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13 meal preparations to save kitchen time

we all did it: stare at the fridge for five minutes, then order pizza. " "Waiting until the last minute to choose what we eat can lead to bad choices because when we move from one place to another, we really can't make the right decisions and we don't have the tools to make healthy choices," said Jaime mass, a registered dietitian in Florida. The boss of Jaime mass nutrition.

but if you cook ahead of time, you will not only eat healthier, but also save time and money, said Casey Moulton, founder of kitchen karate, a family cooking method that allows you to cook 15 different meals in two hours. are you ready? Start with these 13 simple tips.

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1. Cook once a week. Choose one day a week, if not all, do most of the shopping and cooking well. It sounds like a huge time commitment, says Kathy Morton of karate kitchen, but doing everything at the same time means you only need to preheat the oven once, chop meat and vegetables once, and clean the kitchen once. For example, it takes about 10 minutes to chop up all the ingredients in a meal. However, Moulton says it takes about 40 minutes to cut all the ingredients for 15 meals at a time. This can save a lot of time! However, resist the temptation to cook two, three or four weeks in advance. Most cooked food is kept fresh in the refrigerator for about a week.

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2. Keep it simple. "

" try practical, easy to master recipes with familiar ingredients, "says chef Candice kumai." after all, you just want to simplify your life, not master the art of sushi rolls. " "Make sure you stay comfortable," she said. Start with a recipe with just a few steps and some of your favorite ingredients, "once you start to be more confident in your abilities, try to rotate from time to time on a slightly more complex plate. It will help you expand your skills and enjoy new recipes without adding too much stress.

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consider the schedule for each food. Some foods are more sensitive to the passage of time than others. For example, berries and vegetables such as spinach and arugula: they soon become mushy. So, nutritionist Jaime MAS says it's usually best to eat earlier this week. Chef Candice kumai says if you prepare salads, if you put condiments and oils in a separate container, they will stay crisp longer. She also pointed out that the thinner salad vegetables of kale are more suitable for eating. When you're ready to dig, it drizzles. In addition, although you may like to put avocados in salads or slice apples for snacks, it's better not to slice or slice them before you are ready to eat.

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4. Fill up your fridge.

life will happen even if the meal is prepared according to plan a. Sometimes you run out of food in your fridge. At that time, it was convenient to put half a dozen prepared meals in the refrigerator, "said Jaime mass, a nutritionist. Most cooked meat can be kept in the refrigerator for two to six months. Soups can also be stored well in the fridge, and you can divide them into parts and keep them for up to three months. So pick up a permanent marker and write the date of eating on it. If you don't want to write directly on Tupperware, you can put the container in a freezer bag and write the date on it.

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5. Use slow hot pot. Nutritionist Jaime mass said that whether you have a crazy schedule, you don't have much confidence in your cooking ability, or you just like juicy dishes with rich flavor, the slow stew pot is amazing. Haven't you? It's time to invest. Although a small 2.5 Quart slow cooker is a good choice for those with tight cabinet space, a 7 Quart slow cooker can cook more than 10 meals at a time. All you have to do is plug in the cooker, throw in some chopped vegetables, meat, spices and liquids, and walk away. Most recipes require a slow cooking of ingredients in four to eight hours, which means you can cook while you're out running, working or even sleeping.

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6. Do not discard frozen food. It is convenient and nutritious to freeze broccoli and blueberry in one bag. According to a 2013 study by the University of Chester, the vast majority of frozen foods have higher antioxidants and other nutrients than fresh agricultural products. For example, in the study, it was found that compared with fresh carrots, the lutein and β - carotene contents of frozen carrots were three and two times higher than those of fresh carrots, and the vitamin C and polyphenol contents were also higher. " "They're picked when they're freshest, and then frozen so they don't lose nutrients in transit from farm to store," said Jaime mass, a nutritionist. Go on, eat again. How about if preparing meals means that you eat four servings of frozen Greek yogurt cakes a week? " "It's not a bad thing to eat repeatedly, especially if it helps you get on the right track and enjoy what you eat," said Jaime mass, a nutritionist. After all, it's a simple time saver to cook a large number of dishes and eat them in a week. However, in order not to get bored, you may want to mix the foods you eat repeatedly every week, mass said. For example, one week you may want to make a large quantity of quinoa salad, and one week you may want to make a large pot of Turkey chili. Don't forget to snack! Just because it's called "meal preparation" doesn't mean you should only prepare a rich main course, says Jaime mass, a nutritionist. It also helps to plan snacks. After all, some of the worst dietary decisions happen at work, with stress and hunger. Putting a week's snack in a separate container can help you resist temptation, says mass. The biscuits, almonds and dried fruits are all good choices that are not easy to disinfect. But resist the temptation to buy a single snack package. Chef CandiceAccording to Candice kumai, a mouthful of food is more expensive than a normal sized box, just because they are packed with 100 calories doesn't mean they are healthy. If you have an office fridge and believe that your colleagues won't steal your food, you can also bring perishable snacks, such as yogurt, cheese, carrots and sweet pepper slices. Use ingredients in a variety of recipes. For novice cooks, buying accurate recipes may help. But for those who are going to get some creative licenses, finding ingredients you can use in a variety of dishes can save you time and money, says Kathy Morton of kitchen karate. For example, if you buy a whole bunch of tomatoes, boil them, and then divide them into pies, packages, and salads. You can save cooking time and not throw away the money. " Walk into the store and know how much protein, grains and vegetables you need. When you get home, use up what you buy creatively.

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10. Form an assembly line. Instead of preparing and cooking each meal separately, focus on cooking everything at once - just in stages. After all, almost every ingredient requires a combination of washing, chopping, seasoning and cooking. So as soon as you get home from the grocery store, wash every ingredient you need, slice, chop, chop. Next, light up all four of your ovens and cook six ingredients at the same time using your two grills. If you have more than six ingredients to cook, just rotate the other ingredients after cooking. Then all you have to do is mix and match to make your food.

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11. Add some spice! Kitchen karate's Kathy Morton said that when you eat chicken for three days in a row, seasoning is essential to overcome the boredom of taste buds. He uses one or more of the following seasonings for every meal: salt, pepper, onion, garlic and olive oil. They are one of the most widely used condiments in the world, creating a delicious taste for adding more herbs and spices. According to Morton, a little basil in one dish and a little curry in the other can make two seemingly similar chicken and onion dishes taste very different. Bonus: herbs and condiments are rich in healthy antioxidants and can greatly enhance the flavor of food without increasing sodium intake. Said Jaime mass, a nutritionist. Take a walk in the hallway of the spice shop and get ready for stock.

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12. Upgrade your kitchen tools. Kathy Morton of kitchen karate says experienced meal preparers can benefit from investing in the right tools. For example, think of your pots and pans: can you put them on the stove at the same time? If so, you can cook more food in a shorter time.

Morton also suggests putting your food room oils and grapevines in labeled spray and squeeze bottles for quick and easy processing. (also, if you spray instead of pouring it out of the bottle, you are less likely to overuse the high calorie oil.) Sealed plastic containers can also be used to store grains such as rice, quinoa and rye flour. On each lid, write down any relevant cooking instructions. It's much easier than handling boxes, bags and clothes clips.

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13. Clean up your fridge. Kathy Morton, of karate in the kitchen, said she packed her meals for a week and put them in the fridge. For simplicity, he suggests using every shelf in the fridge for a different meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you want to get rid of the whole "what lunch should I take to work today"? The problem is, consider putting a date on each meal that you plan to eat. So you can eat from the front to the back of the refrigerator. In addition, if you plan to eat every meal at any time, you can make sure that every day's protein, grain, fruit and vegetables are diverse.

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What do you think?

are you ready to eat now? If so, how does it help you eat healthier? Does it relieve your cooking pressure? Which of the following suggestions are most helpful to you? Do you have any suggestions to add? Please leave a message below, let us know!

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