I get lots of questions about what I eat and which recipes I enjoy most. I’ve started to try really hard to make recipes that I can share with you at least once a week, but in the past week, I’ve made lots of odds and ends and haven’t had anything to share in the way of a recipe. (I’m very comfortable with making most of my favorites without using a recipe, adding a dash of this or that as the mood strikes.)

But in case it helps, I thought I’d let you in on what I’ve made this week so far. My basic method of saving time on food prep involves making up at least 2 dishes at a time that can be eaten over the course of the week, and this week was no exception. This weekend I made a batch of black beans and used my trusty rice cooker to make enough brown rice for a couple meals. The first meal was a very basic black bean/brown rice/salsa/salad greens dinner on a night when we were in a rush and needed something simple. That was literally 5 minutes of effort altogether.

Then I spent some time mixing up a simple lentil loaf (recipe will follow as soon as I make it again in such a way that I can write down what’s in it) and a batch of black bean burgers that can be formed into patties in advance or simply made up as needed and cooked briefly on each side (I used up the last of a batch of pressure-cooked black beans and brown rice and didn’t measure as I mixed everything up, but will start from scratch next time so that I can share!). The other evening when I served the bean burgers, I also made up a big batch of tahini sauce, which is delicious with falafel or as a delicious salad dressing, which is how I used it. This morning, I also made up 4 days’ worth of apple-cinnamon oatmeal, which will last me through Friday.

Now, I’m aware that 2 entrees, salad dressing and oats aren’t full meals for the whole week, and there are plenty of healthy eaters who do a better job at planning ahead than I do. And next time I’ll end up making a soup as well, which tends to stretch further (I make huge batches). But by having these several items on hand, alternating lunches and dinners when I serve them, that makes up at least 5-6 meals that require very little effort (might be more, depending on the quantity you make).

With lentil loaf, you can simply serve a big salad or steamed greens and another veggie. We had baked sweet potatoes (9 minutes in the microwave!) and lima beans, which isn’t as many veggies as is optimal, but believe me, we get in our veggies each week even if one meal now and then has less than usual!

Bean burgers are great by themselves, on a whole grain bun for those not trying to lose weight or, left over from dinner, as a salad topping that you can easily take to work the next day.

And regardless of which salad dressing(s) you make up, most last a while and let you enjoy delicious salads with a minimum of effort. If you’re in a huge time crunch, in addition to the prewashed salad greens that make my own life much simpler, you can also buy precut veggies to top your salad. Likewise, you could spend 10-15 minutes chopping up 3-4 days’ worth of veggies at the same time you mix up your other dishes requiring chopping, which saves cleanup time and makes your life simpler to boot.

I also keep my freezer stocked with things like bags of chopped organic spinach (super fast way of adding greens to soups), green peas (less than 5 minutes of prep time and utterly delicious), veggie mixes (Whole Foods has a good one with organic broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) and fruit for smoothies so that I can make meals really quickly without having to sacrifice nutritional quality. (There are days where if I have to wait for a complete dish to be prepared start to finish, I’m not going to cook. Anyone with a little one running around knows what I mean, I’m sure!)

If you have specific questions about cooking or how to save time on food prep, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment anytime!