This Friday, we decided to go on a nature trail as a family. Fridays are short these days and we had minimal time to prepare for Shabbat. I've often been asked how to prepare healthy meals quickly and I'd like to share how we did that this week.
Some shortcuts and hacks to prepare easy, simple and healthy food when you are short on time or just "lazy" : 1. Soup - we made a "green soup" that was comprised of all frozen vegetable bags - take out of the freezer and dump in a pot! Frozen onions, frozen garlic cubes, frozen broccoli and frozen cauliflower. The only thing we chopped was zucchini - took 2 minutes. We had lots of fun "toppings" that added some excitement and crunch (croutons, soup nuts, chickpea noodles, etc.) 2. Salmon/Chicken/Tofu - we used a marinade/dressing that we had prepared during the week, poured it on and crushed some pecans by hand and topped the protein. Bake and enjoy! 3. Sides - baby potatoes are an easy and quick option. Wash, throw in a pan and season. Frozen vegetable of your choice - carrots, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli - pour into a pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, etc. Bake until crispy. 4. Salads - great option that does not require pre-Shabbat prep. We used pre-washed and pre-checked lettuce, cherry tomatoes, grated carrots in a bag, chopped up some cucumbers and peppers and added a yummy dressing - voila! Prepared Shabbat morning in a few quick minutes! 5. Quick dessert - chocolate bark - melt 80% chocolate in the microwave and then pour on a cookie sheet. Add craisins, nuts, or any other additions you like. Put in the fridge until it hardens and break into pieces. Alternatively, cut up fresh fruit on Shabbat and eliminate the pre-Shabbat prep entirely (we did both).
There you have it. Our prep took about 45 minutes and we enjoyed delicious, nutritious food over shabbat! Sometimes it is great to go all-out with food prep, but sometimes seizing the moment, enjoying time with your family and making memories trumps hours of prep in the kitchen.
Carpe Diem!
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