meal preparation

Sometimes, it can be hard to get motivated when cooking a meal for just one or two people. Here are tips to help you get the most value for your time and money if you are cooking for two, or just you!

Gathering round the table for a special meal with family and friends can be a source of joy and feed both body and soul. Cooking late into the night before your meal, however, can greatly diminish the pleasures of the table. Cooking too far ahead can decrease the quality and safety of your food. Here are some tips to put the focus back on family and friends rather than frenzied (and possibly unsafe) food preparation.

In the time needed to get out your food processor, assemble it, take it apart again and wash it, you can often slice, mince or chop food faster with a chef's knife. A chef's knife can help you make fast work of serving healthy fresh fruits and vegetables. A chef's knife (also called a French knife) has a broad, tapered shape and a fine sharp edge. Its blade ranges in length from 6 to 12 inches and measures at least 1-1/2 inches at the widest point. It is designed so it rocks on a cutting board as it cuts food.

Sometimes people think green salad = lettuce = blah. Not so. The only limits to exciting salads are limits of the imagination. Begin with fresh salad greens. Enhance the eye appeal and nutrition of a salad by adding colorful fruits and vegetables. Keep it light by limiting the amount of salad dressing to about 1 tablespoon per 1-1/2 to 2 cups of greens. Then make the flavor really POP by adding from one to three of these flavor accents, depending on how many other ingredients are in your salad. Put them either atop or mix them in with your salad.

Perhaps you've heard that it's a good idea to shop with a grocery list. Yet even when you make a list, you still forget to buy foods you need. Do some types of lists work better than others? Many organizational experts recommend making some type of list with similar items placed together. Grouping foods by category on your grocery list helps you remember food items and avoid a return trip to the store. Also, by grouping foods together, you're less likely to double back in the store for a food missed when in a particular section.

Do you have an abundance of apples? Perhaps you found a good deal on them at the store or farmers' market, but you can't eat them all now. If you'd like to freeze them, but you're not sure how you'll use them later, try "tray freezing" them as individual slices — you can even leave the skins on. Then, pour out as many as you need, when you need them. Tray frozen apples work best in cooked apple dishes. Here's how to tray freeze:

Feeling the pressure of busy summer schedules yet? Give your mealtime motivation a boost by trying the following tips from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Keep it simple. On extra busy nights, prioritize recipes with fewer ingredients. With input from your children, create a small collection of family favorites to help you get in and out of the kitchen in less than 30 minutes. Cycle through these recipes regularly, and pretty soon both grocery shopping and meal prep will be a snap.

Using leftovers is a great way to minimize food waste and save time. They can be a great snack, next day lunch, or even be used to make a quick meal. Larger meals can be prepared earlier in the week and leftovers can also be used later in the week or put in the freezer. Take precautions with leftovers to make sure the food being eaten is safe. Check out the following food handling tips and ideas for making over leftovers so you can enjoy delicious and safe “Planned-Overs.”

A simple quick-cooking technique is to make extra food at one meal and freeze for future meals. Or, to prepare food ahead and freeze for enjoying at a later time. One easy method of freezing foods, including liquid foods such as soups and stews, is to freeze them in freezer bags. Following are some general freezing tips, followed by specific tips for freezing in freezer bags.

If you like cooking with fresh onions, but frequently toss an unused portion, try freezing them! Use frozen onions in cooked products, such as soups and stews, ground meat mixtures, casseroles, etc. For most dishes, frozen onions may be used with little or no thawing.