Thursday, August 25, 2011

Quick Meals: Tips And Ideas

By Michelle Ann Gelder


Whether it's because you've had a hard day working at home or because you've been delayed at the office, there are days when you need to fix a meal fast and you are too exhausted to even decide what to cook. Your family is waiting to be fed, and ordering a take-out dinner is not an option. You need to be able to somehow prepare dinner - right now.

As you head into the kitchen with no idea of what to cook, you look into your kitchen cabinets and refrigerator in search of something simple - and fast - to make. Using your imagination can get you out of this fix; any meat (even leftovers or lunchmeat) will do if you accompany it with pasta and a jar of ready-made pasta sauce. If you also have some fruit or vegetables, then you can serve up a full meal in no time. Being prepared (having the necessary food items in your kitchen when you need them) is the key to fast and easy meal preparation. Keep this in mind the next time you go shopping for food and be sure to buy items that will bale you out when you need to scramble up a quick meal.

Quick cooking flavored rice is something you should always have in your kitchen; coupled with hamburger, it makes an easy meal. Boxes of pasta side dishes are also very useful; heat one up and serve with a couple of pieces of chicken. Adding a couple of cans of drained tuna to ready-to-serve macaroni-and-cheese will give you a tasty casserole supper in a few short minutes. If you keep supplies of your family's favorite pasta and pasta sauce in your kitchen, you'll always have a fast dinner option available.

Now these ideas will pull you out in a pinch but they may not be the healthiest choices to make. If it's possible, add fruits and vegetables when ever you can. Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables aren't as good as fresh ones, but they are better than none at all. Of course you want to provide your family with the best possible dinner, but in a pinch practically anything will do.

The key to quick meal preparation is to be prepared, so keep all the above in mind the next time you go to the grocery store, and take the time to stock up on your family's favorite time-saving food items. Making sure there is always something very simple to prepare in your kitchen will allow you to relegate meal preparation to teenagers or husbands on the days when you really are too exhausted to do anything yourself.

Organize the time you spend in the kitchen to make cleaning up less time-consuming. Clean while you cook (wash dishes as you wait for a pot to boil, or set the table as you heat a casserole in your oven) and ask family members to help you out. You can reduce the number of pots and pans to clean by using a crock pot to cook your meals. Choose among the many easy and time saving slow cooker recipes available online.

By keeping your kitchen supplied with easy-to-use, quick-cooking food items that your family likes, you'll always be ready to whip up a fast meal when you need to. Make sure to include foods that can be prepared by other members of your family (teenagers, spouse) for the days when you are too exhausted to do it yourself.




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