Food · 3 min

Prepare a few ingredients. Leave dinner flexible.

A few prepared ingredients can make dinner easier. Plan the storage as carefully as the cooking.

Three illustrated bowls of cooked grain, chickpeas and vegetables, kept separate. — Editorial illustration; not a photograph or a measured portion prescription.

At the end of a long day, deciding what to cook can feel like the first job of making dinner.

It helps to have a few ingredients ready. Rice you know how to cook. Chickpeas you can add to a bowl. Vegetables that need little more than warming through.

You can decide what the meal looks like when you are ready to eat.

Prepare something you will use twice

Choose one grain, one bean and one vegetable you enjoy. Brown rice, chickpeas and pumpkin are one combination. Barley, lentils and carrots are another. Use what suits your kitchen and budget.

Cook the grain according to its packet. Use canned beans if that makes the task easier; drain and rinse them, and follow the label. Roast or steam the vegetables. Keep the components separate so you can change the meal around them.

Health Canada includes vegetables, whole grains and plant protein foods in a varied eating pattern. That supports the ingredients. It does not make this particular combination a formula everyone needs to follow.

Change the finish

For one meal, put the components in a bowl with cucumber and a lime dressing. For another, add the beans and vegetables to a freshly made soup and serve the grain alongside.

Fresh herbs, chilli or a spoonful of a dressing you like can make the same ingredients feel different. Keep enough flexibility for your appetite, too. A small bowl may suit one person and leave another looking for more food.

Plan the storage as well

“For the week” needs a little care. Cooked rice should be cooled quickly, ideally within an hour, then refrigerated and eaten within 24 hours. Freeze promptly cooled portions intended for later days. Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout.

For other cooked leftovers, follow the shorter of the packet instructions or the FSA’s general advice: divide into small portions, cool promptly and refrigerate within 1–2 hours; eat within 48 hours or freeze. Keep the fridge at 5°C or below.

Try this: prepare enough of two or three ingredients for your next couple of meals. Notice what you actually use before making a larger batch.

Reading behind this piece

Topic inspiration: Prep These 3 Ingredients Sunday Night, Eat Healthy All Week, Miranda Hammer, 22 May 2016. Full archived source read; fresh wording and recipe concepts developed for Everyday.