How to Save Time in the Kitchen to Cook Healthily and Eat Better

Feb 12, 2011
Prerna Malik

Make Healthy Meals Possible with Menu Planning - tiffanywashko

If eating healthy is on your must-do list this year, here are simple tips to help you save time in the kitchen while cooking healthy meals for your family.

Cooking meals from scratch, eating home cooked meals and following a balanced diet may all seem difficult do. However, in reality, they’re all quite easily possible. All that a homemaker needs is effective time management. Managing time in the kitchen will help a homemaker to not only enjoy cooking but also whip up healthy, wholesome meals easily and effortlessly. Here are some simple time management tips to optimize your time in the kitchen and make healthy eating a part of your life.

Menu Plan for Healthy Meals

Eating healthy is easier when you know what you’re eating, at least an hour or two in advance. Opening the refrigerator at dinnertime to decide what to make will invariably result in either ordering in or eating what’s easiest and not healthiest. So, spend some time each week to plan a menu and list breakfasts, lunches and dinners as well as snacks. Menu planning can take some time and getting used to but once you have a system in place, it will make cooking healthy meals so much easier.

Save Time in the Kitchen with Shortcuts

Shortcuts in the kitchen can help make cooking healthy, wholesome meals easier and quicker. For instance, bulk buy tomatoes, puree them and freeze them to use them for gravies and pastas at a moment’s notice. Similarly, chop onions, shred cheese, grind sugar and spices that you use on a regular basis and keep them handy. Doing all of this may take a few minutes every week but will cut down time in the kitchen substantially.

Eat Healthy with Smart Shopping

Make healthier choices while shopping for groceries and produce. Avoid buying packaged and processed foods. If you don’t have them at home, you wouldn’t eat them. Keep fruits readily available and as a snack option for kids and grown-ups alike. Raw veggies are another great snack or appetizer and can be served up with a healthy dip. Quick and healthy meals are often, the easiest to prepare.

More Tips to Cut Down Time in the Kitchen

Cutting down cooking time does not have to compromise taste and quality. Here are some more tips to help you save time while making healthy meals for your family:

Make one-pot meals or casseroles that are healthy and yet, a meal in themselves.
Use kitchen appliances like the pressure cooker, slow cooker or grill to make meals with very little involvement from you.
Try freezer cooking. Make double batches of meals and freeze one batch while eating the other.
Have everything ready before starting to cook. Take out utensils, ingredients and appliances so that you don’t have to leave things in the middle to rush to the refrigerator or look for a pan in the cabinet.

Healthy meals can be possible and in fact, quite easy-to-do with a bit of planning and preparation. These simple tips will not only help you manage your time but also make cooking wholesome meals a breeze. For more on managing your kitchen, do read How to Organize the Kitchen in 10 Minutes or Less, Kitchen Storage Organization Made Easy and Organize the Pantry.