Any advice on eating healthy while short on time?

Crafty_camper123

What do you do to stay on track with healthy dinners for the family while also working a full time job and working out? I work a M-F job, and am usually off by 5, but after working out, cooking dinner needs to be fast and easy, or my husband and I are too tempted to resort to fast food/ or it gets late really quick and before we know it, we're eating at bed time. I don't mind cooking in bulk here and there, but I don't particularly want to dedicate an entire weekend day to food prep. Any pointers?

Edit:: I should note, evenings are preferable to work out, as my husband works earlier then I do, and it helps us hold each other accountable to work out together.

MelaniaTrump

Tonight I had black bean burgers and broccoli. Set the stuff in the fridge the night before to defrost. Crock pots also work well for things like chili in these "colder" days.
By food prep you mean writing it all down? Right?

RachelElser

Crock pots! You put the food in and when you get home it is cooked! Chuck in any meat- chicken, beef, pork- potatoes, carrots and seasoning of your choice and you are golden. I like to use Fat Free Italian dressing or Mrs Dash with some olive oil. I am just that classy lol. I've never tried fish in one though.

queenliz99

Pressure cooker

abatonfan

Skillet meals are my best friend. Once the stuff is prepped (often I dump in whatever stuff I have in the fridge/pantry that needs to be used up), it takes less than 15 minutes to throw together a meal.

myssjaxson

Totally understand. I am one of the kids in a house of 7 (3 adults), along with 13 pets and frequent foster pets and grandkids and so on. It gets difficult for sure. We use our crock pot often, soups, meats, etc. Buying the "family size" of stuff that we can put in the oven for 30 mins and eat for the busy days. Luckily the youngest here is 10 years old and we make our own food a lot, I cook often as well. We eat a lot of fruit since its quick, maybe try canned stuff (with low sodium), and on the days when you have free time, try pre-preparing food. Make some meals and freeze them in the correct portions, then thaw them when you want to eat. Salads are always pretty easy but I'm not sure the ages of your family and some kids aren't fond of that lol. If you do sandwiches then you could try pita bread and such, celery and peanut butter was something I lived for as a kid, haha.

BarbWhite09

Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep.

missiontofitness

Crock pots, and pre-making crock pot meals ahead of time and dividing them into plastic bags; all you need to do is dump the bag of ingredients into it the day you want to "cook", set it on low, and you will have a meal waiting for you once you are home.

DanBGVa

BarbWhite09 wrote: »

Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep.

Soo right... nothing is more of a silver bullet for this problem than Meal Prep!

I make my meals a week in advance now, every Sunday night. It is a huge pain to do, but it makes all the difference.. Meal Prep, Meal Prep, Meal Prep......

welshcoffeeaddict

I would say a meal plan helps. Doesn't have to be fancy or complicated, but then you can organise your groceries and meal prep to match- no waste.
Personally I try to chop all veg on grocery day, that way they go in the fridge in containers so I can just throw together any stir fry, slow cooker meals, salads- no excuses.

Crafty_camper123

Thanks for the advice guys!

PiSquared

Hi there. I struggle with meal planning and a busy schedule as well. What has worked well for me is to spend a hour or two on the weekend to put together a solid dinner plan for the week. Yes, there are things you can do to prep on the weekend, but I also stock my pantry with what I term "cheater ingredients" to get reasonably nutritious meals, good tasting meals on the table quickly.

Unsalted or low sodium versions of broths or stocks are great for adding a bit of flavor. I mainly use chicken or vegetable broth, but any flavor will work. Use it to cook rice and grains to add some flavor, saute leafy green vegetables like spinach or chard, or as a base to a quick soup.

Jarred minced garlic is a super time saver. Is it more expensive than garlic cloves? Yep. But in my opinion, worth the expense. So many recipes I make call for a clove or two of minced garlic.

Canned beans are ready to use and great as a source of vegetable protein. Mind the sodium, and rinse your beans before using in your recipe.

