The #1 way to avoid stopping at your local fast food joint on the way home from work because you’re too tired to prepare dinner is this:
Know how and be prepared to make tasty, simple meals quickly using a variety of fresh produce and herbs
Someone once said that restaurants are designed to keep you coming back. What I think they meant was that the abundance of salts, sugars, oils, fats and seasonings are designed to keep you addicted and craving more. This is why preparing your own food at home is essential to a healthy lifestyle. This does not have to take a long time or be complicated though (I can hear busy professionals piping up now). By being prepared and knowing a few key ways to make foods taste good quickly you will be able to stick to your healthy lifestyle even if you’re busy.
My food preparation time has halved and the quality of taste has doubled by implementing these seven tips:
Food Prep 101 (cooked or un-cooked)
1) Learn how to combine fresh and dried herbs and don’t be afraid to use an abundance of them. (try basil, cilantro, thyme with a tomato base for example)
2) Chop your produce ingredients smaller than you’re used to. Gourmet chefs always do this and I guess there is a reason. It tastes different and often it tastes better! Plus the smaller the ingredients, the less chewing you will need to do.
3) Don’t be afraid to massage ingredients together with your hands for a unique taste (avocado massaged into finely chopped veggies and herbs, for example).
4) Know which produce creates which essential flavors in a dish and try to balance them all (celery: salt, carrots: sweet, escarole: bitter etc). This is part of having the satisfied feeling you are seeking at the end of a meal.
5) Learn how to make a variety of healthy sauces, dressings and soups and have a few that are your “go-to” recipes that you can change slightly as you see fit. These keep well for a few days so they save a lot of time.
6) Don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if it doesn’t turn out the best, in the end you will have learned another important lesson in food combining.
7) Take notes about which flavor combinations you like and don’t like. Adjust accordingly for new dishes.
What else would you do to make food prep easier and more appealing?
Guest Author: Angela Orecchio
Angela Orecchio loves being at sea and traveling as much as she loves health, fitness and making this planet a better place to live for all of us. She is currently a Chief Stewardess/Purser on a 50 meter yacht and has a certificate as a Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
To read more of her blog visit:
