Fast Cooking School – Lesson 2: Keeping Your Meals Simple Can Allow You To Cook In Much Less Time

No time to cook, as much as you want to? Don’t let the pressure of your hectic schedule get you down! Simply be one step ahead and think of new ways how you can cook faster than you did before. Believe me, making your own food is definitely worth the effort. Think of all the money you could safe when you don’t have to buy take-aways! How much do you spend when ordering pizza for your family of four? And now think how much groceries you could buy with the same money, and how many meals you could prepare with these foods.

The other big and main advantage of preparing your own meals is that you can ensure your family eats healthy. You have control over what goes into your meals. You can ensure a balanced diet without the risk of excess calories that often goes ahead with fast-food, and you can easily work around all these unhealthy additives in ready-made meals. If you need to cook in a hurry, follow this golden rule:

Keep your meals simple.

When you choose a large variety of ingredients or food components (like sauces and side dishes), this can create enticing meals, but they are often time-consuming in preparation. Each food has its own characteristics you need to consider. They have different cooking times and they require different preparation. Some need to be cooked, some stir-fried. You need to keep an order when to get which one on the way and you need to supervise all of them whilst you are still busy working on something else.

This multitasking can be quite challenging. Have you ever made something like roast with a vegetable mix, baked potatoes and a nice sauce? Mouthwatering, yes. But how long did it take you? And how much quicker was it to make that simple pasta with a tomato-mushroom sauce? Which was just as delicious. There is nothing wrong with meals that could have been served in a restaurant. But if you don’t have much time, don’t go through that stress. Keep it simple. You don’t need an exclusive dinner every night.

As I said, the more different foods you work with, the more complex your meal and the longer it will take. If you are in a hurry, rather stick to a few key ingredients:

• Choose pasta, rice or potatoes for starchy carbohydrates, or couscous which is even quicker and very easy to make.
• Settle for one or two vegetables or a simple salad.
• Have one protein-rich food: either meat, fish, eggs or legumes.

These very basic meals still leave you with many possible recipes to create so you won’t get bored easily. And if you vary the veggie groups and the types of starchy and protein-rich foods from day to day, you will surely get all nutrients your body needs. If you need some inspiration for quick and healthy dishes, check out my recipe collection!

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