Thursday, May 07, 2009

Easy Ways To Make Healthy And Diet-Friendly Meals

Since I've been running my "experimental," "trying it" diet support group, I have to think of a new and different theme for each week. I get a lot of my information from the internet.

But in a sense, I'm treating this challenge like I did when I first started teaching English, remedial English. I felt like a detective, a trouble-shooter. I had to find solutions to the problems I discovered.

Lots of people complain that it's hard to eat healthy, low calorie (not that I count them) meals every day, especially, when they're only cooking for one or two.

Years ago, I stopped cooking daily. Now that the nest has emptied, I cook a week's supply of animal protein once a week, when I prepare for Shabbat, Sabbath. If it's all just for that week, it stays fine in the fridge. Otherwise I freeze it in one portion bags. By utilizing your freezer for it, you can cook things once a month or even less frequently. Busy people don't have to eat fattening and unhealthy food.

If I was to plan my kitchen again, if I had the money for a total do-over and expansion, I'd probably invest in two stoves, rather than a six burner one. Forget about the classic four. I'd get two standard stove/ovens and make sure that the kitchen has enough power to use the ovens simultaneously.

My cooking now is full of wasted time as I wait for a burner or oven to become available.

During the week, I take a portion of cooked chicken, put it in a pot, add onions, vegetables and some oil, wine optional, and cook. It doesn't take long at all, even if the chicken had been frozen. I do the same with fish. If you eat cheese, you can saute your vegetables and top it with yellow cheese or an egg or two.

None of this takes very long. If you hate dealing with vegetables, then buy frozen. It's better to fill up on the vegetables than bread or rolls.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, that is a big compromise on the fresh good and live stuff which mother nature provides us with.
Frozen food aswell as food prepared, heated or defrosted in the microwave has no freshness to it. This has a dulling effect on our mind. Fresh is and remains the best.

Batya said...

Of course, add a salad to every meal. There's nothing wrong with cooked food. And the fat soluable vitamins aren't destroyed by cooking.