Finding time for cooking healthy meals in our busy lives can be challenging. However, with some planning and time-saving kitchen tricks, you can make tasty and nutritious meals in no time. This guide includes six handy kitchen tips to make cooking easier and mealtime more enjoyable!
1. Save Prep Time with Frozen Vegetables
Using frozen vegetables saves you time from washing, peeling, and chopping all in one. Plus, you can easily use the exact amount that you need for a recipe out of the bag and save the rest for later thanks to its long shelf life. Besides being a convenient way to add vegetables to your meal, it is also just as nutritious as using fresh produce.
#ChooseHomemade Fact 01: Oftentimes vegetables that are used in frozen products are picked and then flash-frozen at their peak freshness, which is also typically when it contains its highest amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Along with this, fresh vegetables can often be exchanged for frozen in many recipes without much modification, if at all. Some people prefer the texture of cooking fresh vegetables compared to frozen, but it typically takes a bit more time in the kitchen. It is best to swap fresh for frozen vegetables in recipes that do not require roasting since they can have a more difficult time achieving a crispy texture. Try frozen vegetables in soups, casseroles, and dishes with a sauce base. Our Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie uses frozen mixed vegetables in the filling, but you can also swap out the sweet potato for frozen cubed sweet potatoes to save additional time in the kitchen!
2. Stock Up on Canned Foods
Canned foods may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of healthy eating. However, canned foods can be a great way to add nutrition to your meal!
Despite having great health potential, canned foods can also have high amounts of hidden sodium in them. Having high amounts of sodium daily may increase your risk for heart disease.
When buying canned foods, choose products labeled “low sodium” or “no salt added” to help you stay under the recommended daily sodium limit of 2,300mg.
Additionally, draining and rinsing canned beans or vegetables can help reduce sodium levels further. Look for Choose Homemade’s 1-for-1 badge on recipes to help you find our lower-sodium recipes while still saving time in the kitchen!
Secondly, canned meats such as tuna and chicken can be great ways to add protein to a meal. They are shelf-stable and don’t require any thawing or cooking time! When choosing canned meats, be sure to read the label and choose those canned in water vs oils or broth, which can add extra saturated fat and sodium.
3. Save Time with One-Pot Recipes
A big chunk of your time spent in the kitchen may not even be cooking, but rather cleaning up afterwards. Using as few dishes as possible throughout your preparation and cooking process can help you save time in the kitchen by cutting your cleanup time in half.
Choose Homemade’s Easy Clean-Up badge was made to help you find simple, one-pot meals that use no more than one dish for preparation and one dish for cooking.
In general, looking for recipes online such as casseroles, stir-fries, and sheet pan meals will be more likely to use fewer dishes than others.
While many pasta dishes typically call for the pasta to be cooked separately, our Chicken Pot Pie pasta is made all in one pot and without the need for draining.
4. Prepare Staple Items in Bulk
Batch cooking and preparing staple ingredients that are part of recipes throughout the week can help you save active cooking time in the kitchen. Instead of waiting 30 minutes for rice to cook for your stir fry, you can simply reheat and serve!
Additionally, the same can be done for raw ingredients.
Chop onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, and more ahead of time and store in airtight containers until needed.
Wash and chop leafy greens ahead of time for easy salad-making during weeknights. When storing prepared leafy greens, use a paper towel-lined sealable plastic bag to help absorb excess moisture to help it last longer.
Measuring out seasonings ahead of time can also help. When planning meals for the week, look at which spice blends each recipe calls for and prepare them in bulk. This way you get multiple uses out of one spice blend!
For example, here are some ways you can cut prep time in half for our Tuscan Steak Pasta recipe:
- Dice onion
- Mince garlic (or use jarred minced garlic)
- Rinse and chop kale
- Measure yogurt
- Measure parmesan
- Measure Italian seasoning
5. Freezer-Friendly Meals for Busy Days
Make a double batch of your favorite recipe and freeze for an easy heat-and-eat meal later!
When choosing which recipes to freeze, avoid dishes with creamy, dairy-based sauces, like mac and cheese, as the sauce tends to separate and doesn’t reheat well.
Dishes that reheat well include:
- Broth-based soups
- Ground meat (patties and meatballs)
- Enchiladas
- Lasagna
- Chili
Try freezing extra patties from our Southwest Turkey Burgers recipe or Pork Green Chile Stew!
6. Get Kids Involved In the Kitchen
Ask your family to help with making meals to share the work and make prep time go faster. Cooking is a great way for families to spend time together and for kids to learn in the kitchen, making them more likely to try the food they helped prepare. Our Fluffy Pancakes are a great recipe to get kids started cooking in the kitchen. Give kids the task of measuring out all ingredients and have them help mix the batter!
Remember, kids work best in the kitchen when given a specific task.
Summary
These six useful kitchen tips can help you save time while cooking healthy and nutritious meals. You can use frozen vegetables to save time on washing, peeling, and chopping. Frozen vegetables can be used in many recipes without modification, and they are just as nutritious as fresh produce. Canned foods are also a great way to add nutrition to your meals, but be sure to choose low-sodium options. One-pot recipes can help you save time on cleaning, and you can also prepare staple items in bulk to save time on cooking. Freezer-friendly meals are perfect for busy days, and you can involve your family, especially kids, in the kitchen to make meal preparation fun and enjoyable.
What are some ways you like to save time in the kitchen? Let us know in the comments!