Time For Cooking

Maximizing my time

Yes, affordable clean eating does require effort and time. But what good is working hard and working late to earn money if I’m too sick or too tired to enjoy eating? Besides, it’s amazing what I can get done in one hour, even half an hour.

Love Leftovers!
Make enough to have leftovers the next day. Buck the trend, eat leftovers for breakfast or lunch. Who says I have to eat boxed cereal in the morning? Seventy years ago, no one knew what boxed cereal was! This is a big one–figure out how to make it happen. When I cook a dinner for 4 and make enough to feed my family again for another meal–that really makes my time worthwhile.

If the leftovers aren’t quite enough for everyone to have a full meal, add hemp seeds or avocados to the leftovers to make the meal more filling. Leftover rice or millet or quinoa or sorghum with avocado, hemp seed and a dressing is a wonderful meal–even throw in a hard boiled egg or chopped up raw veggies.

Plan ahead
That can make a world of difference if I am tired from work. If I know I have something planned and ready to throw together, I am less likely to fall back on the convenience of processed chemical-laden foods. Over the weekend, look at the week ahead and plan what meals will work for each night.

Cook together
Don’t go it alone. Children, spouses, roommates. Are they eating the food? Have them help out.

Remember the book the Little Red Hen? Read it to your family. Again and again. Exactly. No one is entitled to eat without participating in the process. Simple. Be clear. Be consistent with this message. It will get across.