For many people, time is one of the greatest obstacles to eating healthy. Cooking at least two nutritious meals from scratch every single day seems like a luxury for a busy working individual. However, there are certain tricks you can do to address this. It’s all about coming up with original and innovative ways to streamline (or, perhaps, wholly do away with) preparation and cleanup so you can enjoy a satisfying and healthy meal without breaking your back.
Here are some hacks that’d allow you to enjoy healthy meals amid your busy schedule:
Table of Contents
1. Subscribe To A Meal Kit
One of the best options to have a healthy meal minus the trouble of preparing, cooking, and cleaning up is to subscribe to a healthy meal kit.
Meal kits are subscription services that include pre-portioned food ingredients, helping consumers easily whip up healthy meals. On the one hand, some meal kits in Toronto and other parts of the world also send pre-cooked meals packed with all the nutrients one needs.
With meal kits, eating healthy has never been so easy and accessible.
2. Create A Meal Plan
Healthy eating is possible through meal planning. Not only is it time-saving, but it’s also cost-effective. Meal plans may keep you from eating or shopping for food impulsively. You can do grocery shopping faster when you have a plan because you already know what you need to get.
Although planning takes time, the reward is pretty quick and potent. The ease of not having to worry about what to cook daily will free up valuable mental space. Spending a few hours each day thinking about what to cook can be a waste of time, which you could use to carry out other vital tasks.
3. Use Convenient Kitchen Products
Cooking a fresh, healthy meal can be a breeze when all ingredients are prepped well. And, you’ll need practical, easy-to-use kitchen tools for this task to save time. Investing in a good food processor or chopper will be worth the money if you anticipate chopping many vegetables. It’s also worth investing in a blender, a hand mixer, a pressure cooker, and an instant pot. A handy chef’s knife is also a great addition to your kitchen essentials.
4. Cook In Batches
It’d be wise if you cooked your meals in batches. Here, you prepare large quantities to store meals for later consumption. For this method, you need to set aside some time on a weekend so as not to trouble yourself during the weekdays. It’s simply a matter of cooking more food and less often.
The easiest way to batch cook is to make one base recipe that you can incorporate into different dishes. If you freeze portions, you can enjoy them later without eating the same thing every day.
In addition, when you do batch cooking, you must have a system and a workflow so your kitchen won’t look like a disaster. The ideal flow is to prepare your ingredients, clean as you go, cook your dish, divide cooked meals into portions, and store them in the freezer. However, before putting them in the fridge, make sure they’ve already cooled completely.
5. Go For Frozen, Pre-Cut Vegetables
It’s undisputed that buying ingredients whole and preparing them yourself is the most cost-effective option. For those who are pressed for time and need healthy food on the table, fast vegetable trays, frozen vegetables, or bagged salads with all the fixings are all practical choices. Getting frozen vegetables shouldn’t be an issue since they’re still nutritious as they’re immediately preserved after harvesting.
6. Keep It Simple
A healthy meal doesn’t have to be lavish, especially on busy days. If time’s an issue, it’s best to keep your healthy meals simple, but still packed with enough nutrients. Go for quick and easy recipes, and focus on nutrition and easy preparation.
Ideally, you should consume protein-rich foods in a palm-size serving, starchy carbs in a fist-size serving, veggies in a handful, and fat in thumb-sized servings for main meals.
To Wrap Up
To stay productive and healthy, you must feed your body with nutritious foods. Low energy, a lack of focus, and a struggling immune system may surface if you don’t get the right balance of nutrients to support your body.
With the hacks listed above, there’s no reason not to eat healthy, even if you’re busy. Subscribing to a meal kit, creating a meal plan, using convenient kitchen products, cooking in batches, buying frozen and pre-cut vegetables, and keeping the menu simple are some things you can do to keep up a healthy lifestyle, sans the hassle.
