Time Saving Tips For Meals In Minutes

While many moms enjoy creating quality, home-cooked meals for their families, they often seek new ways to fit cooking into their busy schedules.  As a cookbook author and working mom, Holly Clegg understands the importance of smart solutions that allow moms to be more time-savvy, making time spent in the kitchen more efficient and enjoyable.  That is why Holly is offering the following tips and strategies to help moms dramatically cut down on meal preparation time and clean up, so they can spend more time at the dinner table. 

Bulk Up Your Batches: Whenever inspiration in the kitchen strikes, take the opportunity to cook multiple batches of recipe ingredients to store for use later in the week.  Cooking double or even triple the portions of rice, beans, pasta and veggies can be a perfect way to make mealtimes creative and easy.  Simply mix and match last night’s leftover sauce with chicken breasts and tonight’s rice and veggies, and you have a new and delicious meal ready in minutes.

 Don’t Pout, Leave It Out: If you’re in a time crunch and can’t run to the store to grab an ingredient, leave it out or adapt the recipe.  Cooking should be a creative process, so take the stress out of your kitchen and substitute or skip an ingredient you don’t have (or like!).  If you don’t have sesame oil when making my Sesame Ginger Chicken with Tyson® Grilled & Ready™ Whole Breast Fillets, just use olive or canola oil instead—no one will know the difference because it will taste just as great!

Cut Corners: Stock your fridge, freezer and pantry with simple shortcuts to turn to when you are in a mealtime bind.  Keeping items like bottled lemon juice and minced garlic in your refrigerator are easy shortcuts that will add loads of flavor without adding more prep time. You can also try freezing leftover veggies as an easy and flavorful addition to a stir fry, pasta or veggies. 

 Pick Pre-packaged Products: Embrace recipe-ready ingredients that will eliminate kitchen stress and prep-time.  Use items such as bread mixes that only require water, canned soups and bases, frozen and pre-chopped veggies and pre-cooked protein like Tyson® Grilled & Ready ™Whole Breast Fillets that are tender and juicy and ready in minutes straight from the microwave. You can put a creative spin on these items by adding your own spices, sauce or cooking method to make a quick and delicious original meal. 

 Seal in Freshness:  Love using fresh herbs but don’t always have time to clean and chop? Buy fresh herbs in bulk the next time you are at the store then chop and freeze them to use when needed.  This will not only save prep time, but will bring a quick and easy boost of flavor to favorite dishes.  Maybe add:  Remember 3 parts fresh herb to 1 part fresh.  3 tablespoons fresh herbs=1 teaspoon dried herb (put something like that)

 Embrace Your Gadgets: Say goodbye to the old slice-and-dice method and turn to trusty kitchen essentials to do the work for you. Use kitchen scissors to chop fresh herbs and dried fruits; a peeler for carrots, apples, cucumbers and potatoes; a salad spinner to dry off recently-washed lettuce and a food chopper to cut veggies, nuts and cooked meats. Using these tools will reduce kitchen prep time and help with the overall presentation of your meals. Heat resistant spatula?

 Get Snazzy With Sauce: If your dish calls for sauce, make it ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it.  Then, when you’re ready to cook, place it in the microwave or stovetop to thaw.  For my Lemon Dijon Chicken, create the sauce ahead of time, and when it’s time for dinner, simply pour over Tyson ®Grilled & Ready™ Whole Breast Fillets before heating in the microwave.  Add it to your favorite pasta and you will have a delicious, grilled chicken pasta dinner in less than five minutes!

 

Spring Ahead on Clean Up: Everyone is familiar with the saying “clean while you cook,” but it can be easier than you think! After your prep and cooking is complete and you’re ready to sit down for your family meal, put those messy pots and pans back on the heat.  Fill them with a mixture of water and soap or water and vinegar, set to a low simmer, and check on them periodically while you enjoy your delicious hard work. And watch the pots come clean or something that the stuff comes off the pan.

 Holly developed these tips Tyson

For more information on Tyson® Grilled & Ready ™Whole Breast Fillets and to learn more about Holly Clegg’s recipes that give families a jump start on meals, please visit GrilledandReady.com.