On busy weekdays making a meal from scratch feels harder than it needs to be. Especially when you are juggling work, family and other obligations, even simple meals can feel overwhelming.
On those days- these homemade bases and mixes come to your aid. This simple ingredient prep guide makes prepping those bases and mixes effortless.
Why I prefer these Homemade Bases and Mixes
- I like to use fresh ingredients or spices; however, I do not have time & wish to do it every day. That’s why this prepped freeze and pantry is my all-time favorite.
- It helps me to save time, reduce stress, and cook without using any canned or sugary alternatives.
- These prep shortcuts are not fancy recipes; they are just everyday meal prepping parts you can do in advance and use all week.
- They help you cook faster without compromising on flavor, freshness and food safety.
Timesaving Ingredient Bases & Mixes
This is a living list of the prep shortcuts I use all the time. I update it whenever I add a new make‑ahead base or shortcut.
Wet Blend or Cooked Bases – (Freezer)
Fresh herbs go bad quickly, turning them into pastes and freezing saves time and flavor. Similarly, cooking some bases is very time consuming – like- dry beans takes 20 minutes to cook and several hours to soak. You can cook them in big batch and freeze in one time use size.
🌿Snap-and-go Ginger Paste
⭐ Ginger Paste — Summary
A quick, make‑ahead paste that adds warm, bright flavor to bowls, soups, drinks, and sauces all week.
Fresh ginger is potent and recipes often call for very thin slice of ginger (like one-inch square), standard ice cube trays are usually too large for. I use this flat-pack method instead:
Grate
Wash your fresh ginger, peel the outer skin a bit and finely grate it.
Flatten
Add about one tablespoon of grated ginger in a sandwich size freezer bag, close it leaving one tiny corner open to get access air out. Gently even out the grated ginger in that bag. You may use rolling pin to flatten.
Freeze
Lay the bag on flat surface in freezer until solid and store in freezer.
Use
If a recipe calls for a specific size – like a one-inch square – simple open the bag, snap off a piece of that size, and drop it right into your cooking pot. It thaws instantly and tastes same as fresh ginger.
🌿Pinto Beans or Baked Beans
⭐ Baked Beans Cubes — Summary
A cozy, protein‑rich base you can freeze in small portions for fast lunches, warm bowls, or quick comfort meals.
This is a handy beans prep method for people who prefer homemade beans over the canned ones.
Soak
- Soak about 8-10 hours before: In a large pot, take dry beans of your choice – I use 50-50 pinto beans and kidney beans.
- Add enough water, at least 5-6 times of the beans measure.
- Use warm water or warm the pot about 1-2 minutes after adding beans and water.
Optional: Add a very tiny pinch of baking soda – to speed up the cooking process.
Cook
Make sure pot has enough water in soaked beans (usually water is higher than level of beans in pot).
Add half a teaspoon of salt and pressure cook soaked beans on high pressure for about 14-18 minutes.
Smash
Let the pot cool, open it and smash the beans with enough water to bring the paste at the consistency you like. Add other seasonings and mix them well.
Freeze
I freeze this paste in two forms – most of them goes in larger cubes and a bit of them in thin layer like paste in sandwich bags. Freese it and store it in freezer for later use.
Uses
Use larger cubes for any recipes when you need a chunk of it & use thin paste when you need a little bit of beans – like nachos.
🌿Date cubes
⭐ Date Paste Cubes — Summary
A gentle, fiber‑rich sweetener you can freeze in cubes for easy use in sauces, oatmeal, warm drinks, and baking.
I use dates in the place of white sugar in many recipes. If recipe requires and blending it works fine, but if recipe does not require any blending – I am not big fan of dates chunks in recipe. That’s why, I just make a paste & freeze it.
Soak
Take the pits out (if not pitted already) & soak it in slight warm or at room temperature water.
Blend
After about 3-4 hours, blend the soaked dates with the required water in it.
Freeze
Freeze the paste in ice cube tray, you can store in a freezer bag once it is solid.
Use
It is about two Deglet Noor dates per cube if blended with just required water. Approximately one standard size of dates cube replaces one tsp of sugar.
Dry Mix DIY Shortcuts (Pantry)
You can eliminate weekday cooking friction by DIY dry mixes ready to go. By creating homemade pantry staples, you can skip measuring tools, finding all ingredients everyday.
🌿Kitchari or Khichari mix (dry)
⭐ Dry Kitchari Mix — Summary
A simple, grounding mix of lentils, rice, and spices that turns into a warm, steadying bowl whenever you need it.
Kitchari is a perfect weekday meal, even though it takes time to cook – you do not need to attend it if you are using Instant pot or similar pressure cooker.
Mix
Take one cup of rice and one cup of moong dal (kind you want to use), mix them in one bowl. Short grain rice works better as it has higher starch level.
Pack
Take a sandwich size freezer bag, take ½ cup of the mix in one bag. Add ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, ¼ tsp of salt (your preference), add other dry spices if you are adding & close it. Repeat this process for the balance. You can adjust these measurements per your serving size or preferences.
Store
You can store this in your pantry, or place all bags in one container and place in your pantry.
I usually keep just rice and moong dal mix in a big container, add spices when I cook – based on the mix amount I am using. It stays fresh several months in air-tight container.
Use
Whenever you want to make this Kitchari; add one bag of this prepped Kitchari mix to your pressure cooker add required water– stir to mix the spices, and set the time.
Why Prep Shortcuts Matter (Especially in a Busy Life)
They save time without sacrificing quality
Most store-bought shortcuts rely on added sugar, preservatives, or heavy salt. Your own prepped ingredients give you the same convenience but with cleaner, simpler flavors.
They reduce decision fatigue
When you already have a few bases ready — a paste, a mix, a warm fruit base — building a meal becomes easier. You’re not starting from zero every time.
They help you avoid canned or overly processed alternatives
Canned sauces and readymade mixes are quick, but they often come with ingredients you don’t want. Your homemade shortcuts give you speed and control.
They support steadier energy
Warm, simple bases like date paste, ginger paste, or Kitchari mix help you build meals that feel grounding and steady, especially on busy or tired days.
They make healthy cooking feel doable
When the building blocks are ready, you naturally reach for gentler options — warm bowls, simple sauces, cozy breakfasts — instead of last minute packaged foods.
They fit into real life
These shortcuts are small, practical, and easy to maintain. Most take 5–10 minutes to make and last several days in the fridge.
Want more gentle kitchen ideas? Explore my Kitchen Lifestyle posts — safer cookware, simple prep shortcuts, cozy spice mixes, and tiny feel‑good swaps that make everyday cooking easier.
