Home Cooking Made Easy

It might seem like dialing up for dinner or hitting the drive-through is so much easier than firing up the stove, but there are endless benefits to whipping up your own meal. And believe it or not, if you know a few quick shortcuts, you can have a delicious dinner on the table in less time than it would take for the delivery guy to get to your house.

If you're cooking for just yourself, check out the Solo Suppers section to learn why it's worth the extra effort and how to make quick and easy eats for one. Whipping up a meal for the whole crew? Take a peek at Family Food; you'll learn just how healthy a home-cooked meal can be for you and your family, and how to get dinner on the table in just minutes.

Solo Suppers

If you're a single diner, you may be thinking, why bother going through all the fuss to cook dinner for just myself? But you can cook a healthful meal in a few minutes, and enjoy it all week long. Plus, you'll save calories and cash! Check out these strategies for solo chefs.

Divide and conquer. Many recipes in The Best Life Diet and on TheBestLife.com as well as those in most cookbooks serve four to six people. To enjoy them yourself, simply divide all of the ingredients by the number of servings listed. This works well with meat, fish, poultry and tofu dishes. For instance, if a recipe that serves four calls for a pound of flank steak, you just buy and cook with a quarter pound. It's harder to divide soup and grain-based recipes, as a certain volume of liquid is needed in order to maintain the integrity of the finished product. You can often halve the recipe, then you've got just two or three servings deal with—you can always freeze leftovers as individual portions to eat later. These ready-made meals will come in handy on a busy night.

Take cooking shortcuts. You don't have to slave in front of a stove all day long to cook a healthy dinner. In fact, there are many shortcuts, like using frozen veggies or rotisserie chicken, that can save you several minutes of cooking time. For instance, add frozen vegetables and a chopped veggie burger, tofu or grilled chicken to a serving of soup from a can or carton. Always keep whole-wheat or a fiber-enriched pasta like Barilla Plus on hand. You can easily make one serving at a time. Or you can make two or three servings, as long as you're not tempted to overeat, and store them in the fridge for a few days. Top your pasta with canned or jarred tomato sauce, and use the rest of the sauce to jazz up frozen or fresh veggies or for individual pizzas.

Think small. Buy individual-sized servings of foods, such as pre-portioned frozen fish fillets, skinless chicken and turkey burgers, whenever possible. Stash them in your freezer and use them as needed. You can also use whole-grain pitas, English muffins or wraps (FlatOut flatbread are great) to create individual pizzas.

Family Food

You already know that home cooking is good for your health, but your spouse and children can also reap the benefits. The more dinners eaten at home, the healthier the family. It's a simple fact proven over and over again. One study from Harvard University in Boston, for instance, found that children who ate at home most often consumed about 50 percent more fruit and vegetables, and less fried food and soda than those who ate at home less frequently. As a result, they had a lower intake of saturated and trans fats, and a higher intake of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Not to mention, home-cooked meals can also boost brain power. Children who frequently eat dinner with their parents get more A's and B's in school than children who have just two or three family dinners weekly, according to research from Columbia University in New York. Another perk: This together time can also keep your kids out of trouble: Some research indicates that teens who eat family meals are less likely to smoke, feel depressed or abuse alcohol and drugs.

Don't have a ton of time to spend in front of the stove? Don't worry! Use these easy tricks to get a delicious meal on the table in no time.

Rely on prepared foods. Pick up a rotisserie chicken, a bag of salad greens and some whole-wheat rolls. Make your own salad dressing (mix together some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some fresh herbs) to keep your sodium intake in check. You now have all the fixings for a healthy dinner. Other healthy prepared foods include reduced-sodium soups and vegetarian chili, hummus and vegetable burgers.

Graduate to simple recipes. Once you feel a little more comfortable in the kitchen, test yourself out on some easy recipes. There are a number of cookbooks for beginners or ones that include meals that aren't too complicated or time-consuming. You might start by sauteing pre-washed spinach in olive oil and garlic (this takes about four minutes, just until the spinach wilts), or scrambling eggs or liquid eggs and stuffing them into a wrap with salsa and tomatoes. Fish is surprisingly easy to cook; simply rub a fish fillet with olive oil and cook for about three to four minutes per side on a grill or in the broiler Then garnish with fresh herbs and lemon juice.

Enlist help. Have your children run the greens through the salad spinner and/or set the table. This will help you get things done, and get them used to working with food and being in the kitchen.

Turn off the TV. It's not only the food, but the conversation and bonding that make family dinners so important. So turn off the tube, sit back and enjoy the great company and a tasty meal!

TheBestLife.com Benefit

The extensive recipe database at TheBestLife.com features many dishes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. Whether you're searching for a specific ingredient, like chicken or pasta, or a certain meal, like breakfast, you're sure to find a delicious dish.