Guest blogger Gina Blitstein provides some great ways of looking at taking control of your meals. This really resonates with me because I’m not much of a domestic goddess and stress over meals for my family on a daily basis.

No matter how busy or successful you are, you’ve got to eat. We all know how important a nutritious diet is to keep us at the peak of health and energy. We also know that during the course of a hectic day, food choices can be limited and far from healthy, not to mention outrageously expensive. That’s assuming, however, that we leave our food choices in hands other than our own.

I propose that it is easier than you think to eat well and economically - even when you’re swamped. With a bit of planning and preparation, we can take control of the food that we put into our body and the bodies of those for whom we may cook.

You may say that you can’t cook - or that you don’t like to cook. Well, lots of people who don’t like to exercise get themselves to the gym or out for a walk because they know it’s the right thing to do. You needn’t be Martha Stewart in the kitchen to prepare food that is not only delicious but nutritious and decidedly less expensive than dining out.

If your excuse for not cooking is that you work long hours and that you don’t want to come home to yet another job, I can ease your concern. There is so much cooking that can be prepped ahead of time that, with appropriate planning, a meal can be cooked and served in minutes. Really. It simply takes planning and preparation time that is no more than you’d spend waiting for a table at a restaurant or for your meal to be served. If you have the time to wait, you have the time to prep!

I have been a licensed child care provider for over 20 years and have prepared my share of meals and snacks along the way. Through the years I have picked up some habits and developed some routines that make cooking tasty and nutritious meals a breeze. In all fairness, I must admit that I do love to cook. But even with things we like to do, when we feel we must do them they quickly become drudgery - especially when they are labor-intensive. That’s why my cooking techniques are straightforward and little-to-no fuss.

Here’s an overview of my approach to taking control of meals:

1. Look for inspiration. Set your mind to see a restaurant menu everywhere. Television commercials, the internet, magazines…wherever you see food, act as if you were deciding on a restaurant. Ask yourself, “What kind of food do I want?” Include something that made an impression on you (Asian, Italian, burgers…) in your weekly menu plan.
2. Plan meals in advance. Take stock of what you have on hand in your kitchen. Any inspiration there? A half jar of salsa has turned into a Mexican fiesta at my house! Make a list of a few meals you’d like to make in the next few days. Are there any similarities in ingredients? You can use that to your advantage.
3. Turn shopping time into a search for inspiration. Look for seasonal fruits and vegetables and featured items. These will be particularly tasty and are usually on sale. If ground beef is on sale, for instance, consider hamburgers, tacos, meat sauce for spaghetti…
   
4. Don’t be scared off by recipes. Start simple if you aren’t adept in the kitchen. Don’t overwhelm yourself with complicated recipes. In fact, if you can, don’t even use them. Perhaps read a few recipes so you can get a feel for the types of ingredients that may be included in a certain cuisine or type of food as a point of reference. If you’ve eaten, you know how to make more dishes than you think you do. Experiment with some simple and healthy ingredients like pasta and vegetables. There is really no magic to it.
5. Prepare ingredients in bulk. Start thinking how you can save time by saving steps. For example, if you’re chopping an onion for spaghetti sauce and for topping the hamburgers you’ll be cooking in a couple days, process all the onions at once and put aside the slices until needed. It saves time because you’ve already assembled the cutting board and the knife. You’ll only need to wash them once, too. This strategy can even extend to cooking. You can brown your ground beef for spaghetti sauce and tacos in the same pan too. Store what you don’t need until you cook the second meal. It’s little things like this that can really make a difference time-wise.

Recently I discovered DinnerTool, a web site I wish I’d thought of first. It assists in meal and menu preparation and can point you to recipes based on such criteria as degree of difficulty, cuisine, health restrictions and budget. The recipe finder lets you plug in ingredients and find relevant recipes. Rest assured there is help available to get you on the road to better eating through the ‘do it yourself’ principle.

You don’t have to make the commitment to cook every day. You will see the benefit to your health and wallet even when if you start with a couple of nights a week. Be patient with yourself, and over time the habits will become second nature. My credo is this:

“Food doesn’t need to be fancy to be good, but it must be wholesome. Cooking doesn’t need to be complicated, but uncomplicated doesn’t need to be common.”

So treat yourself to some home cooking - it’s good for you in so many ways.

Who’s in control of your meals?