Find you’re too busy to cook healthy meals or exercise regularly?
That’s why I created Back to Basics App.
And that’s why I take shortcuts to help me be healthy without dieting.
If I didn’t, I’d be eating Pad Thai every night while paying for Sam, the delivery guy’s upcoming wedding in Bali!
While I wish Sam the best, I prefer to save my money, time AND eat healthily.
So if you have no time to cook, here are some of my favourite tricks to save you time (and money) and help you cook healthy meals consistently.
No time to cook?
Here are my time-saving tips when cooking:
1. Get a mandoline (also known as a V-Slicer).
This nifty (and affordable) kitchen gadget will save you time in the kitchen and you’ll wish you bought one sooner.
I use mine to chop carrots, cucumber, zucchini, lettuce and cabbage… you get the idea.
Just be sure your fingers are far from the blade to keep things safe.
2. Take shortcuts.
Literally. Buy smaller cuts of meat.
The smaller the meat is cut, the quicker it cooks. Go for mince, stir-fry strips…
These cuts of meat are also more affordable. I’ll often use these cuts of meats in Back to Basics recipes to save you time and money.
3. Blend your vegetables.
If it needs to be chopped, I blend it.
Ingredients like onion, carrot, mushrooms, zucchini, capsicum, herbs, garlic are coarsely chopped in a food processor. Perfect for soup, sauces and almost everything.
If I’m making beef bolognese, you bet I’m also adding in as many blended veggies as possible – plus some lentils for added fibre and nutrition. And the kids? They won’t even know!
4. Cook once. Eat twice.
Double up every recipe so there’s always leftovers for lunch. Or store extras in the freezer.
In my Back to Basics app, you can easily scale each recipe to suit how many serves you want to make.
AND add all ingredients to your shopping cart with one-click.
5. Load up on ‘pantry heroes’.
Some ingredients are sassy. They pack a lot of flavour, without much work.
Examples include balsamic glaze, curry paste, Harissa paste, ready-made marinades and those handy spice mixes like ‘Italian herbs’, ‘Roast vegetables’ and ‘Mexican spice’.
My pantry is always well stocked with pantry heroes, ready to spice up my meals.
Other ingredients I always have on hand include: vegetable stock, tins of tomatoes, tins of chickpeas, lemons or limes, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, quinoa and couscous.
6. Outsource when you can.
I buy ready-made marinades for fish and meat.
And I love pre-chopped vegetables (like pre-cut coleslaw mixed, ready-to-go stir-fry veggie packs, frozen and chopped bags of onion).
I’ll do anything to save time because then I find I cook more often. And when it comes to health, consistency is far more valuable than occasionally being perfect.
7. Try one-pan and one-pot meals.
Want plenty of flavour with minimal washing up or prep time? One-pan and one-pot meals are a serious time-saver.
There are plenty of simple and healthy recipes inside my Back to Basics App– try it 7 days free!
