Eating Healthy During a Schedule-Packed Autumn: Part 2

[Continued from Part 1 - Edited for Pt 1 Intro]

Welcome back to the second half of our two-part article on eating healthy during a crazy-busy autumn. 

Because let's face it, autumn is one of the busiest times of year between work, the school year, and the upcoming holidays. If you don't have time to cook, but would love more time in your kitchen for healthy autumn recipes, you're not alone!

One of the biggest hurdles is how long it can take to cook a beautiful family meal from fresh meats and autumn vegetables unless you know the tricks. This time, we're spotlighting three of our favorite healthy meals you can make almost instantly with the early-week prep techniques we talked about in part one.

If you love autumn home cooking but just don't have the time, you'll love these quick-cooking recipe classics.

Simple Healthy Autumn Recipes for a Busy Week

When you don't have all the time in the world in the kitchen, your best meals are one-pot recipes that have a whole colorful mix of autumn produce chopped up into them.

With your early chop-up, these recipes are easy to start and finish just by dumping the ingredients into a communal pan with your favorite spices. Soups, stir-frys, and casseroles are not only delicious fall-season recipes, they can also last as tasty leftovers and lunches all week for nutrition on the go.

Instant Healthy Soup

• Vegetable Broth
• Frozen or Freeze-Dried Vegetables
• A scoop of Quinoa (or other fast-cooking grain)
• Frozen or chilled meat of choice optional

Instant soup is a cornerstone of fast cooking, both at home and catching your lunch break at work. While most people head straight for the fried noodle pots, you can have a delicious pot of bone broth, quinoa, and vegetable soup in the same convenient amount of time.

Make a quick broth with bullion and spices. Then throw a single cup of prepped or premade soup ingredients and steam up a delicious pot of soup for the family in just a few minutes. 

Quick Stir Fry

• Pre-Cooked & Shredded Chicken
• Frozen or Pre-Chopped Vegetables
• Soy Sauce & Spices to Taste

Stir fry is something anyone can make at any time. It's the kitchen sink recipe that isn't soup, but you can still use broth! A good stir fry needs some liquid to soften the vegetables and infuse them with flavor. You can make a great stir-fry, both traditional stir-fry and an eggy variety that turns the recipe into a healthy breakfast scramble.

Simply simmer some oil and add your frozen or pre-chopped vegetables, chicken or other meats, and spices to taste. If the meat is pre-cooked, your stir fry should take no more than fifteen minutes for the veggies to tenderize and soak up the flavor. Use a lid if you like them a little softer. 

Bake a Casserole

• Chopped Vegetables
• Grain or Bread Crumb Mix
• Eggs
• Chopped Meat of Choice optional

One of the best ways to prepare for a tough week ahead is to bake a casserole. Casseroles are one-pan dinners that, for a small family, can last all week. Grab a square (or scoop, depending on the consistency). Each bowl of casserole is a full, balanced meal and you can microwave it fully in just a minute or two.

Casseroles are a great fallback and you can make them with just about anything. For a healthy casserole, favor bone broth, whole grains, lean meats, and egg instead of cheese as a binder.  Consider blending a few of the veggies you don't like to eat into the mix for a nutrition boost (this also, weirdly, works with smoothies and muffin mix.) Bake grains like rice or quinoa as a healthy, binding starch.

Facing a Busy Week with Healthy Meals

Having no time to cook doesn't have to mean you have to give up on eating healthy. You can still enjoy radiant health, clear skin, and good sleep that comes with great nutrition by sneaking those nutrients back into your diet. Grab a handful of beautiful fall fruits and vegetables and use these hacks to speed up your evening recipe time considerably for beautiful, delicious, and nutritionally balanced meals all season long.

Here at Edesia Kitchen & Bath, we love seeing the real-world benefits of building a beautiful, functional space. With your dream kitchen, meal prep and seasonal recipes will be even easier (and more enjoyable!) If you have a kitchen remodel in mind that will glow in autumn and come to life in the Spring, we would be honored to see it put into action.

Ready to design the perfect kitchen for your next busy holiday season? Contact us today!