Modern- day cooking challenges.

If anyone tells you that cooking is easy, don't believe them. Cooking requires preparation, timing, pacing, and an understanding of cooking methods for each ingredient to shine. Oh yes, you can open a cookbook, jot down the ingredients, stop by the grocery store to pick up what you don't have and three hours later you might be able to put a meal on the table resembling the one in the cookbook.

The real challenge for the modern family is to find easy way to feed one or two or more people after a hard day at work, commuting, and collapsing on the couch with no energy left for much else.  EASY EATING, simple fare to fill our stomachs until someone has time to coordinate a real meal is what we need. No wonder we pick up ready chopped vegetables, deli fare, pizza, burgers...

So, what can you do to eat healthy fare and still not be a slave to cooking and shopping and cleaning up?

SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE

Here are the rules:

1. Prepare only one complete meal a week, on  a day when you have more energy and time, and make extras so you can have them as lunches or snacks the rest of the week. One big lasagna, or one whole chicken, or roast.

2. Buy real food in its original state, seasonal fruit and vegetables to last two weeks and stock up on eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt to last a couple of weeks. These will be your stand by when time is really short. Yes, you can have yogurt a few times a week for breakfast and for supper; salads with nuts and cheese will become stand by for lunches and dinner; and omelets and frittata will fill you up beautifully if you throw in extra veggies, peppers, olives, etc.

3. Once a week, as you prepare that weekly big meal, stock up on staples such as rice, pasta, canned beans, canned tomatoes, tuna and sardines, mayo, mustard and ingredients to make your favorite meals you put together from a new recipe, or from a previous one you have learned to make without looking up anything.



Before you know it, you'll be enjoying your own prepared meals more, and your palate, your stomach and your overall health will improve.