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If you have a small amount of time to spend preparing meals everyday, but need them to be as healthy as possible, then was written just for you! Here you will find tips and tricks to help you prepare healthy meals for you and your family quickly.

Tip one: Keep the kitchen clean. When your kitchen is a mess it is difficult to find what you need. By keeping it clean and organized you'll save time by not searching for what you need. Keep baking ingredients in one place, cooking ingredients in another. Place pots and pans in an accessible place. Anything you'll be using to eat off of and all the storage you use for food should be conveniently located for your ease. When something spills, wipe it up immediately. When the dishes are dirty, rinse them off and load them into the dishwasher immediately.

Tip two: Prepare your ingredients ahead of time. Take one day to prepare all ingredients for the entire week's meals. This also includes having a meal plan. Meal plans are great shortcuts because there is no guess work as to what you'll have for dinner that night or breakfast the next morning. Ingredients to prepare include everything that needs to be cooked ahead of time or diced, chopped, sliced, etc. Store them and label them so you know what they're for and when.

Tip three: Get gadgets! There are some awesome kitchen gadgets on the market right now that can cut down on the chopping and slicing, shredding and grating. They're cheap and can save you loads of time and possible injury from using a knife.

Tip four: If you can spare an entire day, then you can save a ton of time in meal preparation. Making all the week's cookable meals will create a slew of microwavable meals that take just minutes to cook instead of hours. Salads are great because you can mix them ahead of time and add the dressing at the table. If you plan on cooking poultry or fish (healthier than red meat), consider separating into meal size portions, freezing and then when you're ready to eat them you simply thaw in a bag of marinade one to two days before you serve them.

Tip five: There are certain foods and spices, staples and snacks to have on hand that create those healthy meals. Keep plenty of salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and any other spice you use regularly on hand. The only oil you really need on hand is Extra Virgin Olive Oil for cooking. If you bake as well then get some Canola and/or Vegetable oil. These are the most common oils that recipes call for. When you create a meal plan be sure to include lots of vegetables and fruits. Buy in bulk, separate and freeze so you can just grab a bag, microwave or steam them up and serve them right away. Add to this list of food any poultry and fish you'll be eating along with some healthy snacks like carrot sticks, celery sticks and salad recipes.

While it's great to cut down on time in the kitchen, just remember that it is always good to have at least one day a week where you take your time and try to enjoy the cooking and baking process. You may find that it relaxes and refreshes you - something you may need for the coming hectic days ahead!

Learn more about this author, Carisa Silvesan.
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