Minimalist Cooking

You probably have a busy schedule if you’re like many people in Calgary, Canada. Cooking can cut into that schedule, and eating carry-out can be expensive and unhealthy. If you want to streamline meals and get out of the kitchen, try minimalist cooking to simplify your lifestyle. You’ll still be busy but have more time to do things you enjoy. There are no rules in this cooking style, just tips and tricks to simplify making meals. Even if you love to cook, you can use it when you need a few more hours in the day.

You can save time and money using leftovers.

You can get creative and reduce the grocery bill by using leftovers. Top a salad with leftover meat and veggies, or make Buddha bowls with leftover grain, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and your favorite sauce or dressing. Think leftover grain or quinoa topped with veggies you grilled or steamed the previous night. You can use any vegetable. If steamed broccoli was on the menu the night before and butternut squash a day earlier, don’t let those go to waste sitting in the refrigerator. Heat them or use them cold in the Buddha bowl. Toss in lentils, like black beans or chickpeas, sprinkle on something crunchy for texture, and drizzle with your favorite sauce or dressing.

Keep it simple and have a plan.

Keep your refrigerator stocked and ready to go. Shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. When you get home, cut vegetables into serving sizes as you would for a veggie tray and put them in plastic bags. If you have a melon, cut it into bite-sized pieces and store it in the refrigerator. Throughout the week, you have snacks, veggies and dip, stir-fry ingredients, and salad fixings ready for several meals.

Let your appliances do the cooking.

Instead of spending hours at the stove, try a hands-off cooking technique. Find recipes you can cook quickly using an air fryer, slow cooker, or Instant Pot. Focus on one-dish meals that are cooked together. If you’re roasting chicken, surround it with seasoned vegetables. It takes two steps. If you already have cut vegetables in the fridge ready to use, put several kinds of vegetables with potatoes in a roasting pan and season them. Use the same seasoning for the chicken in a separate bowl and top the mix. Cook at 375 for about an hour.

• Use canned or frozen fruits and vegetables when possible. Frozen foods are as nutritious and fresh. Canned produce comes in a close second.
• Use a meal planning app. The app provides a week’s planned meals. You cook the week’s meals in one day. You use many of the ingredients in multiple ways.
• Cook a double batch and freeze meals or ingredients. Put a whole chicken in the air fryer or bake it. Divide it into sections and use it that night, freezing the rest in individual bags to use later.
• Organize your kitchen so there’s less clutter. Pack up utensils and dishes you seldom use. Clean the clutter off the counter. Keep your kitchen clutter at a minimum. It takes less clean-up time when you finish.

For more information, contact us today at Get RIPPED! by Jari Love