10 Tricks to Enjoy Your Cultural Foods When You're Short on Time

Jun 5

As a Latina dietitian, my Latine clients often share that they don’t have time to make their favorite cultural dishes as often as they’d like. After all, many of our cultural foods can be labor-intensive and we live very busy lives.

The good news is that you don’t have to resign to barely eating these foods!

I know that convenient options aren’t always the same as meals your abuela spends hours pouring her heart into, but they’re a great way to enjoy the flavors you love when you’re short on time. And let’s be real, most of us live such fast-paced lives we can’t spend as much time in the kitchen as we may want to.

Here are 10 tricks for enjoying your Latin American cultural foods when you’re short on time.

1. Use Microwavable Rice and Beans

This is one of my personal favorite tricks. There are some really tasty microwavable rice and beans out there that come close to family favorites. My favorite brands are A Dozen Cousins and Fillo’s.

A Dozen Cousins has a few rice options cooked in bone broth for added protein and flavor. They also have beans from various cultures, like Cuban Black Beans and Refried Pinto Beans. Fillo’s has even more bean options, like Peruvian Lentils and Puerto Rican Pink Beans.

They come in microwavable pouches, so you just have to heat them in the microwave for about a minute and they’re ready to eat! You can also heat them on the stove top if you don’t have a microwave.

2. Buy Prepared Tamales

Fillo’s also makes microwavable tamales that come in a single-serve pouch. They’re easy to take on-the-go for a snack or to pair with rice and beans for a meal.

Some of my clients have made these go-to snacks so they’ll be excited about staying nourished throughout the day instead of going long stretches of time without food.

3. Use Spice Blends and Sauces

While I’d love to prep my grandmother’s sofrito regularly, I don’t always have the time. Plus, culantro isn’t readily available near me.

Whether it’s sofrito or other sauces and spice blends, buying pre-made ones can be a game changer. It allows you to incorporate those traditional Latine flavors even if you’re tight on time.

I love Loisa for this. Their sofrito and sazon is absolutely delicious and saves so much time in the kitchen. They even make salt-free sazon and salt-free adobo if you’re trying to be mindful of your sodium intake.

A Dozen Cousins makes sauces for Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa and Mexican Pollo Asado. This cuts out all the time you’d have to spend making the sauce. Instead, just coat your protein in the sauce, cook, and enjoy!

4. Refrigerate or Freeze Diced Onions and Peppers

Onions and peppers are two of the main veggies we enjoy in Latin American cuisine. So dice them up at the start of the week and keep them in your fridge to conveniently add to meals.

You can also buy them in bulk to chop and freeze. Do the tedious work of chopping them all at once so they’re ready for you to grab whenever you need them. Add them to dishes like beans, tacos, eggs, and enchiladas!

5. Invest in a Rice Cooker

A rice cooker is an absolute game changer when it comes to conveniently prepping your cultural meals. You can set it and forget it so you don’t have to tend to a pot of rice on the stove for 30+ minutes. It beeps when it’s done and the finished product is super consistent.

Most rice cookers also keep the rice warm for hours after it's done cooking.

You can also use a rice cooker as a steamer to heat up tamales.

Of course, you can’t make concon or pegao in a rice cooker, so save that for when you have time to cook on the stove.

6. Make It Your Go-To Takeout

Another option is to order your cultural foods for take out if you have restaurants nearby that fit the bill. There’s no shame in using takeout as a resource.

Since a lot of our favorite cultural foods are very time and labor-intensive, ordering them from an authentic restaurant is a great way to enjoy them without having to spend hours in the kitchen.

7. Freeze Leftovers for Later

When you do spend time in the kitchen prepping your cultural foods, consider making extra and freezing the leftovers! Many of our cultural foods can be frozen, like arroz con guandules, tamales, sofrito, and pernil.

This allows you to easily enjoy them later on even when you’re short on time! You can do this after family gatherings, too. Take home leftovers and pop them in the freezer to enjoy over the next few months.

8. Use Canned Beans

Although older generations may have used dried beans, canned beans are more practical for our fast-paced lifestyles. They save a lot of time in the kitchen and they can be used to make the same dishes as dried beans.

If you’re worried about sodium, opt for no-salt-added or low sodium canned beans. You can also rinse the beans before using them to remove the excess sodium.

9. Prepare Frozen Burritos

Frozen burritos make for a great breakfast or lunch. You can either purchase them frozen or make homemade burritos and freeze them yourself. Prep a bunch at once and freeze them to heat and eat when you’re ready.

Load them with beans, peppers, and onions for plenty of fiber and plant protein. You can also add cheese and meat for more protein and calcium.

10. Make Batidas and Aguas Frescas

Don’t forget about cultural staples like batidas and aguas frescas! These are quick to prep and they connect us to our culture.

I know for me, drinking a papaya shake with milk, cinnamon and vanilla takes me back to trips to the DR or summer evenings with my abuela. And the best part is it only takes a few minutes to make.

Final Thoughts

Our fast-paced lifestyles don’t always allow us to spend as much time in the kitchen as we may want. However, there are a bunch of ways to keep your culture alive even when you can’t make your favorite dishes from scratch.

Try convenient options like microwavable or canned beans and tamales, and make the freezer your friend! You can also enjoy drinks like batidas that only take a few minutes to make.

For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.

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