Chopping and prepping meals can take anywhere from ten to thirty minutes. I try to make cooking as easy as possible and for me that means prepping meals the night before or even on the weekend. I chop all of the veggies I can,mix dressings and marinate meat. You can even bread meat in advance.By doing this you eliminate a ton of time and when you are ready to cook you just drop everything into a pan. How easy is that?
Pick Meals with Five Ingredients or Less
There is nothing worse than looking at a recipe with a ton of ingredients. Always keep staples in your pantry like flour,oil,lemon and fresh herbs to always have core ingredients on hand. I try to find simple one pot recipes that have five or less ingredients that way I am not overwhelmed. Plus, if you are using fresh ingredients you don't need too many things going on in a dish. I have a few go to sites for 5 Ingredient Recipes. My favorite of course is Rachael Ray. Cooking Light also has some great 5 Ingredient Recipes.
I Have No Inspiration
Well find some!You have to have some favorite foods. Even if it is take out! I always get inspiration from meals I have had in restaurants. My favorite are usually what I call "Make Your Own Takeout. By making these dishes yourself you control the ingredients like sodium and fat content. Scan cooking magazines,websites or watch the Food Network. I'm sure you will find a chef you will like to hijack some of their recipes.
But Leanne, I Work All Day!
Yup. I hear ya. Working all day and coming home to slave over the stove feels like torture. If cooking seems like a chore think of some dishes that you really enjoy eating or want to try. Make cooking fun by involving your kids or hubby. My husband and I love cooking together. It gives us something to bond over. I get home between 6-7 pm and I usually don't eat until 8. If you prep ahead, the actual cooking process won't take more than 30 minutes. I swear,you can do this. Be positive! You can do it!
I agree... although I can see where kids may make it tough getting meals that satisfy both child and adult palettes. I think meal planning for the week saves so much time... you know what you are going to eat each night, you already have everything you need, and it often takes 30 minutes or less to make it and get it on the table. People who say they don't know how to cook haven't tried...
ReplyDeleteAgreed Alley! Planning and going to the market with those meals in mind saves you time and money!
DeleteI'm still trying to break my husband of the take-out-every-night dinner. Thanks to my slow cooker or 30-minute meals, I think I've convinced him that eating at home is not only cheaper, but tastes better, too! Thanks for the additional inspiration!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! My husband and I spend so much money going out sometimes. It is so much cheaper to eat in.... when I can convince him to! :)
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