Back To Top

Get Cooking!

On This Page:

Cooking from Home Cooking on a Budget Freezing Fruits and Vegetables

Meal Idea Recipes Baked Goods and Snack Recipes

Cooking From Home

Canada’s Food Guide tells us to cook food at home more often. Why? Benefits of cooking from home include:

You can choose healthy ingredients and control what goes into the food
You can improve your food knowledge, creativity and planning skills
You’re less likely to have food go to waste, which is good for the landfills and your wallet

You can save money by eating out less often
Home-cooked meals tend to have a less sugar, salt and saturated fat compared to take-out, ready-made or convenience foods
You can cook with friends, family, neighbours, and co-workers, and share food traditions unique to your cultures

What should I do if I’m too busy to cook from home?

Busy schedules can make cooking at home challenging. Thankfully, Canada’s Food Guide has tips on how to find time for healthy cooking:

Batch Cook. Make many portions of one meal so that when you need it, it’s ready! Keep them in your fridge to have during the week, or freeze and thaw as you need it.
Keep Your Kitchen Stocked. Avoid turning to convenience foods by keeping your kitchen stocked with ingredients needed to make your favourite healthy meals.
Use a Slow Cooker. Slow cookers are great for busy schedules because they don’t require much attention.
Keep it simple. Choose realistic recipes. Recipes don’t have to have a long ingredient list for them to be tasty and healthy! As your confidence and skills develop, try more advanced recipes and cooking methods.

Want to eat healthy but don’t know where to start?

Check these out:

Cooking On a Budget

Choose to cook from home more often instead of spending money on ready-made foods.
Freeze your fruits and vegetables. Freezing produce when it's in season helps save money and extend the harvest. Learn how to properly freeze fruits and vegetables.

Helpful Tips and Budget-friendly Recipes:

More Healthy Recipes and Resources

Meal Ideas

Breakfasts

Soups, Stews and Chili

Salads

Mains and Sides

Baked Goods and Snacks

Other Websites

The Health Unit also recommends the following websites for healthy recipes and food preparation tips:

Canada’s Food Guide

Cookspiration.com

Foodland Ontario Recipes