Studies show that when families eat together, their children grow up healthier. Prepared foods, even if purchased from a restaurant, tend to contain much more salt, sugar, and fat than they would if the same meal was prepared at home. Ready-made or store-bought foods are packed with preservatives to give them a longer shelf life. The hidden sugars these foods are infused with cause organs like our liver to go into overdrive, and the body has nothing to use the extra glucose for so it gets stored as fat, contributing to sky-high obesity rates.
When it comes to money, purchasing prepared foods is always more expensive because not only do you pay for the ingredients, but the labor that went into cooking the meal, it’s packaging, shipping, and the resources used to store it. Furthermore, by preparing ingredients beforehand, and planning for meals, families will actually save more time than they would by eating out. Most meals only take about a half hour to make and can last multiple days if eaten as leftovers.
The truth is there are so many easy-to-prepare, healthy, and delicious egg recipes out there — all you have to do is find them, and a good place to start is at Getcracking.ca/recipes/ Where many nutritious, appetizing options abound — all featuring the goodness of eggs. A quick and healthy meal that is great for the family to prepare together in larger quantities, and to bring as lunches to work or school the next day, is AsparagusPenne Carbonara — the recipe for which can be found at Gatcracking.ca. Depending on time, families can choose to make this dish with fresh pasta too. To begin, melt butter over medium heat in a skillet, adding the asparagus and lemon rind. Cook for about five minutes until asparagus is tender. Then, stir in lemon juice and mint, setting it aside. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente – allowing for the pasta to retain a slight bit of chewiness, straining it, then set it aside when ready.
To create the sauce, whisk together eggs in a bowl adding parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper. Add the mixture to the drained pasta and toss for about a minute until the pasta is creamy and coated well. Toss the asparagus in and top the dish off with grated parmesan cheese. Frozen peas can be used as a substitute to asparagus, saving on cost – particularly during winter time. Kids can participate in cooking by being put in charge of certain tasks like whisking the eggs, tossing the pasta, and grating the cheese. This is a flexible recipe that families can alter to taste; those who eat meat might choose to add bacon to the dish. What’s more is that it serves six and only takes thirty minutes to make!
Apart from allowing families to take control of what fuels their bodies, there are a great amount of both financial and health benefits to home cooking. Take back dinner time and make it family time again by opting to cook at home, saving yourself the extra dollar while introducing more whole and healthy foods into your family’s diet.