Healthy Meal Time-Savers
Add personal notes on recipes. Whenever you change a recipe, pencil the change in the margin. If you substitute an ingredient, adjust a cooking time, or change seasoning to meet your family's preferences, jot down the change right away. Then, next time you prepare the meal, you won't have to be wondering what you did last time.
Cut down on cooking time. Use your microwave to speed up defrosting and reheating foods. The microwave can be your best friend when you want to reduce preparation and cooking times. It's especially useful when there are items that cook slowly, such as casseroles, sauces, squash, and other foods.
A pressure cooker is another valuable kitchen tool to consider. There is no faster way to cook legumes. Two hours of simmering can be shortened to 30 minutes of pressure steaming if you use a pressure cooker instead of a regular pot. And the time to cook other dishes – brown rice, sauce, soups, and chili, for example – can be reduced to one-third the usual time if you use a pressure cooker. Despite the speed of cooking, there is no loss of flavor.
Freeze your favorite loaves. Keep one or two loaves of your favorite whole-grain bread and a package or two of rolls in the freezer for quick defrosting. They can round out a meal in minutes.
Meal Planning and Organization
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