Make real meals, real fast: you can take shortcuts in the kitchen without shortchanging quality or taste

Natural Health, Dec, 2001 by Jack Bishop

CONVENIENCE FOODS HAVE A long, not very illustrious history in the American kitchen. They appeared in the late 1800s and by the 1950s dominated supermarkets, providing not only streamlined cooking, but also huge amounts of preservatives, additives, sodium, and sugar.

Times have changed, however. During the last five years, the organic and natural food industries have given busy consumers healthier choices. Here are seven quick and delicious recipes that showcase some of these natural convenience foods.