Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series on creating healthier food at home. On Nov. 9, we covered preparation and stocking a healthy kitchen.

Eating out is convenient, but there are ways to make cooking at home less time-consuming and more feasible for even the busiest people. Here are some tips.

Cook and freeze: Cook several meals at once. For instance, "Cook pork chops or chicken in huge batches, freeze on cookie sheets and then store in the freezer in a sealed container with waxed paper between the pieces," says Antoinette Kuritz, a San Diego-based mom and home cooking expert.

Minimize cleanup: Do your major cooking the day before your regular housecleaning day. That way, you clean the kitchen once, Kuritz says.

Form a cooking co-op: "Ask three friends if they'd like to form a cooking co-op. Each person prepares dinner one night a week for all four families. You get four great meals and only one night in the kitchen," says Janet Peterson, author of "Family Dinners: Easy Ways to Feed Your Kids and Get Them Talking at the Table" (Gibbs Smith, 2006).

Have a food party: To make batch cooking a fun event and to share recipes, invite a friend or two over to cook batch meals together, or cook in your own kitchens and swap vacuum-sealed meals later, says Alicia Ross, co-author of "Cheap. Fast. Good!" (Workman, 2005).

Make theme meals: Avoid the what's-for-dinner dilemma — create a theme for each night of the week. Monday can be taco night, Tuesday is salad bar night, etc., suggests Carrie Hanna, the author of "Florida's Backyard" (Authorhouse, 2002).

Make extra: As an alternative to cooking entire meals ahead, just double or triple up on some basic building blocks that will speed you through future meals. Browning batches of ground beef and onions, poaching or grilling chicken and baking potatoes ahead of time cut down on meal prep time, says Ross.

Post the menu: Plan weeknight meals in advance and post them (so there is no, "What's for dinner?" when you get home). That way you shop once a week and get everyone on board, says Peggy Katalinich, food director for Family Circle magazine.

Cook out/dine in: They're springing up all over, with names such as Dinner by Design (www.dinnerbydesignkitchen.com), Dream Dinners (www.dreamdinners.com) and Dinners Ready (www.dinnersready.com). These are basically storefront kitchens where you can prepare a week's worth of meals in one session. They do the planning, shopping and chopping and provide everything you need to cook healthy, delicious meals. Dinners Ready has a chef and nutritionist on staff. People assemble their meals in the store, take them home, then freeze and cook as needed. You have all the ingredients, your meals are portion-controlled and you can pick what's healthiest.

COOKBOOKS

There are so many quick-and-easy cookbooks available that you would think nobody eats dinner out. Just take a peek on Amazon.com and you'll find a host of books, including: