Congrats to Monica Dolan in the Assessor's Office!
She is the winner of the groceries gift card!
Is there such a thing as Healthy Fast Food? Yes and No! You can have a week of healthy meals put together quickly if you're willing to put in 1-2 hours of preparation time to make it happen! It just takes some planning in deciding what to cook and then committing to a few hours to make the food.
BREAKFAST. Prepare 2 or 3 big batch breakfast items. Oatmeal, boiled eggs, pancakes, waffles, breakfast sandwiches, quiche, muffins, fresh fruit and veggies. Oatmeal can be pre-cooked and in the fridge for busy mornings. It takes hardly any time to heat a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave. You can also throw some in storage containers or freezer bags and stick some in the freezer for later. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, and breakfast sandwiches can be made ahead of time and frozen individually. To thaw, microwave for 30 seconds (microwave times will vary, add increments of 20 seconds until heated through).
MAKE A SALAD. Make a big salad and use whatever vegetables you have on hand so there is less food waste. Don't add tomatoes until just before serving because tomatoes can go soft very fast. A salad already prepared in the fridge can be eaten with meals as a side or can be packaged for lunches to take to school or work.
MAKE A SANDWICH. Start with one loaf of french bread, cut lengthwise creating a giant sub sandwich. Using your preferred lunch meat and sliced cheese, top the french bread. Don't add any condiments until you're ready to eat as it will make the bread soggy. Cut the loaf into individual sections. Smash the subs down slightly and tightly wrap in saran wrap removing as much air as possible. This will help the flavors fuse together and keep them fresh for days. Store in the fridge.
MAKE SIDE DISHES AHEAD OF TIME. Cook a large batch of rice to last the whole week. Boil noodles, once done, toss with olive oil and store in the fridge. You can then use different sauces on the noodles. Prep Produce. Pre-cut fruit for easy eating or to throw into a smoothie. Pre-cut vegetables can be added to rice, noodles, omelets, salad, etc. Cook several potatoes for easy baked potatoes throughout the week.
SNACKS. Have individual portions of yogurt, applesauce, and baggies with fruit and veggies ready to go. Stock to-go cheese like Babybels and string cheese. Create your own 100 calorie snacks by repackaging crackers, nuts, dried fruit into snack size Ziploc bags.
How about you?
Do you have certain foods cooked and ready in the fridge to help in making meals fast & easy?
Let us know in the comments and Be Entered to Win a Groceries Gift Card! (giveaway has ended)
Must be a Weber County Employee to Win
Include your name and department in your comment
I'll all about healthy living and eating. The must have foods and equipment are almond butter (substitute for peanut butter), coconut oil (substitute for butter), and a blendtec. The blendtec is expensive but is worth the investment. You can throw in the fruits and veggies in their raw state with protein and a probiotic like greek yogurt and make a shake that will last throughout the day. The almond butter is a great protein source and can be paired with pancakes and waffles. The coconut oil is a healthy fat and has many healing properties in it. Zane Melaney- Ogden Eccles Conference Center
ReplyDeleteUsing a blendtec, or another blender, is a great idea!
DeleteI also use a Blendtec blender. I slice bananas a place them in baggies in the freezer along with other frozen fruit. For a quick healthy breakfast I put a pre measured baggie of frozen fruit along with some almond milk and a pinch of Stevia. You can also add some greens like spinach. Quick, Yummy and healthy!!! Shawndra Bingham WCSO
ReplyDeleteHaving the fruit already cut and ready in the freezer is a great idea!
DeleteI like to cook, shred and freeze chicken to use in a variety of meals. I also prep and freeze fruits for smoothies. I have a large garden so I freeze squash, broccoli, cauliflower and corn, as well as lots of canning (tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, peaches, beans. It is amazing how healthy you will eat and much time you can save by just doing a little extra.
ReplyDeleteMonica Dolan - Assessor's Office
Having chicken prepared is a great time saver! Congrats on being this week's winner!
DeleteI always have cooked ground beef in the freezer. It is so easy to add to the crock pot or throw into a casserole dish. We also always have shredded cheese as well. June Nelson- WIC
ReplyDeleteWhat a time saver to have those ingredients on hand and ready to go!
DeleteI like to buy romaine hearts of lettuce and wash all the lettuce at once and store it in a gallon size Ziploc bag in the fridge, that way it's all ready for me to make a quick salad. I'll do the same thing with carrots and other fruits and vegetables, I'll wash the carrots, peel them and store them in a Ziploc so that they're ready to eat whenever. It helps to have fruits and vegetables ready to eat in the fridge that way I can eat those for a snack rather than something less healthy. Lyndsey Winger -- Health Department, Nursing
ReplyDeleteThose are great tips to get in your fruits and veggies!
DeleteI make homemade soup and then freeze it in serving size containers. It is easy to grab one for lunch. It can also be a great dinner served with a salad and crackers or slice of bread.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great time AND money saver!
DeleteI prepare my lunches for the week on Sunday nights. I usually do a spinach salad with a bit of fruit, cashews, feta cheese, and a protein (chicken or salmon), and top it off with raspberry vinaigrette.
ReplyDeleteJavis - Weber County IT
So smart to do it all once. Putting the time in one day, saves a lot of time the rest of the days!
DeleteI will freeze soups, noodles, pancakes, basically whatever I am able to freeze when I make a lot so it cuts down on prep time or is available when we are in a hurry. We also have fresh fruits and vegetables in snack baggies in the fridge for quick snacks. :) Heather Wilkerson-WIC
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of freezing noodles. Please share how it works!
DeleteDinnertime can be a tempting time to just grab something fast on the way home after a busy day at work. It was the proteins that were always so time consuming to prepare because they needed to be defrosted and then cooked.
ReplyDeleteTo solve this, I purchase bulk ground beef (this saves money per pound). When I get it home I brown it all at one in one big pan, syphon off the grease (which makes my meat leaner and healthier) and then distribute it in gallon size freezer baggies. I lay the baggie flat on cookie sheet and place them in the freezer. Once the meat is frozen I take them off the cookie sheet and they lay nice and flat in the freezer without taking up a bunch of space. When I’m ready to use the ground beef I just break of the amount I need and throw it into my meal. It defrosts as the meal cooks! I do this with chicken too! Cook the chicken, dice it up, place in in baggies, freeze it flat and then when I need chicken it is cooked and ready to go! Any of this prepared protein is also great for lunches. I will break off a ½ a cup of chicken and take it to work. It thaws by lunch time and then I throw it on top of salads or in pasta. A little work saves a lot of time and money!
Lori G - Health Promotion
You're absolutely right that the meat takes the most time. Thank you for the thorough instructions!
Delete