{"id":4961,"date":"2022-09-26T16:55:42","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T21:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/?p=4961"},"modified":"2022-09-26T16:55:44","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T21:55:44","slug":"deconstruct-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/deconstruct-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Deconstruct It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you need a meal to cook\nfaster, deconstruct it! And who doesn\u2019t need a meal to cook faster? I set my\nown schedule and I still always feel behind. Sometimes I just need things to go\nquicker than they normally go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when I like to think of my\nkitchen as a fancy restaurant where they don\u2019t hesitate to deconstruct things and\ncharge me more for them. Don\u2019t have time to worry about keeping heavier ingredients\nfrom falling to the bottom of the salad? Don\u2019t toss it. In fact, don\u2019t even\nstack it. Just put everything side-by-side on a beautiful platter and serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I love the presentation\npossibilities of a deconstructed salad. And things go faster because I can\nleave the eggs in halves or quarters rather than chopping them smaller. The\ncarrots, squash, and cucumbers can be left in long strips as can chicken or\nsteak. I can throw on some leftover asparagus, whole banana peppers, cherry\ntomatoes right out of the garden. Such yummy freshness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t have time to bake meatloaf\nfor an hour+? Deconstruct it. Saut\u00e9\nonion and green bell pepper until onion clears. Move to the edge of pan. Place\na long, flat layer of ground beef. Allow to brown for a few minutes on one side\nof the layer. Sprinkle the uncooked top of the meat with salt, pepper, garlic. Add\na tablespoon or two of your favorite meatloaf topping. Crack an egg over it.\nCover with a thin layer of gluten free bread or cracker crumbs. Gently fold toppings\ninto meat and mix in onion and pepper. Continue to cook until meat is lightly browned.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reconstruct it. Spray microwave safe dish with olive oil\nspray. Press mixture into dish and top with your favorite meatloaf topping.\nMicrowave about 5 minutes. Serve hot. This version may not compete with the\nbest meatloaf you\u2019ve ever made, but it has the same satisfying flavors in less\nthan half the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also take a deconstructed approach to chicken and\nrice. Instead of raw chicken in a pot of rice and cooking it, use microwave\nrice bowls, rotisserie chicken, and boxed chicken broth. Microwave the rice and\npull the chicken off the bone. Place in a pot with a little chicken broth and\nany herbs or spices you desire. If you want to add some veggies, throw in some\nfrozen English peas or a mixture of carrots and peas. Heat until vegetables are\ncooked and chicken is heated through. Serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even dessert can be deconstructed. Sprinkle crushed vanilla\nwafers or graham crackers over a jar of lemon curd and top with whipped cream.\nOr make it fancy and layer lemon curd, vanilla wafter, and whipped cream in\nindividual glasses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not fond of lemon, use cherry pie filling and\ncrushed Oreos along with whipped cream. Or mix the whipped cream with cream\ncheese for a deconstructed cheesecake feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deconstructing allows you to use food in different\nquantities than you may normally. And when food is deconstructed, everyone\u2019s\nplate can be different. This can mean a great opportunity to empty the pantry\nof small items you\u2019ve been saving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re tired of battling against time every meal, consider doing what I do and deconstruct it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you need a meal to cook faster, deconstruct it! And who doesn\u2019t need a meal to cook faster? I set my own schedule and I still always feel behind. Sometimes I just need things to go quicker than they normally go. That\u2019s when I like to think of my kitchen as a fancy restaurant … Continue reading “Deconstruct It”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,10,9],"tags":[3269,3271,3272,3270],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4961"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4961"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4965,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4961\/revisions\/4965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}