nothing has a place and the pantry is unorganized. Take a few minutes to make the process smoother for the rest of the week. Start by gathering snacks in one spot. A clear bin works well, so you can see what you have and refill it as needed. Kids can help themselves and pack their own snacks if everything is accessible.

If you send fruit in lunchboxes, prep it ahead of time. Wash grapes, slice strawberries or cut melon, and place the fruit in small containers that stack easily. If salads are part of your lunch routine, portion out dressing in portable condiment holders so you’re not scrambling to find something to transport it in at 7 a.m.

Plan at least a couple of lunches around leftovers, and you won’t need to assemble something from scratch every day. This small system helps eliminate some morning stress and keeps you from rushing around the kitchen while you try to leave the house on time.

Plan for easy dinners

Dinner is the meal that usually causes parents the most anxiety and feels hardest to deliver. But a few simple steps on a Sunday afternoon help foster calm and make planning for the week easier. When you prep some basic ingredients in advance, you set yourself up for quick and easy dinners.

Ground beef becomes tacos, sloppy joes or spaghetti sauce in minutes. Use the shredded chicken for quesadillas, serve barbecue chicken with canned baked beans and coleslaw from a bag. Turn some of that cooked chicken into chicken salad. Rotisserie chicken is always an option and pairs well with the cooked roasted vegetables. Rice or quinoa can accompany any protein or become the base of a quick grain bowl.

On nights when everyone’s headed to different activities, keep things simple. Ham sandwiches are a perfectly acceptable dinner. So are scrambled eggs and the bacon you precooked. A bowl of soup with a grilled cheese sandwich counts. The point of the exercise is not to create gourmet meals but to give you choices that fit your life.

Build your own rhythm

A weekly kitchen reset works because it helps you think ahead. You look at what’s fresh, what needs to be used, what you can cook quickly and what will carry you into the week. You don’t have to follow the same steps every time. Some weeks, you may only have time to check leftovers and prep vegetables. Other weeks, you might make several ingredients and organize every shelf.

You’re not trying to achieve Pinterest-worthy perfection, or one of those super-organized and labeled refrigerators that you view with envy on social media. You’re just trying to survive without pulling through the golden arches twice a week. With an hour or two on a Sunday afternoon, you can organize your kitchen, fill your refrigerator with cooked, multipurpose ingredients, reduce waste and breathe easier knowing that you are ready for the week.