Twenty Minutes to Mealtime

Written by Matt McDavid, Mayo Clinic Dietetic Intern. Matt graduated from Minnesota State University in May 2020. He has an interest in the business side of dietetics involving organizational leadership and administration. 

Spring is nature’s “reboot” and a perfect time to refresh our meal plans. Spring into these habits to prepare healthier meals and have more time to meet spring and summer schedules.  With a little planning and practice, you can cut mealtime prep to 20 minutes per night.

Piecing Together a Healthy, Balanced Meal

To build healthy meals, focus on food groups. Work to incorporate at least three food groups per meal.

• Food groups to incorporate:
  • Vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Protein
  • Carbohydrates
  • Dairy

Time-Saving Ideas:

• Plan meals for the week and post in a shared space
• Designate time to prepare food for the week
• Free up extra time with frozen foods
• Find your sous chef and implement help from family or roommates
• Add on to pre-prepared foods/meal kits to make a larger, well-rounded meal
• Plan and prepare simple recipes with fewer ingredients
• Limit the types of cooking methods/utensils. One skillet or baking pan is often enough
• Use a slow cooker, Instant Pot or sous vide cooking methods
• Double the recipe and freeze leftovers for a meal in the future
• Preheat faster with air fryers and toaster ovens
• Incorporate the same ingredients for different meals

Quick Meal Ideas

• Chicken fajitas w/ rice and beans
  • Cut chicken into strips into strips and sauté. Add chopped onions and peppers. Rinse and drain canned low sodium black beans and heat in the microwave. Warm corn tortillas. Re-heat rice from batch prepared previously. Add ingredients like cheese, salsa, and sour cream as condiments.
• Shrimp alfredo and Italian blend vegetables
  • Boil fettuccini noodles. Thaw shrimp in the refrigerator the day before. Cook shrimp and minced garlic in a pan. Add alfredo sauce (jar) to the pan to heat up. Microwave frozen veggies while the rest of the dinner finishes on the stove.
• Chicken summer salad
  • Start with leafy greens on each plate. Cook chicken in a pan. Slice strawberries, cucumber, tomatoes while chicken cooks. Add blueberries, walnuts, sliced strawberries, cucumber and tomatoes to each salad. Top salads with chicken. Add dressing and cheese as desired.

Experience Can Save Time

The more experience you have with preparing a given meal, the efficient you will become.  Keep recipes and ingredient lists for successful meals for your household. You’ll soon have a healthy repertoire of tried and true “20 minutes to mealtime” menus to spring for!

How do you save time in the kitchen?