Everybody has those days where meetings take longer than expected, soccer games run over, your child forgot to tell you about open house that night, or you get stuck in a traffic jam on the way home for work. And everybody knows how difficult it can be when this happens to get home and prepare a healthy meal for your family in the amount of time that you have. There are a number of items though that you can keep in you kitchen that will allow you to prepare a tasty, healthy meal for your family in a short amount of time without having to go out to the grocery store for ingredients. There are a number of great meals that you can make with just a few simple ingredients, as long as you have those ingredients on hand. Here are just some of the basics that you should keep in your kitchen that will make a meal in no time at all.
1. Chicken Broth This is one of the top ingredients to have on hand because it can be used a number of different ways. Chicken broth can be used to make soups as well as different types of sauces for both pasta as well as vegetables.
2. Pasta This is also an extremely important item to have on hand for a number of reasons. First of all you can serve pasta with almost anything including just butter or even tomato soup if that is all you have in your cupboard. It is also simple to whip up a garlic butter sauce for pasta as well and pasta can be used for sustenance in a soup too.
3. Potatoes This is another ingredient that can be used for soup but you can also make dishes such as scalloped potatoes or even just a potatoes supper with some meat and veggies added to it. Baked potatoes topped with veggies and cheese also make a great quick and healthy dinner as well.
4. Garlic Garlic can be added to almost anything to give it a delicious home cooked flavor without spending hours in the kitchen. Add to any soup, stew, pasta, veggie or meat dish, or salad for extra flavor without much extra work.
5. Onions are another favorite flavor additive and are great in soups, sautéed for sandwiches, and perfect with meats. You can also whip up some fresh onion rings fairly quick that your whole family will love.
6. Rice Many different ingredients can be added to rice to make a meal. And the great thing about rice is how filling it is so you can prepare it with veggies and have a meal in no time. You can also whip up a stir fry fast and easily.
7. Tortillas Tortillas can be used for a wide variety of meal ideas such as pizzas, wraps, and all different kinds of tacos. Having these on hand can mean having a meal ready in minutes.
It is not always easy eating home cooked, healthy food when you have a busy lifestyle but keeping simple ingredients on hand means having simple meals on hand.
Author Resource:
Cathy Lopez is a well-known business writer. Shee is currently exploring Blissful Balance Spa at http://www.blissfulbalance.com . See more details at http://www.blissfulbalance.com/birthday_spa_gift_basket.html .
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