In today’s busy life, it can be an uphill task to take some time out each day for preparing healthy meals. With a little planning and preparation, you can simply get rid of this regular job and set yourself up for a week of healthy, satisfying homemade meals. Here are some tips that you may find helpful.
Chicken time
There’re lots of delicious chicken dishes that can be prepared with simple effort. All you need to do is cook a substantial amount of chicken once, and season it differently. For instance, line a roasting pan by tinfoil and tuck it to form three different portions. Flavor each portion with different sauces such as barbecue, pesto or tomato sauce (without added sugar, other sweeteners or corn syrup).
Muffin cans
Apart from making muffins, they can greatly help you in cooking a large batch of different items. Use this kitchen staple to make meatloaf bites, mini frittatas, freeze portions of smoothies, and bake eggs in the oven, among others.
Overnight oats as instant breakfast
All you need to do is soak rolled oats in milk or yogurt, with topping of fresh fruit and a sprinkle of honey in the earlier night. By the next morning, they’ll be ready to eat. No cooking required!
Use the food processor
Grate, spiralize and chop all your available vegetables and store them in your refrigerator in plastic zipper bags (remember to add a paper towel to keep them fresh). And you’re ready to prepare some delicious vegetarian dishes. Use the food processor only after your next shopping.
Keep the basic items in your fridge
Basic items such as rice, cooked pasta, different types of grains, potatoes etc are simply great to include in big servings. Store and use them as required to prepare dishes with protein, herbs, veggies and sauce.
Use ice cube trays to freeze sauce
Here your options are almost limitless, from marinara to pesto – there’re lots of varieties available in the market. Prepare a big batch, pour them in ice cube trays and keep the trays in a big freezer bag. And you’re ready to use single portions of anything according to your preference.
Develop a neighborhood culture
Form a small community of cooking with your neighbors. It goes like – each family of the community cooks a large batch of a single meal every day, and, swaps and shares the portions with others. That way, every family of the community gets to eat different meals every night of a week.
