Quick Tip: Healthy Meals on Hand

Quick Tip: Healthy Meals on Hand

 

I like having a few meals in the freezer for nights that I get busy or tired and am not feeling up for a big cooking event. Keeping a few healthy choices on hand that are quick and easy means I don't opt for unhealthy dinners.  Making individual sizes gives our menu variety and offeres portion control.

 

My quick tip is to freeze individual serving sizes so you can pull out what you need each time. My favorite is a Mexican Lasagna that I prepare in these Martha Stewart dishes. I simply line them with parchment paper and then fill and freeze for about ten minutes to let ingredients set. When I flip them upside down out pops  a perfect single serving. I make about a dozen of these at a time and store them in freezer safe containers. If I need a single serving for lunch or dinner for my whole family I can quickly bake these in the oven with just one pan. It is a much healthier choice than pizza and taste great. 

Quick Tip: Don't drink your calories!

Quick Tip:Don't drink your calories!

 

When adding up calories I am amazed how much some beverages have. It is easy to start hydrating on liquids other than calorie free water. Some beverages have a few health benefits such as orange juice being high in vitamin C or your coffee with a splash of milk giving you calcium and caffeine (yup, there are health  benefits to caffeine!). My goal is to drink my water first and then something else so that I stay well hydrated and I don't end up drinking my calories because they can add up. Try a glass of water before your morning cup of coffee, milk or orange juice. Drink one glass of water before your sports drink or glass of wine. Your waste line will thank you as well as your hydrated body.


Water Calories: 0 per 8 oz.
Black Coffee Calories: 2 per 8 oz.
2% Milk Calories: 122 per 8 oz.
Orange Juice Calories: 122 per 8oz.
Burger King Vanilla Milk Shake Calories: 400 for a small
Starbucks Carmel Macchiato with Nonfat Milk Calories: 168 per 12 oz.
Original Gatorade Calories: 50 per 8 oz.

Quick Tip: Washing Potatoes

Quick Tip: Washing Potatoes

I rarely need just one potato. I normally am cooking this vegetable in large quantities for potato salad, mashed potatoes or even roasting them like the recipe I put up earlier this week. I like to was my produce but it can be cumbersome to wash 20-30 little potatoes. My solution is to wash them in the mesh bag they come in. It us durable enough to scrub the potatoes and I can pour my vegetable soap right through the material. It saves me time because I can wash them all at once and then carry them to my prep area.

There are a few other ways to reuse that mesh bag as opposed to putting it right in the trash. The bag can be used for scouring pads when bunched up to clean pots and pans. You can cover drainage hopes in pots; water will still get through, but the mesh will make the soil stay put. Protect berries from birds by covering up a bush or tree. The sun and rain can get through but the berries will stay put until harvest. You can even use them as a sifter to clean out a sand box or sort rocks out of soil. These are just a few listed ways to reuse those mesh bags. 

Quick Tip: Meal Planning

Quick Tip: Meal Planning

There is nothing revolutionary about meal planning. I am sure that most homes have some form of a running grocery store list and an equal number of homes already meal plan. Aside from the guess work of knowing what is for dinner, planning ahead can improve your health while saving you time and money. If you get hungry and don't have a plan in place the fast food lane is very appealing as well as a soda and box of high sodium/fat quick meals. In my home we plan out our week so that we always have a healthy choice ready for dinner, lunch and even a treat of the week. 

Quick Tip: Portion Control

Quick Tip: Portion Control

Sweet treats are not something that B and I want to fully cut out of our life. We enjoy them in moderation. My problem with treats is that if they are in the house we eat them and most recipes for baking are difficult to make in small batches. How would one add 1/4 of a egg? I found a good solution for cookies. I only bake a portion and then I freeze the rest. This way we have portion control and the bonus is next time I have unexpected company I can get cookies done in 15 min with just one dirty cookie sheet.

Yesterday I made Snickerdoodle cookies. The recipe made three dozen cookies of which I baked one dozen. The remaining two I prepared as the recipe directed but I placed them on a plate and froze them for one hour. Then, I transferred them into a freezer safe bag. Label the bag with the date, contents and cooking directions. Make sure to add 3-5 minutes onto the cooking time as the dough will be frozen. Next time you have a sweet tooth, company or need a quick dessert you just bake as many as you need. A quick and easy way to not have a surplus of cookies on a plate all at once.

Quick Tip: Cooking with Less Dishes

Quick Tip: Cooking with Less Dishes

I find there are two main reasons I don't feel like cooking a healthy meal. Either I am pressed for time or I don't want to do the dishes after. The first I will need to take up with my busy lifestyle but the second I have a quick fix for. Use fewer dishes so cleanup goes quicker.

I made our whole meal last night on a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on top. I normally would have used three pans to cook up some Dijon Chicken, roasted broccoli and parmesan potatoes. Instead I take a cookie sheet and cover it with olive oil or parchment paper. Then I line my vegetables on the bottom, top with a cooling rack and place the chicken on top. Not only does the chicken crisp up better and cook faster because the air is circulating all around it but clean up goes much quicker. Give it a try if you are feeling dreary about dishes but still want to commit to cooking a healthy meal.

Quick Tip: Portion Control

Quick Tip: Portion Control

I have a drawer filled with goodie bags. I pick them up on sale from World Market or Target and always have a stash on hand. Why?  These bags are the perfect way to give a pretty gift to a coworker, neighbor, friend or a hostess gift and not keep all the sweets you make.

I make a half batch of brownies or cookies and put a few on a plate for B and I. The rest I divvy up into these bags. This way B and I enjoy our homemade treat but we don't over eat.