Are you overloaded with work, family and personal demands, rushing to meet an often stressful “24/7” schedule? If so, your everyday meal solutions don’t need to come from drive-through windows or telephone ordered food delivery. Even with a hectic lifestyle, you can put nutritious meals on your dinner table – to enjoy together – with ease, speed and great taste. Being time-starved doesn’t mean short-changing good nutrition. A few small changes in your meal and snack strategies can deliver positive results.

Shop For Speedy “Home Cooking”!

Today’s well-stocked supermarkets offer an array of partially prepared products, created as kitchen “shortcuts.” When you’re busy, put good nutrition on your table – without doing all the chopping, measuring and cooking yourself.

• Add your “culinary signature” to “ready-to-prepare” dishes: perhaps diced lean ham or chicken breast or chopped carrots, broccoli or tomatoes to cooked macaroni and cheese; chopped dried fruit or nuts to rice; sliced red and green peppers, mushrooms and broccoli florets to frozen pizza.
• Start with a salad kit.  Make your salad hearty with nutrient-rich extras: grated cheese; cut-up grilled chicken, chopped hard-boiled eggs; cut-up vegetables; sliced apples or pears, berries, bottled or fresh citrus sections; toasted nuts or seeds. (Keep a variety of salad dressings, especially some lower-fat choices, on hand.)
• Flavour with prepared sauces and spreads: barbecue, steak or teriyaki sauce on pork chops, chicken breasts, burgers or fish steaks; hommus as a sandwich spread; salsa tossed with rice or served atop baked potatoes; pasta-ready or pizza-ready herbed tomato sauces.
• Marinate with salad dressing. Use any oil-vinegar based dressing as a vegetable, meat, poultry or seafood marinade.
• Keep grated cheese handy (try some lower-fat options, too) – ready to sprinkle on pizza, casseroles, baked potatoes or soups, or toss with salads or pasta.

Do It Ahead

For more time saving, do it ahead when you do it yourself! Spend some kitchen time on weekends or the night before for fast, easier weekday meal preparation.

• Plan – perhaps the best “do-ahead strategy” of all!  For instance, keep an ongoing shopping list so you’ll have nutritious, easy-to-fix ingredients on hand.  Start thawing frozen casseroles in the refrigerator a day or so ahead.
• Pre-prep – when you can.  You might put breakfast cereal and bowls on the table or put together a packed lunch the night before.  Assemble tomorrow’s casserole while you clean up from tonight’s dinner.  Wash and slice raw vegies ahead so they’re ready for snacking, salads or a stir-fry.
• Double or triple batch.  Make enough (perhaps soup, stew, sauce or wholegrains, such as rice) for several meals; freeze some.  Or prepare two casseroles at a time – one for now, one for the freezer.
• Cook once for two different dishes.  For example, grill enough chicken breasts for dinner tonight and chicken caesar salad tomorrow.  Prepare hearty vegetable soup on Sunday; add chicken or beans and rice for Tuesday.  Cook enough pasta – some for primavera sauce now, some for pasta salad for lunch tomorrow.

Keep It Fast And Simple

Using “fewer steps, fewer ingredients” makes nutritious eating easier. One-dish and one-appliance meals mean faster clean up, too.

• Prepare all-in-one dishes.  One-pan meals – pasta, soups, stir-fries and rice dishes – can provide a variety of foods from all or most food groups.  So can family casseroles!   (Tip: Serve milk for a nutrient-rich beverage.)
• Speed meal preparation …slowly!   Cook dinner in a slow cooker during your busy day.  If you need recipes, buy a slow cooker cookbook.
• Use quick-cooking methods.  Grilling, stir-frying, microwaving, simmering and broiling are faster than roasting or baking.  (Tip: Keep “stir-fry ready” sliced meat, chicken and vegies, as well as microwaveable foods on hand in your refrigerator and freezer.) 
• Plan no-cook meals.  No time to cook dinner tonight?  A sandwich, served with vegetable sticks (carrots, celery, capsicum), fresh fruit and a glass of milk can offer as much nutrition! 

Rally Your Family!

Reduce “meal prep time” while multiplying family time. Involve your children in pre- and post-meal tasks, so you can enjoy mealtime together. Research shows that family meals promote good nutrition. School-age children can:

• Share in menu planning and grocery shopping.
• Set the table.  Pour beverages.  Fill serving bowls.
• Help with food preparation.  Wash fruits and vegetables.  Measure ingredients.  Mix ingredients.  Assemble salads.
• Help with kitchen clean up.

Good News

Nutritious eating doesn’t need to take lots of extra time or effort, just some planning and food savvy. And even a few small steps can add up to good nutrition. Try it for yourself and your family!