Canned diced tomatoes are another time saver. Again, mind the sodium, and opt for the 'no added salt' version if you can.

Bottled lemon juice adds a bit of acid to a dish, can be used with oil as a base for salad dressing, and is also nice splashed over steamed veggies.

Frozen veggies can be used alone as a side dish, or thawed and used in a recipe.

Herbs and spices are great for adding flavor with little to no added calories. I use cumin a lot. Curried anything is delicious. Smoked spices like smoked paprika, chipotle or ancho chili powder add a barbecue type flavor quickly. Dried herbs have their place, too. Use them to flavor vegetables or make a quick rub for meat. Dried oregano, dried basil, minced garlic, and lemon juice is wonderful on lamb and chicken for a Greek/Mediterranean flavor.

Others have already mentioned the crock pot. I also love my food processor. I have both a large (full sized, 11 cup) and a small mini-processor that I have dubbed Mr. Choppy. The small one is awesome for quickly chopping things like onions. The large one (Big Poppa Chop) has slicing and shredding blades. It comes in super handy if I'm making something like a stir fry that relies on lots of thinly sliced vegetables and meats.

A couple of good knives will really speed up your prep. I didn't realize how important a good knife was until I replaced the dull ones I had been using. It made all of the difference in the world. You do not have to spend a ton of money to get a good knife. You also don't need to start with a whole set. My 8" chef's knife is my work horse, with the paring knife the next most used.

There are a bunch of places that offer quick cooking, reasonably nutritious recipes. I am a fan of Cooking Light, particularly the "Dinner Tonight" and "Super Fast" sections.

Good luck!

natalielosew

As lots of people have said, slow cookers and skillet meals (one pot meals) are awesome. If you are like me and find yourself running short on time to even get the meal in the cooker in the am, i like to make a really quick (and usually low carb) casserole. Chicken breast, low sodium/fat cream soup, broccoli, canned or frozen veggies, and i stick it in the oven! the end. it usually takes about 40 minutes to cook, so by the time i am done a nice walk or workout (or even just evening chores), we are ready to eat! I prefer fresh ingredients to canned or frozen, but meal preps for meals like this usually only take me about 5 minutes. I spend more time on Pinterest finding the meals!

Crafty_camper123

This has tons of solid advice for anyone in a similar situation. I still eat out too much. I just try to find something that fits my goals when we eat out, or I eat half and save the other half for lunch the next day. Otherwise, I invested in an instant pot and use that and my slow cooker regularly. Also, Sheet pan dinners and one pot meals have been added to my regular rotation. Meal planning (Making a weekly menue) AND REMEMBERING TO THAW OUT THE DANG MEAT! (Still a work in progress ). Have been key in helping me with my goals.

foreverhealthy3

I love this topic; as we can never be prepared enough for an easier meal. My go to is when time is more available; and produce is on sale at store, farmers market or your garden- prepare it. this week, I chopped in food processor peppers on sale, steam in water for 3-5 minutes, drain, soak in cold water for a few minutes, drain; and with parchment paper on a cake pan cover or cookie sheet; put cooled, drained vegetables and freeze in freezer. Take out and break into chunks and put into ziploc bags and freeze. It is a great accomplishment to go to freezer and pull out prepared vegetables, ready to add to soups, egg dishes, casseroles, and so much more. I do this with peppers, celery-chopped (not in food processor as it gets stringy), shredded carrots, cauliflower, diced, mushrooms, I slice, sautee and freeze; onions, I prefer freshly sauteed. It is easy to just do one vegetable purchase a day until stock builds up. We sure eat a lot more vegetables now.

Francl27

I don't like most crockpot meals so not much help from me about those.

But I'd focus on making bigger batches when you cook something, and having ready to heat food in the fridge or freezer. Frozen veggies, precooked sausage/grilled chicken (still cheaper than eating out)/ham steaks... you can have a meal ready in 10 minutes.

