Saving Time with Healthy Meals this Holiday Season

NEWS: I'm honored and a little giddy to have this, and other stories from Change Becomes Change featured on Oprah.com. Find great holiday ideas at Oprah's Deck the Blogs Roundup

It's the holiday season and that means that these are busy days because life doesn't slow down so that we can enjoy making memories with our families. We still have work, school, laundry, errands and chores to do. And we also have cookies to bake, ornaments to make, songs to sing and stories to read. As much as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen, I'd rather spend that time baking our favorite cookies with my kids over making dinner this time of year.

But the kids have to be fed. Darn it. And sometimes my husband and I have to eat too. I might make some sacrifices but we're not resorting to fast food, takeout or processed foods. So, we've found some solutions to help us cut corners, and not quality.

• Cook once, enjoy twice (or more) - Our freezer is now full with meals that freeze well and go right into the oven. Think lasagna, enchiladas (to save even more time, I make enchilada casserole instead of rolling individual ones), meat loaf, soups and stews. I'll often buy a Costco-sized pack of ground turkey and brown up one batch with Italian herbs, one with Mexican herbs, etc. then turn them into various meals to freeze.

• Make Sunday Sauce - Growing up in an Italian family, Sunday meant the entire family gathering over pasta and our family "sugo" (sauce). My mom always made many times more sauce than we needed so we'd have meals throughout the upcoming week. Make some this weekend, enjoy and freeze the leftovers for those busy weekday dinners. You can also use the sauce for lasagna or baked pasta to freeze.

• Get to Love Your Slow Cooker - Ours is a high-demand appliance year around but doesn't even get put away this month. We have the family-sized slow cooker and make many of those "cook once, enjoy twice" meals like chili, stew and soup in ours. An easy recipe is Tuscan Beans (white beans, pancetta or sausage, garlic, onion, herbs and greens tossed in before served over rice) but my entire family has a favorite that I'll gladly make a couple times each month: Hearty Turkey Chili.

Hearty Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

1 lb     Ground Turkey
2 lb     Red Kidney Beans
1 lb     Black Beans
21 oz  Tomato Soup (we sometimes use a creamy version)
1        Medium Onion
1 tbs   Chili Powder (could use two for an adult version)
1 tsp   Garlic Powder
1 tsp   Cumin

Brown the ground turkey and onion in vegetable oil with a pinch of pepper. Mix everything well in your slow cooker, cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours on low, or 4 to 6 hours on high. If you're using dry beans soak them overnight and cook for the longer amounts for tender beans. You can also add veggies like roasted butternut squash, diced carrots or frozen corn.

My kids like to crush tortilla chips and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese to top off their bowl of chili and will beg for leftovers in their lunches - it's that good!

If you have a favorite meal that let's you save time in the kitchen so you can spend more time with your family, share it with us! Leave a comment below or send me an email at ginarau1@yahoo.com - thanks!

So, now that you have this extra time, how will you spend it?