With all that we have to do every day, such as running errands, shopping, cleaning, etc., cooking our own healthy meals often becomes a challenge that many people give up on. We then take refuge in fast food that we pick up on the way home and get ready meals from the freezer which are neither good for our budget nor for our health when we eat them frequently.
But did you know that there are some great shortcuts you can use to prepare meals in less time? Half an hour may be all you need to get a tasty and healthy meal on the table. I show you how to cook fast using foods that can be prepared in no time!
- Focus on short and easy-to-prepare ingredients
- Base your meals on foods that are ready to use
Trick #1: Focus on small, easy-to-prepare ingredients
- It can be quite a challenge to handle a variety of materials when you are in a hurry. To keep an overview, stick with a small number of ingredients, around 3 to 5 for a maximum.
- Also make sure you choose foods that are quick and easy to prepare, for example everything that doesn’t need to be peeled, doesn’t have pips or seeds to remove and cuts very easily, Like marrow, mushroom or tomato.
- Third, use foods that don’t take long to cook (even if you cut into large pieces to save time), such as leeks, eggplant, and peppers.
Tip #2: Base your meals on foods that are ready-to-use
- Buy fresh foods that are already cleaned and cut in the order you need to cook them.
- Canned or frozen fruits or vegetables are another great asset for fast cooking. Canned foods only need to be heated, which is a matter of minutes. Frozen foods can be cooked straight from the freezer and cooked in about half the time as if you would use the same amount of fresh food.
- If you’re short on time, foods that can be eaten raw are also great. For example, think of a green salad with slices of cucumber and chunks of pepper. Or add canned pineapple chunks and chopped walnuts, or diced tuna and cherry tomatoes.
- Left-overs often make you a great meal. Try to plan the remaining overs which can help you. If you have grilled chicken filets one day, prepare enough so you can chop it up for a salad or pasta sauce. Cook more potatoes than you need so you just have to bake them quickly the next day.
These are two simple yet powerful tricks that you can easily implement. Fast cooking isn’t magic, it just takes a few basic rules and techniques to know, and you can prepare healthy meals in less time, that keep you and your family healthy and have more money to spend on other things you enjoy. Takes more time and money.
Source by Bettina Berlin
