Raise your hand if you’re looking for ways to simplify your life.
I’m all about simplicity, especially when it comes to the kitchen. I look for recipes that have few ingredients and are easy to prepare. Meal planning and prepping does not require you to be a five-star chef dedicating hours in the kitchen.
What would simplifying your meals look like?
Opting for the drive-thru is not what I’m thinking. What I’m thinking is how you can prepare a meal at home that is easy, delicious, and healthy.
Here are my five favorite tips on how to eat a healthy nutritious meal, while keeping my time in the kitchen short and sweet. You’ll find these easy to implement when you design them to fit you and your family’s tastes.
Enjoy fresh raw foods
No cooking required, that’s the beauty of eating foods in their natural state. Take a trip to your local farmer’s market and fill up your basket with the freshest veggies of the season. Take time to prep them for easy serving and enjoy the freedom of a no-cook meal.
During the summer months, enjoy a fresh veggie salad with a mixture of your favorite veggies. You can leave out the lettuce and just eat a mixture of veggies for a nutrient dense, fiber rich meal. Add fresh fruit for your sweet tooth.
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Fewer ingredients
As much as I love dishes that have twenty ingredients, I’m not going to take the time to prepare them. The ingredients list is the first thing I look at when looking for a new recipe. The fewer the ingredients, the easier to prepare.
Look for recipes that are healthy and simple to prepare. My Five Ingredient Recipe book covers Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, and Drinks – you can check it out below.
When your dishes are prepared with wholesome ingredients, you’ll notice that you get fuller faster, you have more energy, and you’ll begin to lose a little weight over time.
What’s in your pantry?
Meal planning is one of the easiest habits you can develop to keep your meals simple. Keep your pantry stocked with your favorite staples for easy meal planning. This gives you the freedom to grab those ingredients and prepare that easy meal for your hungry family.
Create a list of your favorite spices, herbs, beans, legumes, pastas, grains, sauces, etc. to help you keep inventory of what’s in your pantry. Plan your weekly menu with what you have on hand.
Grab and Go
What do you typically have on hand for those grab and go moments?
Clean out your pantry of highly processed 100-calorie packs of anything you may have and switch to healthier options.
I keep almonds, walnuts, dried fruit, and seeds in my pantry for an easy snack. Make your own granola – much healthier than commercial or make your own trail mix.
Mix up a batch of no-cook energy balls for an easy grab and go option.
Meat or No Meat
When choosing to simplify your mealtime and keeping your meals healthy and nutritious, you may want to consider how to simplify your meat options.
Your first decision is to determine how often you want to add meat to a meal. Every day or one or two times each week?
I’ve simplified my meals with only preparing meat on the weekends. We eat beans and legumes and high protein veggies during the week.
Depending on your meat choices, your time in the kitchen may require a little longer than you like. Use an air-fryer or an electric pressure pot to help with less cook time.
Find vegetarian recipes that use black, red, or white beans as a meat substitute. You can prepare dry beans in your electric pressure pot quickly and easily.
I consider myself a “lazy cook”, but I enjoy delicious meals and have found ways to keep my time in the kitchen short and sweet. Your time is too precious to spend hours in the kitchen. Use these simple tips to prepare healthy easy meals for you and your family.
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