Prepared foods: Buy ingredients that are inherent time-savers.
- Prewashed lettuce: This will save you time when making salads for lunch or dinner.
- Prewashed spinach: Washing spinach can be an endless process, but it is quick-cooking and healthy, so buy it prewashed. Add it to eggs for a healthy omelet or sauté it with garlic and red pepper flakes for a simple, flavorful side dish.
- Precut produce from the salad bar: The salad bar at the market offers great variety of prewashed and precut produce, far more than the carrots and celery that you may see in your produce section. Look for hearts of palm, broccoli florets, beets, artichoke hearts and corn that can be added to salads, but also quickly tossed into pasta sauces or rice dishes.
- Good cheese: If the French can feast on a baguette and a slice of brie cheese for dinner, so can you. There is something decadent, yet simple about a dinner of great bread and great cheese. Add a side salad and you have a fast, luxurious dinner.
- Good bread: Having artisanal bread in your kitchen this week will save you. Your quick sandwich turns into something heartier; your leftover vegetable side turns into a sophisticated bruschetta, all in the matter of minutes. If it's summertime, just layer a couple of tomato slices on some toast and sprinkle with sea salt — a perfect lunch.
- Good deli meats: In the same vein as the cheese, a variety of salami, good turkey or roast beef can come to the rescue when you're out of time. The more flavorful your ingredients, the happier you'll be when you assemble your meal quickly.
- Rotisserie chicken: The supermarket rotisserie chicken is an amazing addition to your refrigerator this week. Shred it for chicken salad sandwiches or chop it up for a hearty whole grain salad.
