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This week’s Real Food Wednesday is featuring “fast food.” I’m not talking about the BK down the street – this is all about food that’s good for you and you can make quickly. I’ve been looking forward to today to get some ideas for my own kitchen.

Some tips I’ve thought of are: keep basics in stock – veggies like carrots and celery that can quickly be thrown into a pot to make a tasty soup. Potatoes, which can always make the baked potato standby (load on the butter!). Keep home made stocks in your freezer so you can quickly make up soups or sauces. Cooked rice freezes well so the next time you make rice you may want to make a double batch. Keeping eggs and things like canned beans on hand can also help you make up quick meals.

If you’re pregnant or taking care of a baby/small children it can be really helpful to have a collection of nourishing “fast foods” on hand because it can be hard to find time for food preparation.

Quick Beef Meal

Saturday my family was out for most of the afternoon at an art class. We got home later than I expected so I made up a quick dish using beef, stock, and leftover cooked rice.

I took a steak weighing about 1lb (which I’d gotten on sale) and cubed it, then pan-fried it in butter and tallow with some mushrooms and onions. Once it was cooked to our liking I put it in an oven-safe bowl and into the oven to keep warm (I put it on 150-200 degrees).

I then poured a couple of cups of home made beef stock into the pan and brought it to a boil, scraping up the juices and such from the pan. I added a bit of red wine for flavor, and probably some more butter. Then I stirred in some cream, salt, and pepper.

I let this simmer for a few minutes while I pulled a salad from the fridge and whipped up a quick dressing. I also put my leftover rice in a steamer basket over the stock I had going on the back of the stove.

You can let this sauce simmer down some to thicken, or if you’re in a rush thicken with flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot.

I put hot rice on each plate, followed by some beef and onions/mushrooms – then ladled sauce over. I put salad on the side and dressed resulting in a quick, very tasty meal!

Having certain staples on hand really helps make a quick meal happen when needed so I recommend stocking the cupboards, fridge, and freezer with the basics!

Visit Kelly the Kitchen Kop for more Real Fast Food ideas!