Healthy Food

By Andreea Grad

When you are actively starting to take care of your health, food is one of the main areas that need to be addressed, but for a lot of people it becomes a struggle to cook home-made food. For some of us the day begins all over again when we get home, so time becomes an issue.

A question that gets asked frequently is how can someone cook a healthy meal in 30 minutes or less.

One way is to cut down on the steps required for cooking. Preparing some of the food ahead of time, like sauces, marinades, dressings, that you can make in a few minutes and store for the whole week, or precutting the fresh vegetables you are going to use, storing them in the refrigerator or freezer for quick access, will speed up the process and save you money.

To minimize the time you spend on cooking and preparing the meal consider some simple menu planning. This is going to pay off in more time for you to relax at the end of the day, more time with your family or doing what you enjoy most.

The first thing to do is to part the week in two or three consecutive days chunks. Then decide what the largest meal of every day will be... meat based or vegetarian. Knowing what the focus is you will know how to do your shopping.

Things to always have available are fresh greens, stir-fry vegetables, potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, a few cans of beans and lentils, some noodles, brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa. As for meat, frozen seafood keeps great as well as frozen chicken.

Condiments can make a world of a difference in a meal. Think what you enjoy eating out and bring some of that cuisine at home through spices.

One other trick that many people overlook the "rollover" technique. The idea is cooking something in a larger quantity than you would normally do, and store it for future use in various combination.

For example, cook a large pot of quinoa and have some as a side to a stew, and the next day as a fried quinoa with some vegetables (remember the precut ones above), and for lunch have some leftover stir-fry in a sprouted grain tortilla with some hummus (remember the already made dips and sauces you have ready) or beans.

Or... make a pot roast and store it in the refrigerator. That day serve some as a side with some sauteed greens and some sweet potatoes. The next day have it in some fresh tortilla tacos with some cabbage, lime, avocado, cilantro and tomatoes, or as an addition to the stir-fry in that sprouted grain tortilla, and so on.

Now that you have a strategy on how to cook a home-made meal quickly and creatively, you can enjoy the benefits of eating fresh healthy food, have fun with the family, and witness your health shifting at all levels.

For delicious recipes and tips for more energy and better health visit http://cookingyourhealth.com.