Thursday, February 24, 2011

Maid Simple: Double the batch, not your work

Well, if you don't know by now that we have a new baby in the family then you must be living under a rock. Natalie gave birth to a healthy baby boy this past Tuesday. He was just 3 days shy of being a full term newborn and so he's technically considered a premie. His APGAR score was 10, though, and they've already been discharged from the hospital with no complications.
We had been planning to have Nat's baby shower this Saturday and since both she and the baby are doing so well, Nat thought she'd like to go ahead with the shower as planned. So now my conundrum is this:

I'm already making food for the shower, but I'd really like to make a bunch of food for Nat's freezer. So how can I manage to fit both of those things into my already tight schedule? Answer: double the batch.

Today's simple tip is doubling a batch of cookies, muffins, cupcakes, bread, or even chicken enchiladas is a really easy way to have extras to freeze or give away. With a little planning you can whip up a double batch of anything almost as easily as a single batch. I've been doing this for years for school treats and it really came in handy this week. Now I have 6 loaves of bread instead of three and it didn't cost me any more time than if I had just made three.

So if you have a friend with little ones or know someone who's not been feeling well, next time you make dinner or a batch of cookies for your family just double the batch, wrap it up in some tin foil or tupperware and deliver it to them. It's a simple way to help someone out without going over your "time budget."

No comments: