Yummy Yummy: Home Cooking Made Simple

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By mia bolaris-forget

With all the wonderful restaurants, bistros, etc. from Montauk to Manhattan eating well becomes quite the challenge for many Island gals and their families. Add in a hectic and busy lifestyle with little time and energy to cook and you have a recipe for mealtime disaster.

Still with the increasing emphasis on health and fitness, we are all well aware of the bountiful benefits of working up an appetite (via some rigorous daily exercise) and the need to feed that appetite with healthful fare to keep us looking and feeling fabulous.

But, home cooking takes time and effort, and that’s the two things most of us “don’t” have. But, now it seems you can have your cake (or meal) and eat it too. Some expert suggestions to help tip the scales in your favour.

· Use the weekend to cook up batches of some of your favourite recipes and freeze in both single and multiple serve portions. You can easily remove from the freezer and reheat or allow to thaw out and pack in your and your family’s lunches. It’s also a good idea to label containers, date it, and even consider including a “use by” date.

· Keep extra rice and pasta on hand (whole wheat of course). Both are easy to cook and can be used in a variety of foods including soups and stews. For larger families with lots of big and little mouths to feed, consider precooking rice and pasta and simply adding to recipes, including omelettes, as needed.

· Precut some fruits and veggies and store, making it easy to “toss” together a salad or add to omelets, soups, stews, sandwiches, etc. Store meats, chicken, fish, individually (if you have a small family) making it easier to thaw out and cook when needed.

· Stock up on standard ingredients. Keep condiments such as mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper, onions, garlic, etc. that can spice up almost any meal in minutes.

· Stock up on simple ingredients such as eggs, veggies, past, etc, that can mean making a healthy meal in minutes instead of ordering in or eating out.

Long Island Home & Lifestyle Articles > Yummy Yummy: Home Cooking Made Simple