Whether you are a student or a working professional, munching on junk food is not a good thing to do. Most of the time, you find yourself getting late for that lecture or that meeting, and in the humdrum of your daily activities, fulfilling your nutritional requirements go for a toss. No matter how pressed you are for time, being away from good and nutritious food is no longer an option for you when we bring you ways to prepare meals in a jiffy. These ideas will always help you to make quick and good food, without compromising on the nutrient content.
Creating Stock Bases
This is one of the best things that you could do on your weekends and that too without having to stand near the stove. All you need to do is boil water and keep it bubbling with veggies and meats of your choice. With some added salt, pepper for seasoning, and a dash of vinegar for preservation purposes, you can store this stock in a jar in the refrigerator for 10 days easily. When in a hurry to make a curry or sauces, you can use this stock which would be full of flavors and solid ingredients.
And if you are just plain sick, and do not want to cook a lot, you can use the wonderful liquid to just make yourself some quick clear soup, without having to compromise on the nutrition factor, or for something more solid, you can boil rice, couscous or quinoa, for some extra added flavors.
Keeping A Well-Stocked Freezer
A well-stocked freezer would be your best friend on a rainy day when you cannot make your regular trip to the grocery store. Apart from stocking on yogurt or juices, you should always keep your freezer well-stocked with pre-cut veggies and meats in marinades. This makes them incredibly tender and such long marination in the cold temperature would mean that they would cook really fast when they meet the pan. Make small batches so that you do not have to thaw the entire piece in one go, which is very time-consuming as well. You can make them into side dishes to go with rice or bread, or they can work out perfectly in the manner of stews or one-pot dishes.
Also, if you are a proud meat-eater and cannot live without your daily consumption of kebabs and salamis, it is always a good thing to have them ordered online at your designated time. By going for an option like this would help you to save time and effort to go full-fletched grocery shopping. After you have such foods ready to go in your freezer, you can never be more than 2 minutes away from healthy food to satisfy your hunger cravings.
Holding on to the Basics
Some of the basics are indeed a lifesaver for a reason and that is the reason why you should be holding on to them confidently. And that means keeping a few things handy always, like good old eggs, bacon, tomatoes, avocados, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, etc. These will help you to make sandwiches or shakshuka when you are in no mood to cook.
In case if you love your pasta and never go more than three days beyond a pasta meal, then storing up good oil and garlic oil can make you quick carbonara, Aglio e olio, or with a dash of lime Pasta al Limone. Just not that, quick pasta sauces like Alfredo, Marinara, Pesto, etc. would also help you to put your meals together in a matter of minutes. And in case there is more sauce left in the pan, you can use them up with some more veggies for the next day’s sandwich.
The Pantry Matters
The best part about having a good pantry is that you do not need to be heading out to buy small things every time you decide to cook. Everyone cooks differently and that is why this one depends largely on personal choices as far as spices and other condiments are concerned. Having a few hardstandings like ketchup, sauces, cheese, etc. can go a long way.
Apart from all the above, did you know that there are still some veggies that you can stock in your pantry for quick meals which would not go bad that quickly. For instance, you can keep potatoes, garlic, onions, diced tomatoes, and beans in cans, popcorns, nuts, pretzels, and many more such things. Not only are they healthy but are just wonderful to quickly make a meal out of when you are least motivated.
The Last Word
In the world we live in today, it is very important to take care of health in order to be safe. After all, health is wealth. We hope this article encourages you towards a healthy living style.