Eating and cooking healthier does not have to be a drain on your time when it’s done correctly. Stress free cooking is all about planning. If you are coming home from work without any idea of what you are going to make for dinner, you’re sure to waste a lot of time. Time deciding what to make, time figuring out how to make it and time finding ways around the ingredients that you don’t have on hand. When you’re making a change and trying to live a healthier lifestyle, this kind of meal time situation can be very frustrating. To avoid frustration we have complied some great tips to keep your kitchen healthier and happier.

• Once or twice a week, decide what you’re going to prepare for the next couple of days
  This way you don’t have to be making last minute decisions based on what you have in the fridge. It will also be easier to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet because you can see what you’ll be eating laid out in front of you.
• Find recipes
  Find the recipes you want to try, print them out or mark the page in the cookbook so you know where they are and can come back to it later.
• Make a shopping list
  Always make a shopping list. Nothing is worse than forgetting an ingredient and having to return to the grocery store to get it later.

Doing these three things are sure to make cooking easier and even fun. Having a plan will allow you to delegate tasks to the rest of your household. Since you have a shopping list, you could send someone else to go to the store. Involve your kids by having them find recipes they’d like to try (you can always revise them if they don’t seem healthy). With planning you should also see less food waste leaving your house. You will only be buying items on your list, therefore you should be using everything you buy.

Planning will also allow you to try new things. Find recipes that include ingredients you haven’t tried before or incorporate new cooking techniques. Don’t overload yourself with complicated recipes, but try something new once a week. And don’t forget to take notes. Keep recipes you liked and note what you liked about them and changes you’d like to make.

Even with planning, if you still don’t think you’ll have time to cook daily, consider cooking multiple meals in bulk and freezing what you make. This way you can cook when you do have time and have food ready quick with just a little reheating.

Sources:
Vegetarian Times “Vegetarian menus that work when you do”
Naturopathyworks.com “How to cook whole food from scratch – and keep your day job!”