Quick and Healthy Meals
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How To Get An Easy, Healthy Dinner On The Table Fast!
Quick, healthy meals are a necessity in today's busy world. Although cooking has always been one of my passions, it soon turned into a dreaded task after having four kids in 7 years while simultaneously starting a home based business. So I invested some time and energy into learning some new methods. Now I use a mix of freezer meals, weekend prep, and my trusty crock pot to put meals on the table in 15-30 minutes.Taking the stress out of cooking has allowed me to include my children (all boys!) in the process, too. Meals are now quick, healthy, and a great deal of fun!
Enjoy!
Maureen Kellis :-)
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Image courtesy of AllPosters.com
Quick And Easy Summer Meals
Here's my newest collection of summer easy meals and tips...
5 Tips for Cooking Fast
Here's my top 5 tips for quick and simple meals. I'd be lost without them! If you are not used to these techniques, I suggest trying one at a time, develop some mastery and move to the next.
- Use weekends for prepping ahead.Spending an hour on Saturday or Sunday while making your weekend meal can literally help you put meals on the table in 15 minutes during the week. For example, this weekend I prepped the veggies for a beef stew to go into the crock and for a homemade chicken soup. While I was at it, I made a good amount of fresh veggie sticks for everyone to munch on during the week.
- Make large batches and freeze. This can be done with anything. I'll frequently make large batches of pasta, coat with olive oil and freeze for future meals. The secret to keeping pasta (and all starches) from getting mushy in the freezer is to cook them only half way. I also grill more chicken breasts than I will use in a meal and freeze or save them for chicken ceasar salad, or a healthy lo-fat chicken alfredo primavera during the week. Roast 2 chickens at a time in the same roasting pan. Use the meat from the extra bird for other quick meals and make sure to skin the carcasses and use them to make a vat of homemade soup.
- Skip the 'browning meat' instructions in slow cooker recipes. I have found, most of the time, that my meal comes out just fine if I skip this step. I can literally (esp. if I prepped the veggies over the weekend) get the meal in the crock in less than five minutes.
- Keep your counters clear! Clutter in the kitchen adds to cooking time. Take a cue from Rachael Ray, get everything you need in one or two trips around the kitchen. I don't use a garbage bowl (more dishes to wash), but I have always cooked with one of those plastic grocery bags on the counter to toss the garbage as I go.
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Make your surroundings pleasant. It'll seem less like work if you enjoy your surroundings in you kitchen. Short of a $50,000 dream kitchen makeover, there are inexpensive and free things you can do:
1.) Clearing the clutter and painting your kitchen a light color will make it seem more spacious.
2.)Adding organic material such as wood, wicker baskets, and stone tile will add warmth- especially in a modern kitchen. Just don't overdue the decorations. You may want to consider adding these to the tops of your cabinets or on a shelf to keep the counters clear.
3.)Add a few personal touches as photos or Grandma's special plate.
4.)Don't forget to put a candle by your sink. Clean up doesn't seem nearly as bad by candle light.
Quick Fix Meals With Robin Miller
Robin Rescues Dinner: 52 Weeks of Quick-Fix Meals, 350 Recipes, and a Realistic Plan to Get Weeknight Dinners on the Table
Amazon Price: $10.57 (as of 02/17/2012)![]()
Ms. Miller is a food editor with a masters degree in nutrition. I find her recipes to be healthy without being extreme.
What I find most impressive is her technique. I have always done something similar, but not with the precision and certainly not to do this for most of the meals in a week.
Basically she takes one main ingredient cooks it once, along with some other meal prep and turns it into 3 completely different main dishes. This did seem rather different to me, as a I couldn't fathom having chicken three night a week. Did you ever have so much chicken you thought you'd start growing feathers? Well, I found that not to be the case with this technique. The three dishes from the main ingredient are so different, your taste buds do not get bored.
In addition the time savings are tremendous. One hour during the weekend to cook and prep ahead, and you can get your meals on the table in 15 minutes or less.
My routine now is to use Robin Miller's method for 50% of my cooking, and the freezer and crockpot methods, 40%. 10% eating out.
Tell Us How You Cook!
Grilling- A Quick and Healthy Dinner Year Round!
Quick and Healthy Grilling Tips
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Choose the Right Cut of Meat - Cut off the excess fat when working with chicken. If you aren't the type who likes to mess with chicken parts, buy them already skinned and boneless. Usually all traces of fat have been removed in the store before packaging.
Steaks are a bit different. Outer fat on the steaks should be cut away but it is okay to have the marbled effect within the meat. - Steam your vegetables on the grill. You are cooking the meat on there, why not the rest of the meal? Spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray and then wrap your sliced vegetables in it. The heat from the grill will create convection current inside the foil. Make sure that you tent the foil so that the air can move among the vegetables. Or, if you do not want to use
- The Fish Alernative- Fillets of fish crumble up easy so put them in foil just like the vegetables to keep them together during grilling. Fish steaks are better for direct grill cooking than fillets. They are thick but will cook quicker than other meats so don't turn your back on them. As an alternative, make fish packets in foil or use the special fish cookers for the grill.
