Hacks to get cooking quicker and eating healthier

Life on the fast lane is an understatement today. Being the age of information, we are all aware of what needs to be done: to stay fit, to manage work, to still have a life outside of work, and to catch up, in person, on what began as Whatsapp conversations, with friends.

Seldom do we realise that we add a 25th hour to our day at the expense of our eating. If there is anything most of us, children and adults, would readily compromise on, it’s eating and cooking for a meal. I mean, how are you to make a meal for yourself when you barely have time to take a break from your schedule? Though we realise our health suffers for it, we rarely are able to help it for it is far too tedious to make, and even worse to plan for a meal especially when meat is involved.

Here are a few hacks to help you incorporate meat in to your daily diet while keeping it healthy and easy:

Prep your lunch meat the previous night

Eating healthy has to mean a diet with meat at the heart of it for it is a rich source of nutrients. But cooking for it on a weekday morning would just be asking for a late clock-in at work. Instead of shying away from meats for lunch altogether or opting for takeout, prep your meats while making dinner the previous night. Frying the previous night might make your meat rubbery when reheating the next day. Instead, gill, stew or braise your meats while you cook for dinner and store it in the refrigerator. Reheating the next day will still result in juicy bites of deliciousness.

Skewer meats to portion your meat intake

All of us meat lovers are not strangers to the starve-and-binge routine when we need a pick-me-up after a trying day. Portioning your meals will help keep a tab on your intake. Don’t bring out your weighing scales and gauging apparatus—just skewer your meats; they double as an excuse to grill your meats and serve as a means of monitoring how much you eat in a day.

Opt for white meats for dinners

‘How I long to get home after my tediously long day to cook for an hour or so prepping and marinating meat for the family’ – said no one ever! Choose quick-cooking white meats like seafood and chicken for dinner and save yourself at least an hour of cooking time and a great deal of calories.

If you have a busy day, opt for fish to boost your energy

If you predict a long day at work the next day that might make your pack your toothbrush to be safe, eat fish especially ones rich in Omega-3 as they would keep your energy levels up and help your body and mind stay active so that you forget about that daunting toothbrush in your bag.

Choose meat recipes with fewer ingredients for quicker cooking

All meats deserve respect, which is why seldom will you find avid meat eaters cutting corners while cooking their favourite meat lest they ‘diss’ their unfailing source of pure delight. You can still do justice to your palate and save time with some homework. Look for alternate recipes with fewer ingredients because the lesser the ingredients, the lesser the prep time and the faster the cook.

Cook meat on grills or griddle pans to drain away fat

You do fib, sir, if you say you can stay away from frying your meats! Indulging is the pleasure of any existence so indulge you may, and still stay a bit healthier than usual. Invest in a griddle pan if you don’t have a grill and cook your meats on it instead of in a pan so that you can drain off the excess fat.

One can only eat so much of restaurant food before the reminiscing of home-cooked meals and the anxiety of calories consumed begins. Despite the plethora of food options restaurants may offer, we roll back to our homes for we are designed as it were to DIY our way through life and importantly, food.

Give these hacks a try and comment below to tell us how it did or didn’t work for you.

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