No Time Dinner Ideas

Yesterday I had a full day – leaving the house at 7:15 AM and getting home at 7:45 PM. I brought my lunch and snacks with me, as always, and had breakfast at home. After getting home after a full day, though, I wasn't too thrilled about making an elaborate meal.

This is where my weekend of bulk cooking came in handy. I make a habit of doing a lot of chopping and shredding when I pull out my food processor (a must have small appliance that should be used often, in my opinion) over the weekend. This weekend I had shredded a lot of carrots. I also washed and cut up some celery sticks. Monday I steamed a head of cauliflower and broccoli. Monday night we had leftover Moroccan Spice-Rubbed Salmon.

With all of this prepared in the fridge I put some shredded carrots in the bowl and combined some chopped steamed broccoli, cauliflower, celery and pumpkin seeds and mixed in some pre-made Fresh Herb Vinaigrette. I sliced the fish and placed on top of this cold salad. It took me five minutes to prepare, was tasty and different and very filling.

I like cold salads. If you're not a fan, this could very well have been heated and made into a veggie stir-fry with fish on the side.

Take aways

• Look to your pantry and refrigerator for inspiration to throw together something quick and easy on days you are short on time.
• Don't forget to use your small appliances (food processor, stick blender, blender, etc.) if you have any. I know they are not fun to clean but they save so much time. You can also outsource the cleaning to a spouse, child or the dishwasher!
• On days off cook in bulk and store extras in the refrigerator.
• Entrees can be served cold.