Tuesday afternoon/evening was a busy one for me and my husband. He was out late in meetings, and after work, I had a doctor’s appointment, tutoring to do, and a friend’s party to attend. I had a little bit of time between the tutoring and party to run home and make dinner. Now, many people (and you may be one of them) think that cooking “fresh” food takes more planning and longer amounts of time than cooking “prepared” meals a la Hamburger Helper or something frozen.
Not so!
I have actually found that cooking fresh meats, grains, and veggies, with the exception of beans and legumes, takes far less time than cooking an ingredient-heavy recipe and sometimes is just as fast as a boxed-type meal. Truth is, most vegetables taste great steamed or roasted with a bit of pepper or herbs. Of course, if you plan a little ahead and bundle your beans, it’s no time at all!
Case in point: Tuesday, I came home, soaked some red lentils and washed some asparagus. The lentils simmered on the stove for about 20 minutes while the asparagus roasted in the oven. The rice was some leftover from Thanksgiving, but had I not that, brown rice would have cooked in 30 minutes as well. My result, a completely fresh, healthful meal in under 30 minutes: roasted asparagus with fresh rosemary and fresh pepper, boiled lentils with a touch of butter, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper, and rice pilaf. Delicious!
…and a note about the meat thing. I am actually attempting to eat, for the most part, vegetarian. I do admit, it has a little bit to do with watching “Forks Over Knives” over Thanksgiving break, which is a documentary about how our bodies process animal protein compared to plant protein. I’ve also read a lot of articles and research about how eliminating animal-based foods completely can be detrimental to one’s health. So, I’m not going for the “vegan” thing, more so the modified vegetarian thing (I really, really like fish). 
A more MAIN reason is that Jordan and I are saving for some rather large things right now, so I am looking to shave money off our budget wherever I can. Since I had switched a few months back to buying all organic meat and dairy products, it had added quite a bit to our grocery budget since those are some of the more pricey organic options. Taking out a majority of the meat has already reduced our budget quite a bit.
A third reason? I just don’t like meat that much. I am a rice and beans kind of girl. Partner that with a green, leafy vegetable or salad loaded with chickpeas, corn, and quinoa, and I am right at home!! I’ll keep you posted…meanwhile, if you have some great vegetarian ideas, throw them my way. Keep in mind though, I’m definitely into “simple.”
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