I'm very guilty of the 'there's nothing to eat, let's order out' mentality when I don't feel like cooking, so having something I can reheat fast is very important. I made big batches of soup that we ate for a week, and when I make something like lasagna or shepherd's pie, I make enough for 2/3 meals (basically a whole bag of potatoes and 2lbs of meat plus veggies).

Super fast meals to make - tacos (just need to cook the ground meat, really, and you can make 2-3 lbs at a time for leftovers), spaghetti and meatballs (once you have frozen cooked meatballs, pop those in the oven while the pasta cooks), fresh ravioli/tortellini (just add a bag of frozen veggies).. stir fry's too don't take a lot of time. I do have an instant pot so you can have stew or chili ready in less than 90 minutes too, and it keeps warm so you could start it before working out and it would be ready after.

I like just baking a bunch of chicken thighs as well - takes about one hour in the oven, it won't dry it if it stays a bit too long, and it's great for leftovers.

I'm totally horrible at thawing the meat too, so I don't even bother freezing it anymore, lol.

12Sarah2015

Spaghetti with grated carrots and zuchinni is my go to meal when I don't have time

Crafty_camper123

@Francl27 We tend to buy meat in bulk or hunt. So sadly not freezing isnt an option for me. But you jogged my memory about one thing I tend to do that helps me stay on track and eat out less. I'm not big on batch cooking a bunch of stuff in a single day. But I double almost every recipe I make. It makes sure we have lunches the next day, and sometimes even dinner for another night. I basically effectively cook about 3-4 nights a week. One day might be out, and the rest is usually leftovers or "Fend for yourself" nights. I've also been known to make a bulk of protein over the weekend such as chicken, or a big pork roast. Then I use the leftover meat for a few more meals throughout the week. Example: Night 1- Roasted Pork with winter vegetables. Night 2- Carnitas Tacos Night 3 (if a bunch more is left) White chicken chili (replace chicken with the leftover pork).

Hunter's tip: If you process your own meat, cut some up as "fajita/stew meat" instead of steaks, or grinding into burger. This way if you need sliced meat for fajitas, stews, or whatever, all you have to do is thaw it out. Takes a bunch of prep work out of the equation since you don't have to slice up your meat. It's already done.

This year I'm trying to make sure I have items on hand for quick and easy dinners at all times for IDGAF nights. Things like eggs, bread, mac n cheese, microwave burritos, chicken patties, etc. Not always the healthiest items, but they are cheaper then eating out. Both money and calorie wise usually.

Edit for a typo I saw.

SuzySunshine99

Do you have a grill?
One of my quickest and easiest meals is throwing some pork chops or steaks on the grill. Veggies can grill with them or roast in the oven. A rice pilaf on the stovetop. About 15-20 minutes...good and good for you!

iowalinda

We have lowered our standards for week night meals. We are perfectly happy with oatmeal & toast, eggs & pancakes, taco salad, stir fry, spaghetti, etc. All can be thrown together in a very short time.

Crafty_camper123

One of my favorite quick meals of late has been warm up a chicken patty (those fried ones that come in a bag), dice it up and serve over salad greens and veggies. Depending on how hungry you are this can be made in 90 seconds (microwave it) or 20 minutes (oven, my preferred method). Reletively healthy, super fast, and inexpensive.

Tonight is actually pretty quick too. Instant Pot baked potatos. Throw your potatos in the IP for 10 minutes (prob 15 for high elevation) and, BAM. Dinner. I plan on topping mine with broccoli, cottage cheese, and cheeese sauce.

namelesshere

Crock pots are your friend. I will put chicken breasts in the pot and have cooked chicken available for several meals. I can then throw a quick stir fry together, or add it to soup, or make a chicken salad . Not sure how many you need to cook for but perhaps you can cook enough one night to be able to reincarnate it as something else the next night cutting some meal prep time. Frozen Veggies are quick, Using timers on your crock pot can have the baked potatoes ready when you get home. All kinds of tricks.