Prepare Healthy Meals
Use these tips to save time when cooking. Visit MyPlate Kitchen to find tasty and budget-friendly recipes.
Kitchen Timesavers
Try these kitchen timesavers to cut back on time and make less work for you.
Cooking for Your Family
There are simple ways to prepare foods for a large family without spending a lot of money. Try these tips to save time, money, and stress when making meals for friends or family.
Keep it simple.
Healthy and creative meals don't have to be hard to make. A simpler menu often costs less and will be easier to make.
Allow your family to help.
Divide jobs among family members. Remember that kids love being in the kitchen! As a team, you can get more done and have more time to enjoy with your family.
Stretch recipes by adding other food items.
Get more servings out of your favorite recipes! Add rice to soups or stews, frozen vegetables to pasta dishes, or beans to burgers. This can help you serve more meals.
Ideas for the holidays.
Try having a holiday brunch. Breakfast foods like eggs are inexpensive and make a great protein for the main dish. You can also try a yogurt parfait bar and let everyone add their favorite toppings.
Have a potluck.
Potlucks are a great option for large families or groups of friends. If you are hosting a meal, fix the main dish and ask the rest of the group to make side dishes. It creates less work for you and allows everyone to make and sample each other’s creations.
USDA is here to help.
Learn more about the USDA Food and Nutrition Service's nutrition assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Child Nutrition Programs.
