Easy Cooking Made Easier

Second option 

Let’s face it, some were born to cook. Others? Well, that’s why we’re here! With so many recipes and tools available, plus the preps and cleanups—there are just so many things to think about!

Don’t worry! We’ve got some tips that can turn any kitchen newbie into a master foodie, no experience needed. 

You know what they say, “the early bird gets the worm”, but in this case, getting a head start on your meals through thorough planning can make cooking a lot more fun! Start by knowing what you want, what you can do, and what you can try. Pancake Mondays? Adobo Thursdays? Fried Chicken Fridays? It’s all up to you!

Just make sure you’ve got a healthy mix of vegetables, grains, proteins, and fiber so you can meet your dietary needs.  

Imagine having your favorite meals every day at the press of a button…well, not exactly, but it is possible to do in batches! If you’ve got a few hours on the weekend, try preparing large amounts of your preferred dishes for the week and stocking them up in your refrigerator. So, come Monday, Tuesday, and all the way up to Friday, all you have to do is grab a single serving and reheat it in the microwave. It’s almost as if you’ve got your own little convenience store right inside your home. 

If there’s anything more tedious than cooking, it’s the cleanup that comes afterwards. While we can’t always avoid having a couple of dirty dishes from time to time, we can definitely make it lighter on the sink (and our chores) by trying out one-pot meals.

One-pot meals are dishes that only require you to use, well, a single pot! They take up only one spot on your stove, and you don’t need to use, and clean, more than one pot or pan.  

Not sure where to start? Try one of these easy one-pot meals!

• One-pot chicken adobo
• One-pot chicken afritada  
• Picadillo 

Before you go into the realm of beef wellingtons or croissants, make sure you’ve got the basics down first! It’s perfectly fine to stick to what you know, because believe it or not, even the simplest ingredients can be cooked a hundred different ways.  

Let’s take the humble egg–this little shelled friend can be scrambled, fried, poached, boiled, and more. Scrambled eggs or omelettes can be whipped up in seconds, and you can add any ingredients you want for that extra special oomph of flavor.

While you’re at it, try whipping yourself up some tasty, easy-to-make meals like chicken inasal and tortang talong. 

That roasted quarter chicken from last night may not be the most mouthwatering sight, but when cooked and prepped right, it’ll be just like new.  

While you may not be able to bring your half-eaten dishes back to life, you can find inventive ways to turn them into a whole new meal! Chop up that chicken and throw it in a pan with some rice, and you’ve got your very own homemade chicken fried rice. Got some bits and pieces of food here and there? Try to repurpose your food or turn them into flavorful soups!

There are no limits to how many ways you can re-cook your food! All you need is a little imagination. 

Imagine this: You’re late for work, you’re hungry, but there’s nothing to grab except a whole watermelon—what do you do?

Normally, you’d just hold your hunger in and get on the road, but when you’ve pre-cut your food, it’ll be easy to sneak in a bite or two.  

Before you start your week, take your fruits, vegetables, and meats and cut them up into small pieces and store them in your refrigerator for easy grab-and-go munchies. Not only does this save you on time, but it makes prepping your meals so much faster! Instead of spending more time to get those ingredients into perfectly diced cubes, you can just take what you need and be on your merry way.

See? Making your way around the kitchen isn’t as hard as you think! It’s all about knowing how to make things work for you, so that you don’t have to do all the work.

Give these tips a go, and happy cooking!