Cook quick: Planning makes meals easier

Planning makes meal-making easier on busy days. Since pretty much every day is busy, these tips will help carry you through.

COOK, QUICK OR OUT.

Look at the calendar. Check the week ahead, label each day with cook, quick or out. Cook is a day when you have at least an hour to prepare and enjoy your meal. Quick may be a day when you are stopping home before going out again for evening activities. Out means you will eat elsewhere.

USE MYPLATE AS A GUIDE.

MyPlate is a tool to help you choose a variety of foods to optimize nutrition. It is good practice to introduce new foods paired with favorites.

MAKE ONE ITEM AND PULL TOGETHER THE REST.

To save time, prepare one item or recipe and use convenient options (frozen vegetables, rotisserie chicken, pre-cut fruits) to balance out the rest of the meal. The following Pear & Celery Root Slaw is a great recipe to 'make” and serve with a quickly pulled together entree such as the BBQ Chicken Sandwich described below.

Pear & Celery Root Slaw

6 servings, generous 3/4 cup each

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 slightly underripe pears, cut into matchsticks (about 4 cups)

1 small celery root, peeled, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)

1 cup julienne-cut carrots or 2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks

1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion

Whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, caraway seeds, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add pears, celery root, carrots and onion and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Nutrition information per serving: 83 Calories; 2 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 3 mg Cholesterol; 17 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 219 mg Sodium; 226 mg Potassium.

BBQ Sandwich

Top a whole-grain hamburger bun with a mixture of warm, shredded rotisserie chicken and your favorite barbecue sauce. Fill other half of plate with fruits and veggies, such as Pear and Celery Root Slaw.

Source: Eatingwell.com

Christy Frese represents Hy-Vee as a nutrition expert promoting healthy eating throughout the community. Frese is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

COOK WITH US

The Gazette KCRG-TV9 Cook Club wants you to fall in love with this month's Celery Root Soup with Chickpea Croutons & Pesto Drizzle.

Give the recipe a try and share successes (or failures) with us at Facebook.com/GazetteKCRGCookClub, on Instagram at Instagram.com/gazettekcrgcookclub or on Pinterest at Pinterest.com/gazettekcrgcook