In the last 3 weeks I found that I didn't really want to be cooking meals. My boyfriend was away and let's be honest, cooking for one is not always so exciting. Considering that, as well as the water crisis in Cape Town, I decided to make easy, quick meals that required very little effort and as little washing up as possible.
Some of my quick meal ideas:
1. Poached salmon and smooth cottage cheese salad:
I love this combination and could enjoy this meal everyday actually! I bought the ready made poached salmon from Woolworths, fat free smooth cottage cheese and added it to a bulky salad of mixed greens, sweet peppers, sprouts and avocado. I enjoyed this with some provitas on the side and scooped up a good combination of the ingredients. This could also be delicious with some quinoa or buckwheat as a base instead of the provitas (It would be nice and easy to make a bigger batch of one of the grains and add it to a few meals for the week).
2. Mexican style salad
I love mexican flavours so much and it is such a tasty way to make a salad come to life! I use tinned corn, quinoa, coriander, baby spinach, tinned black beans, chopped tomato, jalapenos, salsa, mashed avocado and grated mozarella. Such yummy flavours and a great balanced, easy meal! You can also make corn/ wholewheat tortillas with these fillings :)
3. One pan - shakshuka
Eggs are always my go- to when I haven't planned a meal because I always keep them in the fridge for these types of nights when I haven't re-stocked the fridge. Shakshuka is always a tasty and easy way of making a yummy meal, and it only takes about 15 minutes in total and the mess of only 1 pan :) See my previous blog post for the full recipe: https://www.gabilaskerdietician.com/single-post/2017/09/06/Shakshuka
4. Omlettata
Always a great way to get in veggies into a meal and so quick and easy! Sautee' veggies of choice in a pan until soft. Pour whisked eggs over the veggies and cook on low heat for 3 mins. Then put the whole pan in the oven under the grill for another 2-3 mins to get crispy on top. Serve with a slice of seeded/rye toast or a side salad :) Easy peezy!
5. Pasta
Pasta is always an easy meal because it takes so little time to cook. I also love using the Woolworths spinach and cauliflower noodles as an alternative, which takes only one minute in the microwave! Add some protein like chicken strips/beef strips or some mozarella or ricotta cheese and then vegetables, tinned tomatoes and some herbs and you are sorted with a quick, easy, nutritious meal.
6. Stir- fry
My favourite thing about stir fry is that it is only 1 pan of mess so it leaves very little to clean up. It also takes about 15 minutes in total to whip together so when cooking for one it is a great easy choice. It also tastes really good the next day or two for lunch/supper round 2 :) Choose a grain e.g. wild rice/quinoa/wholewheat/buckwheat noodles, choose 3-4 veggies and soya, ginger, garlic and onion for flavour. Chicken/tofu are my favourites to add to stir fries but also try haloumi or beef strips to change things up.
I hope these ideas give you some healthy inspiration for some lazy nights :) xxx
For a personalized meal plan and more healthy lifestyle tips, tricks and recipes visit my website www.gabilaskerdietician.com/book-online to book a consultation.