“I don’t have time to cook!”

If you are like me, you have uttered these words before.  I actually love to cook, but the “time” portion of that utterance is the main problem! Since time is not sold in a bottle, and if it were, who knows what it would cost, other options for quick and easy cooking are a must.

It is important to have a plan and healthy food on hand so that you are not at the mercy of the drive-thru window. First, make sure that you have a few key ingredients on hand so that you do not have to run to the store when you are already short on time.

·        Frozen chicken breast – These keep in the freezer and can be put in the fridge to thaw and be ready to cook when you are. If you forget to put them in the fridge to thaw, they can be thawed in the microwave immediately prior to cooking.  Bake them, grill them, cut them up and sauté them with veggies. You have options.  Add spices or flavored dressings before cooking to change up the flavor. Throw a few frozen veggies in the microwave or make a salad and you will have a meal in less than 30 minutes.

·        Pasta and frozen veggies- Keep whole-grain pasta in the cabinet and frozen veggies in the freezer. Boil up the pasta and throw in the veggies. Fresh veggies are a great option, but you can always keep the freezer stocked with frozen options. Drizzle with olive oil and a little grated cheese. Change up the veggies, change up the pasta shapes, and add a few spices that you have on hand in the cabinet, or keep a few jars of pasta sauce on hand and ready to use. You can make this into a vegetarian meal or have chicken baking in the oven while you prepare the pasta and veggies.

·        Beans and rice – Brown rice options range from 90-second-steam-in-the-bag varieties, to long cook. Long cook options can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge and warmed when needed, or can be put on the stove to cook while you sit at the counter and do homework before dinner. Either way, add a can of beans – choose the variety you like. Heat them up and put them over the rice. You will get a wonderful combo of protein and complex carbs.  This is not gourmet, but it is simple, quick and healthy.

·        Tortillas – If you have whole wheat tortillas on hand, you can make a wrap out of many of the already listed ingredients: chicken, rice, beans, cheese, veggies.

I could go on and on. Seriously, just get creative and start putting simple ingredients together. If you are still limited by skill or kitchen set up, have no worries. The microwave really can be your answer to “home cooked” food!  Come to the upcoming cooking demonstrations where I will have a variety of microwave recipes, and these are “real food” recipes that require minimal kitchen supplies or skill! At the demos, I will be making a Homemade Spinach Lasagna that you can sample. It is healthy, quick and yummy.  I often hear individuals state one of the biggest barriers to eating healthy is simply knowing what to cook. (This comes after the other stated barrier of time.) I have tried to address both of these issues in the microwave cooking demos.

Feel free to share any quick and healthy ideas that you like to make yourself. As always, we are in this thing called life together, so let’s help each other out!