Saturday, May 7, 2011

Good Food - Almost Home-made

When you are in a hurry, it is tempting to eat from a drive-through, or to pop a frozen or prepackaged food item into the microwave.  Either way, you are probably facing a meal that is high in salt and fat, and low in fiber and some of the other nutrients you need.  It only takes a few minutes to up-grade a meal.  Of course, it helps to plan for this when you are heading to the grocery store - and it could even save you a few cents by stretching the packaged meal or making dessert less tempting.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Salad and fruit make any meal better.  (Watch out for the calories in the salad dressing, though.)

Add more protein to packaged macaroni-&-cheese - open a can of tuna (and drain it) to toss in, or chop up any left-over meat you have and add that.  Better yet, go a step further and add some peas, chopped broccoli, or other vegetables that you have on hand. 

You can also add vegetables and/or slivers of meat to ramen noodles.

In a few minutes more, you could have "pizza."  Line the bottom of a microwave-safe baking dish with a layer or two of frozen hash-brown potatoes.  Top with your preferred pizza toppings, bottled pizza sauce (or tomato sauce and Italian seasoning), and cheese.  Zap until the potatoes are tender.

If you have any favorite "in a hurry" recipes, please share!!

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