On every show, Curtis Stone, host of TLC's Take Home Chef, surprises a grocery shopper and helps her prepare a fantastic spread for a guest. This time he changed the plan and brought two busy, cooking-averse women to an organic farm in upstate New York to show them that making healthy meals isn't hard. "Once you see how fast and flavorful cooking with fresh produce can be," he says, "you'll have a lot more confidence and enjoy being in the kitchen."
It's been 15 years since Jackie Feldman and Deb Baum met as college freshmen, and while they've stayed close, their lives have gone in different directions. Jackie, a New York City–based clinical psychologist, is single and just opened a new practice on Long Island; she divides her week between her two offices. Deb, who works as a university media relations specialist in Providence, Rhode Island, recently learned that she and her husband, Matt, are expecting their second child.
The one thing Deb and Jackie do have in common: Neither feels she has enough time to prepare healthy, energizing, nutrient-rich meals. As a result, both women resort to shortcuts. Put off by complicated recipes in cookbooks, Deb relies on prepackaged convenience items, like taco shells and cans of soup. "And there are plenty of nights when we just get Chinese or pizza because it's easier and faster," she says. Jackie doesn't even bother to cook; she eats out or microwaves whatever's in the freezer for dinner, even if it's a bag of peas. Both women say they're willing to tackle the challenges that prevent them from cooking more often. And that's where Curtis' strategies come in. He'll help them—and you—feel at home in the kitchen.
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1. "I DON'T WANT TO FUSS AT THE
STOVE"
"I need to make fast, simple meals that my whole family will
eat," says Deb. According to Curtis, outdoors or in, grilling
is the answer. "It's quick, and it brings out the flavor
in foods," he says. Plus, you can adjust the amount of
seasoning or sauce on each plate to make everyone happy. The
perfect example is the Asian beef skewers with cilantro gremolata,
right. Marinate the meat ahead of time and dinner can be on the
table in 10 minutes. (And if your kids don't like spicy foods,
serve theirs without the gremolata.) For a vegetarian option,
Curtis suggests tossing veggies with olive oil and herbs and
grilling them until tender. Mix them into pasta or serve them as a
side dish.
2. "I RARELY SIT DOWN TO PLAN MY
MEALS"
Some women create a master grocery list and stock up at the
supermarket—but Deb isn't one of them. "I end up running
to the store four times a week because I don't think about
dinner until 4 p.m.," she says. "I never know what I
want, so I grab something basic, like spaghetti and sauce, just to
get out quickly."
"Frequent shopping trips aren't such a bad thing," says Curtis, but he does have a time-saving suggestion: "Do a big shop every other week for nonperishables, like whole grains, beans, and pasta, so you have the flexibility to create healthy meals," he says. That way you can do a 10-minute grocery run a few days a week to grab fresh produce and meat or fish—whatever looks appealing that day. "When you cook with foods at the peak of flavor, you can get away with using just three or four ingredients in a dish," he says. Case in point: At the farm, Curtis saw that beets were ready to be harvested, so he developed a simple impromptu dish. He sliced the beets into 1/2-inch pieces and tossed them with fresh thyme, garlic, and a little olive oil, then grilled them for 25 minutes, turning occasionally. Next, he brushed the beet greens with olive oil and put them on the grill for a minute or so, until just wilted. Once everything was done, he tossed the beets and greens with lettuce and crumbled blue cheese. "It can be a side dish or a starter" he says. "Add grilled chicken and it becomes the main course."
Visit Shape.com for more answers to healthy eating tips and tricks.
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