WEEK 7: Real Time Savers

Eating real food is the way to go, but packaged and processed food is so convenient, right? Real food can be convenient, too—it just takes a little prep work.

Batch cooking is the secret weapon to save time in the kitchen and make eating real food easy. Below is a list of foods (with links to preparation and storage instructions) you can make ahead in a large batch so on busy weekdays your meals will be speedy since you’ve done most of the cooking in advance.

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Dry beans
• Whole-wheat pasta
• Chicken breasts
• Steel-cut oatmeal
• Brown rice
• Roasted vegetables: carrots, peppers, onions, zucchini
• Roasted potatoes/sweet potatoes
• French toast
• Yogurt ranch dressing
• Hummus
• Salsa
• Kale chips
• Caramel dip
• Yogurt popsicles

THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT: Choose at least five items from above to batch-cook this week. Try using your batch-cooked foods in the Real Food Recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks/treats included this week. (Don’t forget to keep your focus on real foods, eating three 400-calorie meals and two 150-calorie snacks a day.)