I don’t know about you but our experience with the crazy time of packing for a move includes ordering every evening from the Chinese restaurant nearby. We got to the point where they recognized our voices and could tell our order before we could. It was expensive, boring and frustrating, but who could blame us? We had day jobs and immediately after that we had to rush home, sort and pack gazillion boxes. Who could think about cooking dinner?!

This is the first time that we are about to move with our children, and I really do not want them to live on takeaway for a whole week prior to our move. On the other hand, I don’t have much time to cook on top of packing and trying to have the kids entertained while chaos is around.

Here are some tips for cooking while packing for your move:

Utilize your pantry:

It will save you money and also will reduce your packing. Look at your pantry and cook from it. Do you have pasta, rice, canned tomatoes in any shape or form? Cook the pasta or rice with the tomato product, olive oil and garlic. Add lean protein – you can buy it cooked and you have a family friendly dinner on the table in about 20 minutes.

Are you the flour tortilla and black bean pantry person? No problem. Buy rotisserie chicken and shred the breasts. The tortilla, cooked beans, shredded chicken, cheese and avocado will have you with dinner on the table that will satisfy everyone and will give you the energy to continue to pack for your move.

Keep ready protein:

As you probably noticed, all the ideas contain some kind of prepared ahead protein. It’s easy to buy, quick to add to food, and not expensive. If you are vegetarian, go for tofu and sauté it lightly.

Buy chopped vegetables:

Almost any grocery store today, at least in NY, NJ area, has a section of fresh chopped vegetables. You can make a salad from them for a light and healthy dinner, or you can add them to anything you cook. They are a quick way to add vitamins and fiber to your dinner.

Plan your meals ahead:

10 minutes of planning will save you time because you will shop once for everything you need, and money because you will buy only what you need. You need 5 dinners. Write them down and what you need for them. Then, buy what you are missing. Remember to put recipes that are following the above guidelines. You can even Google recipes. Recipes that I researched for example:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-pioneer-woman/600-series/scrumptious-16-minute-meals.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/15_minute_dinner_recipes

These are my tips on cooking while packing for your move day. I hope you enjoy them.