JEN HAUGEN

Around the By Jen Haugen RDn, LD , Table

What is the main reason you cook? Is it to save some money? Eat healthier? Have better control of ingredients? Is it a passion? Is it because it’s convenient to gather the whole family in one place? Or is it because it’s just a habit, something you have to do?

For me, it’s a combination of passion, health and saving money. While we all have been cooking more at home than ever before, here are a few things I have learned that I hope you can try too! 1. Meal planning is your ultimate best friend in the kitchen. While I have known this for a while, what’s excited me most is that I have gotten really efficient at it. I have been planning our meals two weeks at a time and shopping for those meals twice a month. I’ve created a daily theme schedule (like Italian one day of the week, Mexican food on Mondays or favorite recipe Fridays) with a list of meals that fall into that theme. Then I just slot meals into my weekly dinner plans and build a shopping list. If you want to save hours of your life — do this as soon as possible. 2. Cooking is so much easier when you know where that favorite recipe is. One day I was looking for my favorite fettuccine alfredo recipe to make in my pressure cooker. I thought I had saved it to Pinterest but didn’t and I started googling for it. Well, that wasted TONS of time. I’m now printing off any recipe I like and putting them into a binder only if I’ve made them and they worked for our family. And guess what, more time savings because it’s organized! 3. My kids are actually quite creative in the kitchen. Both of them have been more interested in cooking, partially because a high school foods class required it, but probably more so because there has been more time to do it and they have enjoyed the challenge. I won’t forget my birthday where my kids prepared a restaurant-vibe at home with the food, music and fun that they literally cooked up on their own. 4. Everyone needs to have a job. Just like we all need to know what’s expected of us, it’s a great thing to have designated jobs. I like washing the dishes. My husband likes to(well, I don’t know if it’s actually a like!) dry the dishes. My kids empty the dishwasher and put dishes away. Everyone plays a part and it reduces the stress of having it be all on one person for sure! 5. Technology can be a part of the table. I used to believe in tech free table time. But when I think back to how we celebrated birthdays or holidays with everyone at the virtual table, now I think having tech at the table is actually a good thing. What a great way to connect even when we can’t all be together. Thanks to the pandemic, we have had a few online dinners with family and it’s been a great way to connect while we are all sitting and eating together (virtually). Why did we wait so long to do this?

Surprisingly, only 13 percent of people surveyed in the 2020 U.S. Home Cooking Survey, revealed that they have a passion for cooking. The majority of people who cook at home do so because it saves money and is healthier. Any way you slice it, 98 percent of American’s actually do prefer cooking at home. I hope these tips have helped you too! Thai Noodle Bowl

Jen Haugen, RDN, LD, is a mom on a mission to making everyday cooking easier so you can live your dreams. She’s a local small business owner, author and registered dietitian nutritionist. She owns her own business as a Pampered Chef consultant where she loves teaching how to make cooking fast and easy and healthy. If you would love to gather your friends for a fun evening of cooking together with tools that get the job done quicker, and learn simple cooking tips to make everyday cooking easier, then call Jen to set up your date: 507-438-7109.

Want daily tips? Find Jen on Instagram: www.instagram. com/JenHaugenRD and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ JenHaugenRD And grab her Real Meals, Real Moms Recipe Package by subscribing to her blog: www.jenhaugen.com

• 2 oz. (60 g) spaghetti • 1 cup (250 mL) water • 1 tbsp (15 mL) creamy peanut butter • 1½ tsp (7 mL) reduced-sodium soy sauce • 1½ tsp (7 mL) honey • ½ lime, juiced • 1½ tsp (7 mL) water • 1 carrot, peeled • ½ red or green pepper • Optional: fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts

• Combine the pasta and water in the Microwave Pasta Cooker. Cover with the lid and microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes. • In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, and water. • Grate the carrot with the Veggie Strip Maker. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips. • Remove the bowl from the microwave; add the sauce and vegetables then cook, covered, for 2 minutes. • Top with cilantro and peanuts. Let it stand for 2–3 minutes.

U.S. nutrients per serving: Calories 380, Total Fat 9 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 410 mg, Carbohydrate 64 g, Fiber 6 g, Sugars 17 g, Protein 13 g Recipe source: www.pamperedchef. com/pws/jenhaugen

Cook’s Tip: Using frozen fruit will yield a thicker, colder smoothie. When you use frozen fruit, add at least double the amount of liquid and omit the ice.

18, 2020: www.reportlinker.com/ insight/americans-cooking-habits. html