Speed & Flavor: Healthy Cooking Tips for Busy People

In a non-stop world, cooking healthy meals often feels like the first casualty. But prioritizing home-cooked food is crucial for health. The key is to shift from daily cooking to efficient, strategic batch prep and smart ingredient choices.

1. Batch Cook Your Building Blocks

Dedicate one hour on a slower day to prepping the core elements you need for the week.

• Protein: Cook a large batch of lentils (dal), boiled chickpeas, or grilled chicken/paneer. This is $\text{50}\%$ of your week's meals done.

• Carbs: Cook a big pot of brown rice or quinoa.

• Veggies: Wash and chop durable vegetables (carrots, beans, bell peppers) and store them in the fridge.

2. Embrace the One-Pot Meal

One-pot or one-pan cooking minimizes cleanup time.

• Action: Try simple recipes like a vegetable pulao or a lentil khichdi. Use a small amount of your cold-pressed groundnut oil for flavor, and incorporate pre-chopped veggies and batch-cooked protein.

3. Rely on Homemade Masalas

Don't wait for your food to taste good; ensure your masalas are potent and ready.

• Use Your Homemade Masalas: Keep your jars of freshly ground, potent homemade masalas stocked. These provide instant, deep flavor that saves time and elevates simple dishes quickly, eliminating the need for long cooking times to build flavor layers.

4. Smart Appliance Use

Leverage appliances that automate cooking and require no supervision.

• Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot: Perfect for quickly cooking grains, lentils, and tough vegetables.

• Air Fryer: Use it instead of deep frying. Toss sweet potatoes or vegetables in a touch of your cold-pressed sesame oil and air-fry for a quick, healthy snack or side.