Cooking is my most favorite past time. When I have infinite time to do it, it’s even more enjoyable. The time you invest prepping your staple ingredients, always pays off. What I mean is this, if fresh vegetables are washed, peeled/trimmed and stored at eye level in the fridge you’re more likely to incorporate them in your dishes. When eggs are hard boiled and shelled, I’m apt to reach for one as a quick snack in a pinch. Anytime I’ve boiled or roasted chicken, I make homemade chicken salad. By simply adding salt, pepper, freshly chopped parsley and scallions, you’ve dressed up an otherwise boring dish. I’m not a fan of eating the same meal on repeat throughout the week. With a little planning, I can assemble healthy meals from the bits and bobs that have been prepared in advance. In my opinion, nobody does this better than Lisa Bryan from Downshiftology.

In each of the pictures above, the meals came together in minutes because I invested time on the front end. By prepping my ingredients before hand, i.e. – chopping vegetables and herbs, that’s one less thing to do when my boys are T-Minus from eating the house down.