Last week we took a break from talking about healthier meals to focus on Valentine’s Day treats. This week we’re continuing our series on healthier dinners by focusing on tips to save you time and money.
First, it can be helpful to plan your meals for the week in advance. You can consult Web sites, like cookinglight.com and allrecipes.com to find healthier options. Once you have selected the dinner meals for the week, make your grocery list so you have only one trip to the store for the week. Take an inventory of your kitchen so you only buy what you need. Try to pick a less busy time of the week to shop; the busiest times at the grocery store tend to be after work.
Keep things simple as you cook. Do all prep work in an orderly fashion, starting from when you come home from the grocery store. Wash produce to use (or store and refrigerate if you have the extra time), chop all fresh ingredients and place in bowls, then move on to chopping meats.
Lastly, cook larger batches so you have leftovers for the week or leftovers you can freeze. Another time saving method for cooking is to make recipes in the crock pot, so when you walk in from work your meal is ready to go. There are many cookbooks and sites for slow cookery recipes.
Below is an easy lower calorie turkey/bean burrito recipe to make for dinner at home. You can save almost 400 calories and 25 grams of fat with this recipe compared with burritos you typically get when eating out (see label comparison below). Enjoy!
Shredded Turkey and Pinto Bean Burrito
from eatingwell.com
Makes 6 servings
| Ingredients |
Directions |
|
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
6 10-inch whole-wheat flour tortillas or wraps, warmed
3/4 cup grated Monterey or pepper Jack cheese 2 cups shredded green cabbage |
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic, cumin and chile powder and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add tomatoes and lime juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the onions are very soft, 16 to 20 minutes.
4. Stir in turkey (or chicken) and beans and continue cooking until the mixture is heated through, 3 to 5 minutes more. 5. Divide the turkey-bean mixture among tortillas (or wraps). Top each with cheese and cabbage, roll into burritos and serve. |
Rebecca
