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SMART TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MEALS
Preparing food at home can be a great way to save money, express creativity and stay on track with healthful eating.
Keep a Well-Stocked Pantry
A well-stocked kitchen can relieve some of the stress when it comes to making meals. Some items to keep on hand include:
- Dried or canned beans such as black, garbanzo, kidney, white and pinto beans
- Frozen vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, carrots
- Canned tomatoes with no salt added
- Whole grains such as brown rice, oats, and whole-grain pasta)
- Pouches or canned fish and chicken
- Olive, canola or other vegetable oils
- Dried herbs and spices
- Frozen fruit such as berries, peaches, mangos and bananas
- Whole wheat pizza dough
- Frozen poultry or seafood
No time to cook?
Try some of these ideas that don’t require following a recipe.
For example:
- Bake fish or chicken with sautéed veggies and rice.
- Black bean and vegetable burrito.
- Scrambled eggs with cheese, salsa and whole grain toast
- Whole grain pasta with garbanzo beans and canned tomatoes, seasoned with basil and served with a medley of microwave frozen vegetables on the side.
- Salad with lettuce, hard boiled eggs, tuna, tomatoes and olives and dressed with a little olive oil and vinegar.
- Soup using grilled or baked chicken, low-sodium broth, veggies and brown rice.
Or try a crockpot recipe that can be made with common foods you may already have on hand:
Black Bean Corn Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 can drained black beans
1 can drained corn (or frozen)
1 jar of your favorite salsa
Place frozen chicken breasts in crock pot, pour black beans, corn and salsa over chicken breast. Cook on high for 3-4 hour or low for 6-7 hours.
Remove chicken, shred and return to crock.
Serve with lime, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream or other toppings as desired.
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