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What?  You don’t have extra hours every day to spend in the kitchen? C’mon, it’s not like you are busy working, folding laundry, cleaning the cat box, being a taxi driver or networking on Facebook and Twitter…. Okay, if you want to serve healthy food to your family, but could use a few tips on how to speed up the process, here are a few ideas:

• Plan ahead:  Select all of the recipes that you plan to use for the week, so that you don’t have to shop at the last minute or resort to fast food.  If you are organized, you can shop for most of your ingredients in one trip.  For healthy and seasonal menu ideas, subscribe to a fantastic online menu planners, like the Six O’Clock Scramble.
• Involve Your Kids: While you are working on preparing dinner, put your dirty tools and dishes into a large bowl filled with soapy water in the sink.  Kids love to get their hands wet, and can scrub the tools as you add them.  You will be surprised at how well they can do the job, and how it will save you the time instead of doing the whole job yourself.
• Slow Cookers or Crock Pots are a fantastic way to prepare a family meal with little fuss.  Simply take a few minutes to prepare some ingredients the night before.  In the morning, just toss them into the slow cooker and the meal will be ready in time for dinner.  I have been known to forget to get the ingredients into the crock pot before leaving the house, so I put it on the counter, along with any canned ingredients the night before, so that it jogs my memory in the morning. My friend Stephanie O’Dea wrote a great cookbook called Make It Fast, Cook It Slow – check it out.
• One-Pot Meals can save you time during meal preparation.  Instead of cooking separate recipes for your protein, carbohydrates and vegetables, try making one that includes all of these components, such as Turkey Cornmeal Casserole (see below) or Lasagna.
• Produce is readily available is full of nutrients.  Your farmer’s market will have loads of fresh and seasonal options for your area.  Instead of preparing a salad, simply serve slices of vegetables and fruits as a side dish.
• Make extra food to serve as part of another dish later in the week.  If your recipe calls for 2 chicken breasts, make 4 instead.  Use the leftovers in salads, quesadillas or soups.  Try making Fried Rice with leftover rice, a bit of soy sauce, sliced tofu, garlic and frozen peas!
• Buffet style can be a fun alternative to being served.  Save yourself some time by simply putting ingredients out in bowls and letting your family assembly their own meals.  Try this technique with tacos by offering bowls of: ground turkey or crumbled tofu with taco seasoning, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, sliced olives, salsa and sliced avocados.
• Chop Chop ..While you are cutting vegetables, cut a few extra and store them in the refrigerator for a future meal.
• Prepared Foods such as jarred marinara sauces, salsas, and broths can be a quick and healthy way to add flavor to your meals.  Aim for healthy ingredients, rather than ones that are too hard to pronounce!
• Stock your pantry with easy to use foods, such as canned beans, tomatoes, broth, salsa, marinara sauce, olives and pasta.  In a pinch, toss several of these together for a delicious meal without even going to the market.

Turkey Cornmeal Casserole
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
3 large Swiss chard leaves, stems removed and thinly sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 dash white pepper
1 dash cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
1 cup cornmeal
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cups water
1 cup Monterey Jack, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat a 9×9 baking dish with canola oil spray.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the ground turkey, red and yellow bell peppers and jalapeno over medium-high heat until turkey is cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add sliced chard leaves, garlic, white pepper, cayenne pepper (if using) and salt to taste. Cook until chard is wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
4. In a large saucepan, combine cornmeal with broth, water and 1/4 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly until mixture reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes, 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to let it bubble up and splash you.
5. Stir in the cheese, if using.
6. Spread half the cornmeal evenly in bottom of the baking dish. Spoon the turkey mixture over the top. Evenly spread remaining cornmeal over the turkey. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cornmeal crust is lightly browned.

CALL THE KIDS:

• Rinse bell peppers
• Rinse and dry Swiss Chard leaves.
• Snip chard leaves into thin strips with clean scissors
• Peel the papery skin from the cloves of garlic
• Shake a dash of pepper
• Measure the cornmeal into a small bowl nested inside a larger bowl (to catch any that spills)
• Measure water and chicken broth
• Using a rotary cheese grater, grate the cheese and measure