14 Unexpected Little Ways To Cook Healthier At Home

That way, when you're in a rush or suddenly super hungry, you'll have prepared vegetables that you can throw into salads, soups, pastas, or whatever you're cooking. Read more about how to meal prep vegetables here.

Before you let your extra produce like kale, bananas, spinach, and celery go bad, put leftover fruits and veggies in the freezer. Not only will you reduce waste and save cash, but you'll have smoothie ingredients for future lazy mornings. Read more about how to DIY frozen smoothie packs here.

Weeknights can be rough, and cooking an elaborate meal from scratch can seem impossible. Rather than reach for the frozen pizza or take-out menu, opt for rotisserie chicken. It's pre-cooked, and you can transform it into creative meals like spicy Thai chicken noodle soup, buffalo chicken quinoa bowls, and shredded chicken tacos.

If you have leftover sauces, confits, pastes, and herbs, don't let them go to waste. Freeze them in ice cube trays. You can thaw these ingredients to enhance whatever you're cooking. Zucchini noodles with instant homemade pesto? You bet.

Store bought dressings are often full of saturated fats, added sugar, and calories. For a better-for-you alternative, make salad dressing from scratch. You can make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for weeks. Try making cilantro lemon vinaigrette, tahini dressing, and maple balsamic vinaigrette.

If a recipe calls for mayo or sour cream, use plain yogurt instead. Not only is it lower in fat and calories, but the taste is so similar, you won't notice much of a difference. Try it with Waldorf chicken salad, lightened up fettuccine alfredo, and yogurt marinated chicken skewers.

If you know you won't have time in the morning to cook yourself a nutritious breakfast you can either make ahead or freeze for later. Try making sausage and vegetable breakfast casserole, freezer-friendly breakfast sandwiches, and make-ahead instant oatmeal.