Six secrets to quick, healthy meals
Published 10:37 am Sunday, September 13, 2015
Do you find that back-to-school new schedules, homework and after-school activities can cause you to throw up your hands with one more challenge of trying to fit in a healthy dinner? You are not alone. I often hear this concern from families who struggle with how to get their family a healthy meal in the famed 30 minutes or less. It can be difficult not to feel stuck resorting to foods that you know are less than ideal.
Working to have family meals is worth the effort. Research has shown that family meals have long-term social, academic and health benefits. Children who regularly have family meals score better on tests, are less likely to be overweight or obese and have higher intakes of calcium, fiber, iron and many vitamins. Teenagers who eat with their families are less likely to use alcohol or drugs, and they are also less likely to smoke or suffer from mental health issues. Family meals help create family bonding and valuable social skills for a generation that might be more comfortable with emails and texts.
Here are some ways to help bring your family back to the table for a healthy meal even when time and energy are scarce.
Plan: Planning doesn’t sound fun, but you will enjoy the fact that it works. In addition, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time or be overwhelming, it saves you money, and it prevents stress. Take a minute or two on the weekend or another day of the week and map out the meals for the week ahead. You might find success in themes, such as having Italian Monday, taco Tuesday, and soup and sandwich Wednesday or coming up with some family favorites that you can rotate. Using the grocery store flyer and deciding meals based on what is on sale will help you save money.
Cook once, eat twice: The idea is to cook an ingredient once and then use it in two or three different meals. You can have grilled chicken one night, mini chicken potpies another night and freeze chicken for soup or chicken salad sandwiches later. Another idea might be meatballs with spaghetti, meatball subs and then meatballs in soup or broken on a pizza.
Make extra and freeze: When you cook foods such as ground beef, chicken, rice, beans dishes, soups and casseroles, make extra and freeze. Then when you are looking for a quick meal later, all you need to do is pull out one of these from the freezer to serve as a base for another meal.
Have a couple of meals on hand of shelf-stable foods: For those days towards the end of the week, when you might be looking to eat out because you didn’t have time to prepare the night before, have a couple of meal solutions that you keep stocked right on your pantry shelf. These might include spaghetti and sauce, a bean and rice dish; or a tuna, vegetable, mac and cheese casserole.
Stock your kitchen: Keep things like pasta, rice and canned vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, beans and soups in your cupboard that are often added to recipes and can be used as side-dishes. These basics can help you complete a meal in minutes.
Use customizable meals to meet the tastes of the entire family: If you have a family with multiple likes and dislikes, use meal ideas that can be modified to meet multiple taste preferences. Meal ideas such as tacos, individual pita pizzas or main-dish salads can be tweaked to keep everyone happy and be quick to set up.
Use short cuts: Bagged salad, steam-in-the-bag frozen vegetables, minute brown rice and precut vegetables can reduce your preparation time. Rotisserie chicken, frozen grilled chicken strips or patties, precooked shrimp and canned beans can also give you a good start to a healthy meal. Additionally, utilize the slow cooker. It does the cooking for you and helps you get a remarkable meal on the table with minimal work from you.
Andrea Nikolai is a registered dietitian at Washington Pediatrics located at 1206 Brown St. in Washington and can be reached at 252-946-4134.