A CreaPLANNINGtive Approach to
by Chef RIcardo Costa Personal Chef
• Planning your menu is the key: You don’t need to rush out to the store and buy a lot of food all at once
and then figure out what to do with them. This ap- proach usually ends up with a lot of product going bad and last-minute calls for pizza delivery. Instead, have a weekly family meeting and see what each member would like to have during the week, and then make your shopping list with the ingredients you’ll need. This will make for an easier meal preparation because you know what you have to work with and there are no “surprises.” Make sure you include lots of color in your meal planning by adding fruits and vegetables. This helps expand your creative options to your entrée and snacks, creates a balanced meal and makes it more appealing to eat. It is amazing how color can change the way you approach food.
• Easy storage for prep food: Before I started plan- ning my week’s meals, my fridge would be jammed
packed with a chaotic area of containers, most of which even I couldn’t recognize. Finally, I came up with a better way-- simply put all cut-up vegetables and cooled cooked rice in gallon storage bags. You can fit a lot for more items in these bags and you don’t have to wash all those annoying plastic con- tainers afterwards. Colored storage bags are another helpful solution in coordinating and organizing your food items. I also suggest getting some Tupperware type containers (three for a buck at the Dollar Store) to make it easy to carry your meals. They can also go right in the recycle bin after you’re done using them.
26 | Rhode Island Creative Magazine
HEALTHY MEALS PERFECTLY
It’s that time of year again-- kids are headed back to school and schedules are about to get even crazier and stressful. But we can’t let this destroy our healthy eating habits. So instead of drive-in and other unhealthy options, it is time to get creative with planning our own meals to make them a lot healthier, delicious and transportable.
• Storage and transporting your food: Planning this is important because you don’t want to get sick from
bacteria from food that’s been in the” danger zone” too long. If you work outdoors and have no facil- ity with a microwave, I suggest preparing more cold dishes like salads with grilled salmon or my favorite, grilled chicken wraps with veggies.
• I also suggest buying cooling packs that fit in your freezer, or simply fill some zip-lock bags with
water and freeze overnight. Purchase an insulated and easy-to-clean lunch bag that keeps temperatures where they should be.
• Don’t forget your workouts: This is just as impor- tant as planning your meals. It might mean waking up
a little earlier or staying up a little later to work out. Remember, healthy exercise goes hand-and-hand with healthy eating.
• And Finally-- Have fun! The most important thing of all is to have fun and don’t make meal planning or
exercise seem like work. Customizing a creative rou- tine that works for you and your family will not only help ease the stress but will become a healthy alterna- tive you can’t live without. We only come around this spinning rock once in this lifetime, so make the best of it.
That’s it. Easy huh? If it’s that easy, everyone should be doing it. For more tips and easy home recipes in a pinch contact the
chef@ChefRicardoCosta.com.
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