Healthy Cooking

9 Tips For Quick, Healthy Cooking (And More Enjoyment In The Kitchen?)

By Christopher Warden

You're changing your lifestyle and want to eat healthy, but the obstacle that keeps tripping you up is the food preparation.

"It takes too much time! Is there any way to make 'eating healthy' quick and easy?"

Sure there is!

You could find a loved one who loves to cook every meal for you... or you could hire a personal chef. But if that's not an option for you right now, here are 9 tips that can make your time in the kitchen "quick" and, perhaps, more enjoyable...

9 Tips For Quick, Healthy Cooking

1. Make Your Preparation More Efficient. There are two main ways to do this:

� Pick a specific day and time to do basic preparations for the week (Sunday afternoon or evening, for example)

� Prepare start food preparations immediately upon returning from your food shopping trip.

Personally, I've always preferred the second option - preparing food immediately after shopping. Separate meats into individual portions before storing in the fridge or freezer. Wash veggies and fruits and store them away. If you're going to be consuming them in short order, cut/chop/julienne/dice/mlanger them and set 'em aside so you don't have to do it when the cooking actually starts. (Note: Always do this food preparation with attention to keeping the food as fresh as possible.)

2. Plan Meals In Advance. Cooking time often increases because you spend time just trying to figure out what to eat in the first place! If you plan your meals in advance (which, frankly, also speeds up your shopping), you can speed up your cooking time. The bonus to this is that, after a few weeks, you'll have a nice Rolodex of recipes to choose from and rotate through.

3. Get Started The Night Before... Or The Morning Of. Pull frozen meat portions out of the freezer to begin thawing. Organize the ingredients you'll need, either together in the fridge or on the counter top, whichever is appropriate. When feasible, do basic food preparation in the form of cutting/chopping/julienne-ing... Pull out the kitchenware you'll need to use. Now you're ready to roll.

4. Prepare Your Kitchen. Do you have all the tools you want/need to get your cooking done effectively and efficiently? If yes, proceed immediately (!) to cooking. If no, time to shop for some kitchenware!

5. Eat Raw. Aside from the obvious that "eating raw" saves on cooking time because, well, there isn't any, consuming lots of quality, organically-raised vegetables and fruits (and some meats) raw, or close to it, actually benefits your body. Essentially, the more "alive" the food is, the more available and beneficial it is for your body. (Think: Life supports life. Dead, or significantly overcooked supports... )

6. Review Your Current Schedule. Are there things you "can't stand" that you can remove from your schedule to create more free time? Remove them! Can you reorganize your schedule to create more time to do what you want? Reorganize it! Of course, if you've got loads of time and the "thing you can't stand" is the cooking and prepping itself, refer to 7 & 8 below... or consult with me and we'll figure out how to help you generate the income for that chef you've been dreaming about.

(Now, heading into "mindset considerations" below... )

7. Remember That Change Isn't Always Easy... And You'll "Get Quicker" With Practice! Stick with this change in lifestyle and cooking habits. Do the best you can, focus, and realize that, with more practice and experience, things will only get easier.

8. Remember What You're Doing This For! The alternative may be ready-made food, but if the ready-made stuff is the junk that was making you unhealthy, less energetic and fat in the first place, what good is it going to do you? To get what you want, this is the route you want (and need!) to take.

9. Recognize That "Slowing Down" Is Okay... And Important! "Oh, the horror!" or "Yeah, right!" are the two most common responses to this one, but is the suggestion really unreasonable? As hard as slowing down can be, it's a great way for you to get in touch with your nature (gathering your food and cooking like this used to be the "norm," after all), with yourself and your dreams. Yep -- the kitchen can be your place of inspiration, even if you're slowing down in quick-like fashion. And who knows, the inspiration you find may make you even more motivated and productive... freeing up even more time to cook!

You're on your way to a healthier, fitter you, and the food you eat (and how you eat it) is a central component to your success -- so stick to it! As the saying goes... "If things don't change... nothing changes!" You are MAKING CHANGE, and by sticking to the simple tips listed above, you'll make all the change you dream of.

Keep it up!

Christopher Warden in an internationally recognized natural health and fitness expert helping people to achieve long-lasting body transformations with his holistic, 'training from the inside-out' approach. You can learn more about him at http://www.christopherwarden.com.

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