Cook-at-Home!
It's one thing to say you want to cook more meals at home. Who doesn't, after all? But it's quite another thing to make it happen every day. On busy and stressful days, it's all to easy to give up and order a take-out meal. Here are some ideas for making home cooking work for you.
While you might think a stir-fry is fast, here's a different perspective. Choose fresh meats that are ready to cook in your oven. Go to the meat department of the grocery store and look for skinless seasoned chicken breasts or healthy salmon fillets. Place them in a baking dish and pop it in the oven. There is virtually no prep time and little clean up so you have plenty of time to make your side dishes.
Use a vegetable steamer or rice cooker that can prepare two healthy side dishes at once. The steamer does the work while you relax or get your other errands done. Get a steamer with a built-in timer so your vegetables will be ready when you get home.
Buy a slow cooker. Make your own hearty soup with some low-sodium broth, chunks of lean beef or chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and celery or try an easy slow cooker recipe. Ready-to-cook slow cooker meals are usually high in fat and sodium.
Do you have a bread maker hiding on the back shelf of your pantry? Bring it out and make your own fresh bread. Set a timer so that when you get home the bread will be warm and ready to serve with a meal or a simple bowl of soup. There are boxes of bread mixes all ready to go; just add a bit of water and some canola oil and press the start button. Have fun with your bread mixes by adding extra ingredients such as a quarter cup of chopped nuts or shredded cheese. You can also substitute a cup of room-temperature beer for the water and maybe some chopped chili peppers for a little kick.
Published 12/24/08
