The secret to healthy home cooked meals, as in every successful adventure, is planning! You either spend time or waste time AND money. If you are going to make your own home cooked meals with your heart and body in mind, then you have to sit down and map out a weekly meal plan with grocery shopping, preparation, and clean-up in mind. This is exactly what I have to do when I cook for my clients. I first start with 2 or 3 meals, then with the remaining proteins and vegetables from those first meals, I come up with 2 or 3 more meals. This eliminates waste on groceries and no more fun-sucking, time-consuming, uneventful grocery store trips 3-5 times a week.
Tip….. I purchase garlic by the 2 lb bags. To keep it from spoiling, I puree or chop it in a food processor with olive oil and freeze in batches so I rarely need to chop garlic.