Quick-cooking strategies and new food preparation techniques will reduce unhealthy intake of such items as fat and salt for improved health and weight loss.
The convenience of instant foods and fast-food drive-throughs seems like a miracle to working mothers, but our well-being has suffered for it. Explore new ideas on getting meals to the table fast without sacrificing time or nutrition.
Make Your Own
- Try making your own dry mixes. For instance, make 2-3 extra blends in zip-lock bags when mixing dry ingredients for cornbread. Add the liquid ingredients when ready to use. This also avoids many additives and/or chemicals, plus you control the salt and fat.
- Measure dry ingredients, then wet ones so you have only one cup or measuring spoon to wash.
- Bottled salad dressings are a wonderful convenience, but, like everything else, there is a price. You not only pay more for the convenience, but you are at the mercy of the manufacturer as to ingredients, i.e. salt and chemicals. It is easy and quick to make your own simple vinaigrette or even French dressing. See other article, "How to Make Your Own Food Quickly".
- Family Circle’s book, Family Circle’s 2000 Hints & Tips, came up with a good trick. When you have leftover steamed vegetables, drop them in your leftover dill pickle juice and wait a couple of days. Use these marinated vegetables with pasta, salads or canned tuna
Prepping Ahead
- Even if you live alone, never grate cheese for one baked potato. Grate extra and store sealed in refrigerator for combining with bread crumbs to top casseroles, to sprinkle on vegetables or add to a salad (delicious). Grated cheese goes a long way so you don’t need very much.
- Before bread becomes moldy, process it in food processor for crumbs and store in freezer to top that broccoli-rice casserole.
- While you have the food processor out, chop extra onions, peppers or other vegetables you use often and store in refrigerator or freezer. Thawed items would not be good for a salad, but work well in casseroles or other cooked dishes.
- Rachael Ray on Food Network’s 30-Minute Meals advises washing and drying fresh herbs, lettuce, etc. so they are ready to use all week. Most can be refrigerated wrapped with a damp paper towel in a sealed plastic bag. Do it once and you are through.
- Fish and other lean meats can be grilled or pan-broiled quicker than making a stop at the fast-food drive-through or standing in grocery check-out lines.
- Take advantage of appliances, i.e. put meat and prepped vegetables in crockpot in the morning and dinner is done. Less-tender cuts of meat are juicy and tender.
- A Classic: Divvy up those large packages of snacks or baked chips into individual servings for lunches to save you time in the morning, as well as providing portion control.
- Another Classic: When you make a complicated casserole dish or roast on the weekends, plan for leftovers that week and make extra one to refrigerate or freeze for a new meal. (Potatoes don’t freeze well since they turn mushy when thawed).
Use Kitchen Aids and Organize
The best shortcut for anyone is to have your kitchen organized so that food and utensils are easily accessible. See other article, "Kitchen Cabinet and Drawer Organization". Eating healthy and maintaining a reasonable weight requires chopping and prepping, but with all the food processors and other aids available to us today, there is no excuse. You save money and may also avoid waiting in the doctor’s office!
The copyright of the article Healthy Cooking Shortcuts in Healthy Cooking is owned by Peggy Williams. Permission to republish Healthy Cooking Shortcuts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Feb 2, 2009 12:09 PM
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