Healthy eating can make you feel great, but it’s not always easy to find the time to do it. When you’re searching for recipes, a lot of the ones you like could take an hour or more to make. That’s too long when you’ve worked a full day, you’re really hungry, and you have things to do later in the evening. Luckily, there has been a move toward quicker recipes that you can cook in a half-hour or even less. However, even the ones that claim to take hardly any time can take a lot longer with preparation and washing the dishes. If you want healthy meals that take up less time, have a look at these tips.
Find Fast Recipes
There are so many quick recipes out there that you can follow. However, some of them are more honest about how long they take than others. It’s also important to remember that everyone cooks at their own speed. For example, you might be a little slower at chopping your vegetables than some people. Your oven may also function differently to others. When you look for quick recipes, allow for at least a little extra time to ensure you get everything cooked. Try finding quick video recipes, like the ones by Hampton Creek on Instagram. You can follow along, and they’re usually fast and easy.
Be Wise About Buying Prepared
Buying food that has already been prepared can increase your food spending. It costs more to buy already chopped onions or carrots than to do it yourself. However, preparing your ingredients can take up a lot of time, especially if you’re not very fast with a knife. If you’re short on time, be smart about when you buy prepared items. For example, does it take you half an hour to cut up a butternut squash? It might be worth the expense of buying it prepared if it’s going to save you a lot of time.
Choose Quick Sides
Don’t spend too long preparing various parts of your meal. If you’ve got a main dish that’s going to take a little while, pick sides that you can do in a couple of minutes. For example, mixing a salad or steaming some vegetables won’t take long. In fact, sometimes it may not even be necessary to have side dishes. If you’re having dessert, go for something that doesn’t need much preparation, such as fruit.
Stick to One-pot Dishes
Cooking isn’t the only thing that can take a long time. Washing the dishes saps your time too, even if you have a dishwasher. There are several advantages to choosing one-pot dishes over other recipes. Firstly, you don’t have to spend a long time juggling several different things. The other benefit is that you can cut down on how many pots you need to wash. It’s annoying when one meal leaves you with three or four dirty pans. Cut it down to one by choosing your recipes carefully.
You can have a healthy dinner on the table in only a few minutes with the right methods. Don’t assume a quick meal needs to be an unhealthy one.
