Making Healthy Cooking Easier!

I have always been a fan of healthy eating! I grew up always eating veggies freshly picked from our garden. However, it can take a lot of prep time in making a fresh and healthy meal. You have to peel the onions, dice 'em, scoop the seeds out of a squash, rinse the veggies, bake the potato, etc. It seems like it can take a lifetime to make a simple meal when it seems a whole lot easier to whip up a frozen meal or eat out for a very hungry family on a busy day.


If you are trying to create healthy meals for yourself or your family, I have found a few ideas that have seemed to help me. I realized these ideas when I was struggling to make healthy meal choices for my family when I had a newborn. I was tired, hungry and crabby with a crying baby, and worn out husband who had a long day at work. After Emery's first year past, I had some shortcuts up my sleeve that I learned along the way.

1. Chop your veggies ahead of time!

Spend a morning or afternoon dedicated to cutting up your onions, pepper, broccoli, beans, etc. I separate the onions to keep the taste from transferring.

Keep simple veggies like bagged carrots, spinich, and grapes at hand to quickly pull from the fridge or foods that are already pre- chopped. It will make you want to eat them more if they are easier and quicker to prepare :) Cut Celery with peanut butter or hummus with carrot sticks which are great snacks if chopped and made a head of time.



2. Use a mandelin, food processor, or other appliance to help with the choppin' and slicin'! Thinner veggies take less time to cook :)

3. Cook extra meat like cubed chicken, ground turkey, or steak and refrigerate it to use for different meals throughout the week. Tacos, pizza toppers, & quesadillas, are a few options.

Emery's lunch consisting of cooked cinnamon apples, chicken & broccoli

4. Make a batch of white or brown rice in the rice cooker, refrigerate it, and use it throughout the week! I have even taken leftover brown rice and added it to turkey burger patties topped with avocado or stuffed green peppers, yum! Canned black beans, chickpeas, or black eyed peas can also be a quick side dish.

left over brown rice with veggies

5. Use the Crock Pot and let it do the cooking! If its hot out and you don't want to use the oven OR if you're like me and might forget that you have the oven on all day, take advantage of the crock pot! It doesn't make your home hot AND it is out of reach from little ones :) click here for crock pot baby food recipes.

It works great if you are also impatient like me, to throw your veggies in that take time to cook (like potatoes, carrots, lentils,  etc ) Use a small crock pot (they are not so hard to get in and out of the cabinets) or large ones for family meals. Don't waste your time slavin' in the kitchen when you can just throw your meal in the crock!

I make a week's worth of veggies so that I can alternate between green veggies one day and orange the next. That way you and the family get a balance of nutrition and different flavors each meal.

BEFORE: Acorn squash with butter, cinnamon, & brown sugar

AFTER: Sweet goodness! Amazing with bacon!

Sweet potatoes can be a side dish or added to pancakes or pies

 6. Cook with seafood! It is super healthy, light and QUICK!

7. Buy local at a farmer's market or grow your own garden. Its cheaper and you will be able to can or freeze it all.

8. The obvious- buy frozen veggies- They can be cooked in a jiffy.


9. Refrigerate all of your food in containers- Just pull out the rice you made & sweet potato you baked and Voa La!


It just takes one afternoon of preparation and a you will yield a week's worth of food to mix and match with different meals your family can enjoy! Not to mention that you can spend more time doing other things rather than cookin' for hours!