I am pretty sure that I have never prepared an entire meal in 30 minutes unless it was already made and all I had to do was heat it up. So if you only have 30 minutes, plan to buy prepared food or have a sandwich. So I begin knowing that it will take 45 minutes to an hour before we eat. With that in mind I will choose a recipe with 3 or less ingredients that must be washed dried or chopped. I am pretty handy with a kitchen knife, but more than three labor intensive ingredients gets too lengthy for a quick dinner. And contrary to what you may think, a long ingredient list is not always indicative of a time consuming dish. If the list is long but mainly dried herbs and spices that don’t have to be carefully measured it will probably go quickly. I also consider the type of time I have on my hands. Some “quick” dishes require me to stand at the stove the entire time to add ingredients, stir, wait for a boil etc. It can be better use of time to put a whole chicken or pork roast in the oven for an hour while I do other things, like exercise and take a shower. There is also the added bonus of leftovers that I can remake in a day or two for a whole new meal. One of my favorite things to do is prepare a large piece of meat, such as a pork loin roast, generically first, just salt, pepper and maybe garlic. The next night I dress it up as an Italian style stew with tomatoes, white beans and some basil.

The money budget is a totally different animal altogether. I have watched the cost of our weekly grocery trips sky rocket in the last few years and now that I am basically cooking for four adults, we are really feeling the increase. So when it comes to budgets I have found that learning how to cook has been more beneficial in maintaining a healthy diet and a tasty one on a tight budget. I am not talking fancy stuff but basic things like how to sauté a piece of meat and de-glaze a pan for a delicious sauce. If you can do this with any degree of skill you can apply it to chicken, fish, and many cuts of beef that may be on sale in your local grocery store. In the same way, discovering what spices and tastes you and your family enjoy, and applying those to the meat of the week. You can take any plain meat or vegetable and turn it into an Italian, Chinese or Mexican inspired dish with the right spices. This concept can obviously be applied to vegetables in the same way. Use soy sauce and sesame oil for Asian, ground cumin and chili powder for Mexican and oregano and basil for Italian. Don’t be afraid of trying something new with an old recipe, just use what you like. Here is one of my favorite soup recipes that started out with Asian flavors but can easily become a Mexican inspired dish as well.

Basic Noodle Soup
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
6 cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cups celery or carrots chopped or one cup of each
2 cups cooked turkey or chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil

In a large Dutch oven heat the olive oil (use sesame oil also if making Asian flavor) on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the celery, carrots or both and sauté for 4-5 minutes then add the garlic and continue to stir for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring the heat up to medium-high until the broth begins a slow boil. (For Asian flavor add the bay leaf now. For Mexican flavor add the tomatoes, green chilies, and cumin.)Add noodles and reduce heat slightly, cook for about 7 minutes and add the chicken. Continue at medium heat for about 4 minutes until noodles are tender and chicken is heated through. Remove bay leaf before serving. (Add soy sauce last for Asian flavor.)

For Asian flavor
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
Bay leaf

For Mexican flavor
Canola or olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chopped green chilies
3 tsp. ground cumin
Chili powder

I probably could make this soup in under 30 minutes if no one interrupted me…but what would be the fun in that!

We are bombarded every day with information on the importance of physical exercise to our overall health and well-being. Statistics show that there are decreases in mental health issues as well as physical health problems in most everyone that engages in a regular or “routine” exercise program. But who wants to get into a routine? That sounds boring already. We live in a world where everything is new, fast, fun and ever-changing.

It was easy to exercise as a kid because as a child you are wired to play. Children are natural at burning energy, and given the right outlets (moms really try), they will be physical in their play. So what happens when playtime ends, and jobs, family commitments and all the unexpected of life get in the way? The importance of exercise isn’t diminished. Just look at your waistline. You have to exercise on purpose. That just means making exercise as much a part of your life as brushing your teeth or grocery shopping.

Here are a few ideas that can help you continue to exercise on purpose:

1) Be flexible. It is good to have several options of exercise. For instance if you are a walker or jogger you may want to find a good stretching DVD to add to your library. That way if the weather doesn’t cooperate or the baby sitter cancels at the last minute you can still get a workout of some kind. Speaking of no-show baby sitters, just running around with your kids in a game of tag or Red Rover may be the answer. It may not be exactly what you a planned but something is better than nothing.

2) Grab a partner. Finding someone else to workout with you may be a good idea if your have similar schedules and attitudes about the importance of the workout. This has always been helpful for me as it incorporates commitment and a social aspect. But be careful of falling into the trap of “if my partner is not going, then I don’t have to either”.

3) Keep it fresh. If you get bored quickly with the same thing then check out your local YMCA or County Parks and Recreation programs for fitness classes. You may be surprised at what you will see. The Parks and Recreation department offers many quality classes and locations all around your local county. There generally is not a contract or long-term commitment so if your schedule changes with the seasons, this may be the right thing. According to Laura Pate with the Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department, one of the fastest growing classes there is the “Couch to a 5k”, which is basically for those just getting into or back into exercise. They also are offering everything from spin classes, to Zumba, to Yoga and Pilates. In addition the newest trend is to offer classes that combine elements from all of the above.

In the article titled Five Elements for a Rounded Routine, the Mayo Clinic suggests incorporating aerobic, strength, flexibility, balance and core into your workout. These classes would give you all of that rolled into about 50 minutes.

4) Join a team. If you enjoyed sports as a child or teen this may be just the right thing for you. If you have never played, it still may be a good option. Look for a beginner team and learn the sport with others. Enjoy the social camaraderie of a team sport and the sense of accomplishment in learning something new. There are tennis, basketball, touch football, soccer and many other adult teams to participate with now. Play like a child again.

5) Be Creative. There are many things you can do everyday to add purposeful exercise into your life. Do push-ups or sit ups while waiting for the water to heat up in the shower. Instead of bending to retrieve something low, squat with your feet apart. If you are right handed, try using your left hand whenever possible to build strength and coordination. And don’t forget the ever-easy two: take the stairs, and park far from the entrance of the building to add a few more steps into your day.

Ultimately, the motivation has to ultimately come from within. When time gets tight, and you know that it will, some how you have to push yourself to keep moving. Hopefully this is the year that purposeful exercise becomes more than just routine for you and next New Year’s you are figuring out how to get that garage finally cleaned out.