Audio:
I know it can be hard finding the time to make meals. We’re all busy, and cooking often gets pushed down the priority list.
But it is possible to make healthy, delicious meals for yourself (and your family) without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
Of course, it will take a little more time to put together a healthy meal yourself than to microwave something in a box.
But there are some simple things you can do to make it as easy and quick as possible.
Short Cuts
If you’re cooking something in boiling water (like rice, quinoa, lentils, or soup), boil the water in a kettle and then add it to the pot. It takes a lot less time for the water to boil.
You can piggyback on foods that have already been cooked, or had time to develop flavors.
I love using canned tomatoes in a soup because their flavor is so rich and instantly makes my soup taste great.
I also use homemade salad dressings for lots of things other than salads – stirring into a soup, drizzling on steamed veggies and tossing with cooked whole grains.
Balsamic vinegar, tamari (soy sauce), and other condiments add instant flavor – just be sure to check the ingredients for refined oils, sugars, chemical preservatives or excessive salt.
Use Quick-Cooking Foods
Rolled oats can be soaked overnight, rather than cooked, for a very quick breakfast, or you can pour boiling water on them in the morning right before eating.
Rolled oats are also a great addition to a savory lunch or dinner, and make a perfect quick base for a veggie burger.
Quinoa, buckwheat and millet all cook in about 20 minutes, which is about half the time it takes brown rice to cook.
Toasted buckwheat (or kasha) is even faster, cooking almost as soon as the water boils.
For legumes, brown lentils cook in about 30 minutes, and split red lentils only take about 15.
Frozen edamame beans just need to be thawed, or quickly boiled/steamed.
Raw Food
If you eat foods raw, they’re even faster than cooking a meal.
Fresh fruit is an instant snack, and if you pair it with some nuts or seeds it’s even more filling and nutritious.
Chopped fresh veggies can make a quick meal – just add a bean dip and/or dressing, and maybe throw it all into a whole grain wrap or pita, to make it tastier and more filling.
Smoothies are a great option for snacks or a quick meal. Throw some fruits, greens and maybe a vegetable in your blender for a few minutes, and you’re ready to go.
You can do the same thing with fresh vegetables and some seasonings for a quick raw soup.
Prepare Ahead
Having a bean dip made and ready to go is a fantastic thing to come home to, or take with you.
Homemade salad dressings are so easy to make in larger quantities, and then you can drizzle them onto some raw or steamed veggies for a really quick meal.
Making enough dinner to take as leftovers for lunch, or to have for dinner the next night, saves time since the additional time to make a double batch is a lot less than making two separate meals.
If you’re cutting up vegetables, you can cut up extras to have on hand for snacks or quick meals.
They might lose some moisture and nutrients, but if you pack them in air-tight containers you can minimize the loss, and the upside of eating more vegetables is well worth it.
Cook In Batches
You can make whole grains for breakfast the night before, and you can make enough for a few days at once.
Granola can be made on the weekend to last through the week, and can make a great breakfast or snack.
You can also make a big pot of plain brown rice or quinoa, and use it as the base for your meals through the week.
Top it with some simple steamed vegetables or a tomato sauce or toss it into a salad. Make it into a veggie burger or pizza crust or cookies.
If you cook your grains unseasoned, you can add different seasonings each time you eat it to keep it interesting.
Soups, stews and tomato sauces are excellent candidates for batch cooking, and if you freeze them in single serving containers you can pull them out for a quick meal or to take for lunch.
Veggie burgers also freeze well, and homemade versions are so much healthier than the ones you buy in the store, or at fast food and other restaurants.
Use Tools
I tried to resist it for a while, because I didn’t want to be reliant on it, but I’ve now given in to the convenience of my food processor.
It’s not a necessary kitchen tool, but a food processor makes a HUGE difference if you’re short on time.
If you get one with a slicing and grating blade attachment, you can chop and grate veggies in no time; not to mention, all the bean dips and salad dressings you can make.
Use Frozen/Canned Food
Canned beans are a super-quick addition to a fresh salad or soup to take it from a side dish to a meal.
If you toss them with salad dressing and let them marinate, they’ll be super tasty by lunch. Whip up a quick dip by pureeing them with some garlic and seasonings.
Canned tomatoes are okay to use too. The thing you want to look for in canned goods is that there’s no-salt added (or at minimum, low-salt) kind, and that the liner is BPA-free.
Frozen peas, corn or other veggies are fine in a pinch.
Fresh is always better, but in freezing there’s usually minimal nutrient loss. Plus, the produce that’s frozen is usually picked when it’s ripe, which is when nutrients are maximized, while fresh produce is often picked early so that it can be shipped.
I think it’s more important to eat lots of vegetables and fruit, even if they’re frozen, than burn yourself out trying to buy and chop fresh ones if you just don’t have the time.
Keep some bags of veggies in the freezer for emergencies.
Just don’t get those tiny carrot cubes – they don’t have many nutrients left. As much as possible, stick to veggies and fruits that are whole.
Add Fresh Veggies To Prepared Foods
When all else fails, and you have to resort to buying a canned soup, frozen veggie burger, burrito or some other prepared food, you can always make it into a healthier meal by adding fresh vegetables.
Chop some onion, zucchini and red pepper and lightly steam them, then pour a canned soup into the pot to heat up together.
Have a salad with your burrito, or top your veggie burger with a big slice of tomato and lettuce or sprouts.
It’s important if you do buy prepared foods to check the ingredients and choose ones that use minimal chemicals, salt and sugar.