Try Something New - Grilled Bison!
Freezer Cooking
30 Day Gourmet's BIG Book of Freezer Cooking
Amazon Price: $155.95 (as of 02/17/2012)![]()
This is my favorite freezer cooking cookbook. Nanci Slagle takes you through the steps to produce one to three months of meals in a few days. For those of us who are not up to tackling that much cooking in a single shot, there are adaptable plans for less ambitious cooks. A complete guide of freezing techniques is included. Also included is a password to the website that houses hundred more recipes and a forum for freezer cooks. 5 stars!
Slow Cooking
Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens)
Amazon Price: $4.50 (as of 02/17/2012)![]()
This book isa great value with hundreds of tested recipes and informative tips. Included are recipes for appetizers, beverages, soups, stews, main dishes, and desserts. This is one of the largest slow cooker books of its kind. * Bonus chapters offer 5-ingredient recipes and one-dish meals. Plenty of timesaving tips and advice for smoother meal prep.
Got Any Quick and Healthy CookingTips or Recipes you'd like to contribute?
Share with us your tastiest healthy and quick recipes.
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8Dima9
Jul 12, 2011 @ 9:22 am | delete
- Really enjoyed reading the lens and will use some of these recipes, thanks!
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Gerald_McConway
Jul 12, 2011 @ 9:17 am | delete
- Add old bay spice to your water when making corn on the cob. Draws the sugar right out and it will be the best ear of corn you have ever had :)
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Gio
Jun 20, 2011 @ 8:02 am | delete
- Great lens about quick, yet healthy meals ! Thanks for sharing!
SwagBucks - Codes, Tutorials and other SwagBucks Tips and Tricks
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mcochs
Apr 15, 2011 @ 10:20 am | delete
- Nice lens,good info. Thanks!
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bejeezers Jan 5, 2011 @ 3:30 pm | delete
- A great lens - healthy meals are what we all need - especially at this time of year
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Oct 30, 2010 @ 6:26 am | delete
- I agree with skipping the browning step in crockpot cooking. I've also found it doesn't seem to make any difference either way and it saves so much time and a bit of washing up. Great lens!
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mmkellis
Oct 30, 2010 @ 8:51 am | delete
- I didn't have the time one morning and that's how I discovered that trick. The only difference I can fathom is that by searing the meat you seal in the juices, perhaps reducing shrinkage. Someday when I'm feeling ambitious, I'll test that theory. Thanks for reading. :-)
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LensbyLisa
Sep 20, 2010 @ 10:01 pm | delete
- I love to put a healthy meal together and cook it in the crockpot as well. It is a great time saver!
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brl
Sep 14, 2010 @ 6:42 am | delete
- Great tips and nice lens! Thanks!
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Tipi
Aug 4, 2010 @ 7:08 am | delete
- Healthy meals are just what we need. I must admit that I need to prepare better meals, but when I live alone...preparing meals isn't always on the top of my list. I eat pretty good, but I can do better. Thanks for the peep-talk.
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seashell2
Nov 1, 2009 @ 5:16 pm | delete
- Great lens... I love my crockpot and like you I often use a garbage bag or have some paper towels spread on the counter to through peels etc. into for a quick clean up! :-)
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mbgphoto
Oct 22, 2009 @ 4:26 pm | delete
- You have some wonderful tips here! I will definitely come back and reread this lens.5* Blessed by a SquidAngel
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machelle
Nov 29, 2008 @ 8:51 pm | delete
- Great Info! I am always looking for new ideas when it comes to feeding my big family. We all need resources and your have great information here. Check my site out for cheap and easy cooking and tips on recipe substitutions for healthier eating!
Machelle - www.cheapfamilymeals.info
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RickBasset
Mar 24, 2008 @ 11:16 pm | delete
- Being a "Mr. Mom" right now with 2 small boys, I am
sure I can use some of your great resources! Thanks!
Peace! :~)
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mmkellis
Aug 7, 2007 @ 10:34 am | delete
- Thanks! :-)
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Amy_VanishMyMortgage
Jul 5, 2007 @ 11:54 am | delete
- Great lens! As a mother of four children myself, I appreciate the wealth of great information that you have provided. All the best, Amy at VanishMyMortgage.com
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surfsusan
Jun 26, 2007 @ 12:53 pm | delete
- Fine and informative lens 5 stars. You may want to visit my lens about Menu Planning
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Awesome Healthy and Quick Meal Ideas
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About The Author
by mmkellis
Maureen Kellis is mom to four boys who love cooking and watching cooking shows almost as much as she does. She is currently home schooling all four so... more »
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