My Holiday Cooking Shortcuts
4 minute read
My popular holiday cooking shortcut, Tex Mex Chili recipe is below.
Give yourself the gift of taking holiday cooking shortcuts to alleviate stress and enjoy your holiday. Here are a few of my thoughts on how to make life easier without sacrificing flavor, nutrition or resorting to take out and overly processed foods.
Go Semi-Homemade
My clients know I am very pro-cooking, but sometimes taking shortcuts can turn a potential take-out night into a total kitchen win. For example:
● Grab a rotisserie chicken and incorporate it into soups or chilies so you can reap the benefits of high-quality protein without spending extra time cooking it. Shred the chicken and stuff lettuce leaves with a squeeze of lime for lunch.
● Start with your favorite frozen cauliflower pizza dough, then add your favorite jarred sauce (find one that’s organic without a lot of sugar added) and vegetable toppings plus a sprinkle of flavorful cheese to make it a meal!
● Buy pre-chopped or frozen produce, especially those hard-to-manage vegetables that are more time-intensive to prepare. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and roast for a side dish or added to salads during the week.
Cook Once, Eat Twice
Batch cooking is an efficient way to keep up with your healthy eating goals no matter what time of year. It essentially means cooking more than what you need in the moment so you can take advantage of having all of your cooking tools and gadgets out. Not to be confused with leftovers (and I do love leftovers), batch cooking refers to one component so you can repurpose it later. For instance:
● Need rice or quinoa for your Monday night meal? Make a large batch so you can easily incorporate it in salads and grain bowls all week long.
● Making hard-boiled eggs? It takes the same amount of time to make six as it does to make two. Enjoy as a snack, crumble into salads, or mash with some avocado.
● Baking sweet potatoes? Make a few more than you need and you’ll have the base for an easy, customizable lunch ready to go. You can also puree or mash the flesh for baked goods and use in place of pumpkin in a recipe.
Sheet Pan and One Pot Meals
Raise your hand if your least favorite part of cooking is the clean up. I feel you! Make it easier on yourself by searching for one-dish meals to seriously cut down on time spent doing the dishes. Here are a few to get you started:
● Create baking pockets by lining foil with unbleached parchment then crimping for perfectly roasted fish that stays juicy, never dry.
● Roasting your favorite protein with seasonal produce is a tasty no-fuss way to incorporate a few servings of vegetables into a meal
● Still haven’t learned how to use your Instant Pot? Now would be a good time! You can get frozen proteins to the table fast with this safe and simple pressure cooker. I especially like to use my instant pot for a quick pot roast and vegetables.
Barbara’s Tex Mex Chili: My favorite one pot meal:
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced (may substitute 1 tablespoon of garlic powder)
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 (15 oz) can tomatoes (fire roasted are best)
2 cups any stock (beef stock is best but use what you have on hand)
1 (14.5 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
1 tsp salt, to taste
1 Tbs chili or taco powder, to taste
Directions
Sauté onions, garlic and ground beef (or turkey) gently until soft and fragrant.
Add chili (or taco) powder to pot and continue to sauté over low heat for 2 - 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20-30 minutes.
Stir in beans. Season with salt. Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve.
Optional: Serve over steamed cauliflower rice and top with avocado, lime juice, shredded cheese, plain yogurt or salsa.
Want to talk about how I can help you put healthy no hassle meals together? Click here.
