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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Simple And Easy Methods To Make Meals Ahead Of Time

By Christopher Olson


Oftentimes, people rarely find the time to spend quality time cooking in their homes because they are too swamped with school or work obligations. The consequence of this is that they tend to eat unhealthy fast food because they think largely about convenience and not on nutrition. But what you need to realize is that it can be possible to cook healthy home cooked meals even if you have a busy schedule. Read the tips below for more details on this subject.

Your first order of business is to keep your pantry properly stocked with the right stuff to prime you in this endeavor. No customized nutrition plan will succeed if your food cupboards contain nothing but heavily processed items in cans or jars. Always make it a point to buy nothing but high quality and fresh ingredients from the supermarket to underscore your health goals.

Say hello to your new best friend in the kitchen via the form of slow cookers. These handy appliances are the perfect vessels to cook pretty much any dish that requires low temperatures and long cooking periods without you ever having to monitor the cooking process. This means you get more time to focus on other things while the slow cooker does the job for you.

Protein sources such as beef, chicken, fish, or pork are things you could easily prepare beforehand. Place them in a shallow plastic container and add some seasoning and marinade before popping it in the fridge to sit overnight. They will be perfectly ready the next day to be cooked in a wide variety of ways from grilling in a pan to stewing them in your handy crockpot.

In relation to the previous point, vegetables can also be made ahead to cut back on your preparation the day after. Gather a whole bunch of veggies you intend to use by preparing them in different ways like slicing, dicing, chopping, or julienning them. Carefully store them in sealed containers inside your refrigerator crisper for storage until they are ready for you to use.

And speaking of saving time, you should definitely make a habit of planning out your meals on a weekly basis. Take a good look inside your fridge and pantry so you can assess what you currently have on stock. With the inventory you have, draw up a comprehensive list of daily menus composed of breakfast, lunch, and dinner so there will be no confusion on your part.

On nights when you cannot be bothered to cook something elaborate, you have two solutions on hand. You could concoct a basic salad of torn leafy greens, chopped vegetables, and leftover proteins like shredded chicken pieces mixed together in a savory dressing. Alternatively, you could make an easy pasta dish dressed simply with grated cheese and tomato sauce.

Never settle for buying lunch in fast food establishments when you can easily bring your own that is much healthier in comparison. Not only will you be avoiding such unhealthy choices from your daily diet, but you get to save money in the process as well. This is certainly a habit that you must reinforce on an everyday basis so you will not fall off the healthy bandwagon.

Staying on top of your lifestyle choices is not so difficult when you have the willpower and perseverance to commit to your decisions. Stick to the guidelines mentioned here for optimal levels of success. And always remember to trust your culinary instincts.




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