Make Meals in 30 Minutes

By Linda Larsen, About.com Guide

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Pesto Meatballs with Spaghetti

Linda Larsen

To make a meal in 30 minutes or less, you need to learn a few tips and tricks.

If you need an ingredient twice, prep it once. This means that if you need chopped onion for a main dish and a side dish, chop the entire amount for the two recipes at the same time.
When planning your meals, take advantage of one dish meals. If you're serving a pasta sauce that has chicken, asparagus, peas, and diced tomatoes in it, all you need to complete the meal is a simple green salad and some bakery bread.
Keep all the 'garbage' in one place. I myself use a plastic bag that I can toss into the garbage, and I work by my sink to drain liquids. I don't like the 'garbage bowl' concept, because it's difficult to throw away liquids and solids together.
Read through the recipes beforehand to make sure you understand all the steps and have all the ingredients on hand.
Choose items that naturally cook quickly. Use chicken tenders instead of whole chicken pieces. Thinly sliced medallions of pork cook more quickly and are more tender than thick chops. Vegetables cut into the same size matchstick pieces cook evenly and more quickly.
And take advantage of convenience products that are good and don't have too many preservatives and artificial ingredients. I like prebaked pizza shells, cooked meats from the deli, already sliced cheeses, and prepared vegetables from the salad bar in your supermarket's produce department.

Linda Larsen
Busy Cooks Guide

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