5 expert healthy food hacks so you save time and eat better

Published 1:30 am Saturday, November 5, 2016

1. Rethink fast food: Busy people don’t need fast food they need food fast. Instead of hitting the drive-through, head to the grocery store. You can pick up a whole roasted chicken, frozen veggies, and ready-to-heat sides such as frozen brown rice or quinoa. Heat the vegetables and frozen sides in the time it takes to set the table. You’ll be enjoying a healthy meal in minutes. Use any leftovers to make quick lunches later in the week.

2. Make a meal plan routine: Meal planning is a great way to be certain you have healthy eating options through the week. It can feel daunting if you are not used to this much planning. The good news is, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, after all most of us are already creatures of habit. To keep things simple, make list of 3-4 healthy breakfasts, 3-4 healthy lunches, and 10-14 dinners. Repeat these meals over a few months. Create some variety by changing the vegetables, fruits, or side dishes.

3. Use Greek yogurt for all your creamy condiments: This may sound a little nutty but think about it, how many creamy condiments do you regularly keep on hand? Replacing all of them with yogurt means you only have one thing to store, run out of, and remember while you are shopping. Not only is it a healthy option, yogurt is extremely versatile. From breakfast to baking to dips you’ll find a use for yogurt in every meal and soon forget there was ever any other choice.

4. Freeze lemon and lime zest: If you don’t have a microplane this is the reason to add one to your selection of kitchen tools. When preparing a recipe that calls for fresh lemon or lime juice take a minute or two to zest the fruit before juicing. Save the zest in a small freezer safe container – like a freezer jam jar. The next time a recipe calls for zest simply measure what you need from your stash in the freezer.

5. Keep ginger root in the freezer: The sweet spice of fresh ginger adds pizazz to savory and sweet recipes. Since a little can go a long way you generally wind up buying more than you need. Next time you buy a ginger root pick out a larger one then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, drop it into a freezer baggie and store it in the freezer. Frozen ginger is easy to grate (another reason for a microplane) and maintains that pop of flavor. You can quickly shave off as much as you need then re-wrap the rest to another use.

Rose McAvoy is an Everett freelance food writer who focuses on healthy eating for families. Her website is www.halfhersize.com.