Let’s face it, life is busy. It seems easier to stop at a drive-thru than to cook a meal at home. Luckily, preparing food for you and your family does not have to take hours every day. We use these practices in our house to save time and eat healthy.
Make two meals (or more) on Sunday
You can eat one Sunday night and refrigerate the other for a day early in the week. Beef stew, chicken soup and chili are great meals to make and reheat for dinner.
Make meals large enough to have leftovers
Leftovers are flexible. You can take leftovers into work for lunch the next day. You can eat the same meal for dinner two nights in a row. You can also use leftovers to make a new meal such as using roast chicken for fajita bowls.
Cook a big batch of…
When we make quinoa, we make two cups instead of one. That way we can reheat it later in the week rather than cooking it from scratch. You can do the same for rice or potatoes. Baked potatoes fry up well and taste great.
Use pre-cut vegetables
Many stores have organic washed and pre-cut vegetables, either fresh or frozen, that save time in the kitchen. We prepare at least two bags at a time because you can never have too many vegetables.
Pre-cut you own vegetables
Carrots, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli and celery make a great snack. Instead of preparing a mix of raw vegetables every night, cut a bunch of vegetables all at once and put them in different containers for future days. Put a teaspoon of water in each container before sealing it so keep the vegetables from drying out.
Prepare plenty of snacks
Rather than rooting around the kitchen to throw together a snack at the last minute before you have to run out the door, prepare a number of snack packs. These snacks can be a mix of nuts, nuts and dried fruits, or even some diced chicken or turkey. Put them into either bags or small containers so they’re ready to go when you are.
DEC