Juggling meal preparation with a busy schedule and budget constraints can be challenging, even for cooking enthusiasts. Cami Wells Sometimes, we need to take shortcuts to prepare meals quickly or opt for cost-effective ingredients. Here are helpful tips: 1.
Fruits and vegetables don’t always have to be fresh. Frozen and canned produce can be budget-friendly and time-saving alternatives when you need out-of-season items or want foods that stay fresher longer. 2.
Use an air fryer or toaster oven. Small, convenient, and quick-to-heat appliances can save both time and money. They’re perfect for roasting vegetables and reheating leftovers like pizza.
A great way to save time in the kitchen is to use an air fryer or toaster oven. Small, convenient, and quick-to-heat appliances can save both time and money. They’re perfect for roasting vegetables and reheating leftovers like pizza.
3. Feel free to make ingredient substitutions in recipes. If you’re missing a specific item, consider basic ingredient swaps using items already in your pantry before rushing to the store.
While the final dish may vary slightly from the original, you might discover a new favorite: https://go.unl.edu/substitutions 4.
Lean toward using dried instead of fresh herbs. Yes, fresh herbs can add wonderful flavor to dishes, but they are also often expensive and highly perishable. A general rule of thumb is to use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh.
5. Don’t have time to chop onions? Use 2 tablespoons of dried onions or minced onions in place of 1⁄2 cup of chopped fresh onion. You can also find frozen, chopped onion at most grocery stores, or freeze extras at home when you are pinched for time.
6. Using a food thermometer. A food thermometer is the only way to really know if food is thoroughly cooked, and that it has reached a temperature that will destroy any harmful bacteria.
It can also save guessing time trying to decide when food is done and prevent overcooking! Fresh Salsa (Pico de Gallo) (Pico de Gallo) Wash hands with soap and water. Clean tomatoes, cilantro and avocado but gently rubbing under cold running water. Clean the onion by scrubbing with a clean vegetable brush under running water.
Wash the peppers (if using). Prepare vegetables as directed. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.
Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve within 4 to 5 hours. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information per serving: Calories 30, total fat 1.
5g, saturated fat 0g, cholesterol 0mg, sodium 40mg, total carbohydrates 4g, fiber 1g, total sugars 2g, includes 0g added sugars, protein 1g, vitamin d 0%, calcium 0%, iron 0%, potassium 4%. Recipe from: Delicious Heart Healthy Latino Recipes from N HLBI Cami Wells is an Extension Educator for Nebraska Extension in Hall County. Contact Cami by phone at 308-385-5088, by email at cwells2@unl.
edu or visit the Hall County website at www.hall.unl.
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