Tips and Tricks for Busy People

I work from home now, so cooking is a lot easier. If I want to make something elaborate like lemon curd cupcakes with a blackberry cream cheese frosting, I can. But before the powers that be allowed me to work from home, I would get home at 7pm depending on traffic and be completely too tired to cook anything. So I basically, I ate fast food. It occurred to me that I should plan ahead, but on my days off, who wants to do anything resembling work? Not I.

Not everyone is a stay-at-home mom or dad, retired, or works from home. Some of you have to go into the office and not come home to a home cooked meal. So here are some tips and tricks to make your life a litter easier, a little bit healthier and a little bit of a food change.

• PLAN AHEAD
• Don't wait until the last minute to throw something together. Before you go grocery shopping, know what meals you are going to be making until your next shopping trip. Include everything. Including snacks. You don't have to make a schedule, but you should know what foods you are going to eat for the day, say on Tuesday.
• If you buy stuff like chips, baby carrots and other little snacks, separate your portions into a plastic baggy. Dedicate a section of your refrigerator and cabinet just for these little snacks. 
• Make for the week on your day off. I know, it sucks to do this on a day off, when you can be out at the beach having fun, but a little work during that day, can save you time for the rest of week. Make a batch of meat sauce (add in some carrots and zucchini) and freeze the entire batch. Make lasagna and put in the freezer uncooked. Season some boneless chicken breasts, bake, and chop them up, bag them up for quick chicken salads. Make a smoothie the night before so that you can drink on the way to work. There are tons of things you can do, to easy your work days.
• KEEP A WELL STOCKED KITCHEN
• Having the basics on hand means you can cook an easy meal in minutes. For example, the other day, I was just down to some frozen meat and the bare essentials, I was able to make a nice meal of blueberry pancakes from scratch because I had the basics. 
• Keep things that you can cook when frozen. For example, I love beef kielbasa and frozen mixed vegetables. I can chop up the frozen kielbasa and throw it in a pot in ten minutes I have a somewhat nutritious meal for lunch or dinner. 
• Freeze your leftovers. If you're getting sick of your leftovers, freeze them in single serving size containers. I save all of the sour cream, cream cheese, and other such containers just for these occasions. It's good for the environment, saves you money, and if something gets moldy, you can throw the container away without regret. 
• INVEST IN A CROCK POT
• I love my crock pot. I make soups and chili in it. I make overnight oatmeal in it. I throw a whole chicken in it, beef brisket, ropa vieja. The sky's the limit. The night before, I prep all of the ingredients so that in the morning before I've brushed my teeth, I can just dump them in, give a quick stir and set on low, and know that when I come home, a hot meal is waiting for me. 
• FYI: cooking in a crock pot is a great way to make a low fat meal. Make sure to use lean cuts of meat. Because the heat is low and the cooking is slow, the meat gets really juicy. With chicken, watch out, because when it's done, you can literally cut through the bone with a spoon.
• MAKE SOUPS AND SALADS
• Soups keep well in the fridge for about a week. They freeze well too. 
• You can cook up from chicken or steak on your day off. Slice them and freeze or refrigerate them. Add them to a salad. There are thousands of types of salads out there. I'm working on a recipe that involves watermelon and cilantro. Get creative. You can make your own salad dressings by experimenting with different types of vinegars and oils. I love fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil.