I know...you've heard plenty of claims about how easy and fast cooking meals can be. I take those with the proverbial grain of salt. The people making the meals cook 8+ hours a day and wield knives like the pros they are. So, of course they're faster than the average at-home cook. I admit, I too am a professional cook. Still, I stand by my claim.

The ingredients I used (in addition to salt, pepper and water) were lamb, mustard, garlic, green beans and couscous. To keep cooking time to a minimum, I used a boneless, butterflied leg of lamb. That means a 2+ pound leg cooked in about 20 minutes in a hot oven, rather than double that time if the bone was in.

Here's the prep. Only the woody stem end of the beans were snapped off and then were rinsed. The lamb was seasoned with salt and pepper. A few cloves of garlic were slivered and inserted into the leg. The side of the lamb with the fat was coated with a thin layer of mustard. Couscous was cooked according to package directions. And, the whole production was on the table in 30 minutes start to finish. Voila!

Do you have some favorite tips on how to get real food on the table fast or meal plans you love? Please share them.Thanks!

Talk with you soon!