Making Life less Stressful in the Kitchen by Mrs. Dorothy
Barron
Sometimes Parents feel guilty when pulling up more
often at a fast food drive-through rather than preparing meals at home. Many
Parents no longer have time to prepare time consuming home cooked meals; however,
many enjoy sitting down to a delicious home-cooked nutritious meal prepared by
someone else or themselves when they have time. Many turn to their favorite
restaurants and/or grocery delis, many of which have become more accommodating
to consumers’ needs and desires. Most prepared foods cost more than foods not prepared
and may for some be out of your budget. So how do you still get or prepare
nutritious meals which appear as if you have put a lot of time and effort in
preparation and make life less stressful?
We
offer for your consideration 3 Ways to make life less Stressful in
the kitchen:
·
Add
to the Fast Food Meal:
Prepare at home in advance side dishes such as Cole slaw; or purchase mini-ears of corn – items that can quickly be prepared and/or served with no hassle and still provide a well-balanced meal.
·
Add
to Purchased Ingredients
When
shopping and you find food items that are no more expensive than those not prepared
and/or are on sale, purchase the food item(s) and add extra ingredients to
increase the amount. For example: a purchased Rotisserie chicken - deboned and
chopped with other chopped ingredients such as boiled eggs, onions, celery
mixed with salad dressing or mayo and a pinch of dried herbs and spices thrown
in nets a large bowl of homemade chicken salad. Serve on a bed of lettuce with steamed
baby carrots or carrot sticks and ½ - 1 oz. of your favorite multi-grain chips.
·
One-Dish Meals or Casseroles
One wonderful thing about a one –dish meal
(name both defines and describes) is the one dish contains the meal. My
favorites ranging from easy to time consuming are Quiche and Chicken Pot Pie.
Since we are talking about less-time consuming meals, we had best stick with
the Quiche. The wonderful thing about a quiche is that it can be prepared and served
as a breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner dish; it is also very simple to prepare.
Most of your food groups can be added to this one dish: grain (bread crust);
diary (eggs, milk and cheese), Meats (finely chopped or sliced meats such as sausage,
pepperoni, bacon, etc.); and any type chopped vegetables (onions, peppers,
celery, mushrooms, chives). Serve the quiche with a fresh slice of fruit or
fruit cup; your favorite beverage (milk, lemonade, or a cold brewed glass of herbal
tea) and if serving for lunch or dinner, add at green salad. You have both a
beautiful and nutritious meal.
At a later date, I will share a third way for making
life less stressful in the kitchen; it is perhaps my favorite!
Mrs.
Dorothy Barron, Founder
