My mind changes all the time as to which dishes I like to prepare. Most of the things I cook are quick and easy - things I can throw together in twenty minutes or so if I want a good meal. And since I rarely buy packaged meals anymore, advanced planning is essential if I want to eat well. Right now, these are the meals I’ve been enjoying, plus the ingredients I need:

• Spaghetti tonno - canned tuna, preferably from Italy, capers, tomato sauce, garlic and onion]

• English muffin pizzas - whole wheat english muffins, tomato sauce, meltable cheese

• Oatmeal - old fashioned or 1 min quick oats, flax seeds, honey, cinnamon, almonds, and raisins

• Soup - making soup is a hassle. I buy the boxed soups from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods

• Omelets - My favorite combo right now includes mushrooms, garlic, capers, and oregano

With those ingredients in my pantry I know I am only 20-30 minutes away from having a nice, satisfying meal. This is also a good weight loss strategy because it prevents you from eating out when there’s nothing in the house.

Make a list of 5-10 dishes that you love to prepare and eat and then make sure the ingredients are always available. For me, my list changes about every two weeks or so. This week it’s spaghetti tonno. Next week I may prefer spaghetti puttanesca or spaghetti with asparagus. It all depends. Right now, I happen to be craving tuna.

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