Easy meals and weekend woes

How do you feed your family good nutritious food without resorting to fast food, carryout dinners and restaurants? Well, you don't have to resort to "from-scratch" food preparation to assemble a decent meal. There are plenty of ways to cut preparation time and still have that homemade feel and nutritional value without all the additives and preservatives.

Frozen veggies are quick to prepare, either on the stovetop or in the microwave and have better nutritional value and less sodium and chemicals than canned varieties. Some newer brands can be cooked right in their own bag in a matter of a few minutes. Most grocery stores carry bagged salad fixings, but how long does it take to cut up some greens and put them in a bowl? Spray-on salad dressings are great because you get greater coverage with fewer calories. Spray-on butter it great too, and you can get olive oil based products for better nutrition and less saturated fat.

If you want to serve carbs with your meal, how about an all natural, whole-grain bread? Many brands are available even at convenience stores. Baked potatoes are quick and easy with a microwave, but try it with sweet potatoes for better nutritional value.

What about protein? I find chicken is the quickest and easiest to cook in a hurry. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are great. Foil line your pan for easy clean up, spray it with cooking spray to prevent sticking. To prevent the chicken from getting too dry, you lightly coat the chicken pieces with cooking spray or spray-on salad dressing, then sprinkle with a light coating of bread crumbs. Your chicken will come out of the oven juicy and flavorful in as little as 35 or 40 minutes. (Put your chicken in to bake, and you'll have time to open the day's mail and check your voice messages and still microwave your potatoes and veggies before the chicken is done.) For even faster chicken, many stores have fresh cooked, cut chicken pieces packaged for your convenience. You can heat and eat or garnish your salad with the precooked chicken. For more economical cooked chicken, buy a whole fresh cooked chicken, take it home, strip the meat off, package and freeze it for quick easy meals later. My favorite is available at Sam's Club...spit-roasted chickens for less than 5 dollars each...and if you're really inventive, you can use the remains to make soup stock.

The crock-pot is a great way to make nutritious meals while you're at work. It only requires a little preplanning. A favorite of mine is lentil soup. It is high in protein and vitamins, easy to put together and ready when you get home from work. It takes me about 20 minutes to prepare, and I do it just before I go to bed at night. Cut up a large onion, some carrots, celery and a few cloves of garlic, dump them in the crock-pot with a pound bag of lentils and fill it with water. Set it on low and let it cook until the next day's dinnertime. Season to taste. It's delicious and good for you, too! Almost anything can be prepared in a slow cooker with a little forethought. Invest in a decent crock-pot cookbook, but try to use as many fresh or frozen items as you can. Don't be afraid to make substitutions to the recipes; get can still have all the flavor, but reduce the fat and calories, by leaving out processed foods, canned soups and sauces. If you're really pressed for time just throw that roast or chicken in the slow-cooker with a small amount of water and a little salt and pepper and turn it on. When you get home, all you have to do is nuke a few sweet potatoes and some frozen veggies and you have a healthy meal in less than half an hour. You wait that long for pizza delivery!
Save the carryout meals or restaurants for "occasions" and learn to make quick nutritious meals for a healthier family with fewer obesity problems.

Let's talk about the weekend woes...why do we have such a hard time with food on the weekends? We seem to ingest more and higher calorie foods, often managing to undo any good we've accomplished during the week. I think it's because we equate food with fun and relaxation. And heavy eating events are usually scheduled on weekends as well. This weekend I have a wedding to attend. I have no idea what will be served, so it is impossible to prepare for my choices ahead of time. When confronted with such a situation, I do my best to stick to the simplest foods being served. I'll go for the veggies and tossed salads, stay away from creamy dressings, and only eat half of whatever they're serving as portions for carbs and protein. You do have to know when to say NO to yourself. You can have a little of everything as long as you limit the amount you are eating. Don't eat until you're miserably full. You'll feel better, move better and sleep more comfortably if you're not stuffed to the gills. I regularly tell myself that I have a food allergy. But instead of breaking out in an itchy rash if I eat too much of an item, I break out in fat. And it's not treatable with OTC meds! Remember, if you're unable to plan ahead and have no choice about what you are given to eat, leave half of each item on your plate and walk away! You'll feel better, and you won't have the guilt you normally suffer after such an event.

M.E.