Hamlyn - 200 20-Minute Meals.

These are not the best circumstances in which to start cooking a meal, but lets face it, it is the reality of most Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. In fact, if we had the space on the cover, we might well have called this book, The Monday-to-Thursday Meal Book because it is on those days that we tend to find ourselves throwing together meals in a matter of minutes. If we cant cook something tasty in 20 minutes or less, the majority of us end up pulling a ready-meal from the freezer and introducing it guiltily to the microwave, or shutting the cupboards, reaching for the phone and dialling for a takeaway meal. In this small but useful book, we have a clear message for you. Save your money! Dont order that takeaway in the time it would take you to heat up a ready-meal in the oven, you can make a delicious, nutritious, home-cooked supper and, more often than not, for less than it would have cost you for that ready-meal. the art of meal planning For those of us who are working all day, either looking after children in the home or in paid work out of the home, finding the time to sit down and plan our meals is difficult, to say the least. the art of meal planning For those of us who are working all day, either looking after children in the home or in paid work out of the home, finding the time to sit down and plan our meals is difficult, to say the least.

But by doing so, the next time you find yourself with a rumbling stomach, standing by an open fridge door at 7.30 pm, all you have to do is look at your meal list and find the ingredients and we promise you that 20 minutes or so later you will be sitting down and eating a tasty home-cooked supper. It couldnt be simpler. So after you have eaten tonight, instead of switching on the TV or turning on the computer, spend a few minutes going through this book. Pick out four or five meals you fancy and then turn on the computer and use it to place your internet shopping order. Keep your meal list on the fridge door and tick off the meals as you cook them. So which meals should you choose when planning your suppers? Firstly, be aware of your and your familys tastes and, where possible, mix up your and their favourites with some new foods. So which meals should you choose when planning your suppers? Firstly, be aware of your and your familys tastes and, where possible, mix up your and their favourites with some new foods.

Secondly, factor in your budget. Thirdly, remember nutrition. busy people need good nutrition When it comes to making sure that you are getting a balanced, nutritious diet, our suggestion is that you mix up as many different types of food across the course of the week as is economical and practicable. This ensures you are getting a whole host of nutrients and it means you wont get bored cooking the same meals all the time. It also means that, if youre cooking for a family, everyone gets to have their favourite food at least once a week. Fruit and vegetables are hugely important to your overall health and vitality and should take up at least a third of your dinner plate.

They are packed with important vitamins and minerals, such as iron, potassium, zinc and calcium, which help your mind and body to function well. When your life is busy and stressful, fruits and vegetables are especially important in your diet as they are brimming with antioxidants that help ward off illness. Remembering all the nutritional benefits of long lists of foods is practically impossible, so try and follow the simple rule that you should eat some orange and red fruits and vegetables, such as red peppers, tomatoes, radishes, apricots, carrots, oranges and squashes, and some dark green vegetables, and herbs such as broccoli, greens, parsley and spinach, every day to benefit from their high levels of vitamins and antioxidants. Also, remember that the fresher your fruit and vegetables are, the better they are for you. You will notice as you look through this book that many of the recipes involve steaming or stir-frying vegetables. We have included these recipes not only because these methods are time-saving and efficient, but also because heat destroys the vitamins, so keeping the cooking time to a minimum improves the levels of nutrition in your meals.