Weekend Cooking

• Weekends are a wonderful time to relax and prepare for the upcoming week. Although cooking all weekend is not an ideal activity, preparing several dishes for the upcoming week can make mealtime much easier during the week. Try creating a dish, such as lasagne, in two separate containers. Bake and eat one part of the meal immediately and freeze the other part to cook later in the week. Doubling a meal and freezing half the meal for a later day is an easy way to lessen the work.
  
  

Transitional Dishes

• Leftovers from many dishes can easily be transitioned into a new meal. Leftover mashed potatoes make an easy potato croquette. Take the leftover potatoes and add some chopped-up vegetable and meat, perhaps other leftovers in the fridge. Add an egg to the mixture and form into pancakes. In a skillet with hot oil, saute the croquettes on both sides until they are golden brown. Grilled chicken or tofu from a previous meal can be cut into pieces and added to a salad for a very easy and healthy meal.
  
  

Prepared Foods

• Prepared foods are an automatic way to create an easy meal. Although prepared food is not always as healthy as a home-cooked meal, adding some prepared ingredients to a home-cooked meal makes cooking easier. Buying the most laborious part of the meal saves a lot of time. Most grocery stores have a section of prepared food. Buy the protein already prepared, such as a roasted chicken or baked tofu, that can be added to a variety of dishes and sides for a very easy meal. Steamed vegetables take very minimal time and preparation; adding some prepared chicken or tofu on top of a large helping of vegetables creates a well-balanced and nutritious meal. One night the prepared food can be added to a hot pasta dish, and the next night it can transform a salad.