5 Tips to Make Cooking at Home Easier

I love food!  I always have, and I always will.  It feels good to get that off my chest.  My infatuation with food started at an early age and has only grown as I have gotten older and began to cook for my own family.

As a pediatric dentist who has been in practice for several years now, I see firsthand what we consume plays a large role in our oral health.  As a mom, this knowledge directs the purchases I make at the grocery store so I can provide my family with healthy snacks and meals.  Early in my marriage, my husband and I made it a priority to eat at home.  This decision was made for several reasons.  Firstly, I was in dental school, and we did not have financial flexibility to eat out on a regular basis.  Secondly, we noticed that we did not feel as good after we did eat out.  And thirdly, I enjoyed the creative aspect of putting a meal together.

My cooking has evolved over the years.  When we were newly married with no children, I did have time to prep a lot of my own vegetables.  With two beautiful girls in our lives now, I do not have as much time to meal prep, so I do tend to let the grocery store do some of my prepping for me.  When I get home from work, I typically have fifteen to thirty minutes at the very most to put food on the table.  Although this sounds impossible, I have found several ways to accomplish this during the week.

1. Have a plan

   I create a flexible meal plan of four to five dinners that I can cook throughout the week. I create my plan the night before I go to the grocery store so I can make sure I have everything I need.

2. Buy prepped or frozen vegetables

   My children always wanted to be a part of the cooking process in some way. I found it easier and safer with my little ones helping to have the vegetables prepared a head of time.  If I had a nickel for every little finger I almost cut off…  Also, frozen vegetables were picked at the peak of ripeness and retain many of the health benefits of freshly picked produce.

3. Defrost your protein ahead of time

   Move your protein from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you cook to allow it time to defrost.

4. Find ways to cook using multiple methods at the same time

   What in the world does that mean?   I may cook pork chops on the stove while the microwave heats up my rice.  While the meat is cooking, I put my salad together.  Voila!

5. Wash dishes as you cook

   One of the hardest parts about eating at home is the cleanup.  I have found some ways to cut corners.  Vegetable steamer bags are a lifesaver for me.  Heat up the veggies in the microwave, and throw the bag away.  The same goes for slow cooker liners.  I also line all my sheet trays with non-stick foil or parchment paper, so I do not have to scrub them clean afterward.

To start, I wanted to share one of my favorite weeknight meals that cannot be simpler, and my kids enjoy it as well: Salmon with Edamame and Corn.  To prepare, I move my salmon from the freezer to the fridge, the night before I cook it.  Salmon is one of my favorite proteins because it cooks up so quickly, and it has incredible health benefits.  For this recipe I typically use one skillet. I sauté the veggies then the salmon. To speed things up, you could cook the veggies and salmon in two separate skillets.

Salmon with Edamame and Corn

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets (4 oz each)
1 TBSP of olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1 TBSP of unsalted butter
6 oz of frozen corn (half of a bag)
8 oz of frozen mukimame (half of a bag of frozen shelled edamame)
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and melt the butter.
                     2. Add the frozen corn, edamame and salt. Sauté for 4 minutes and portion onto four plates or shallow bowls.
                     3. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet.
                     4. Sear the salmon for four minutes then flip and cook for another two minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the salmon and remove from the pan to your plates.

And there you go!  The crisp outside of the salmon is great with the creaminess of the edamame.  The tang of the lemon juice balances out the sweetness of the corn.  Even though you are using frozen vegetables, this meal tastes so fresh to me.  I just adore it, and I hope you do too.