5 Quick & Easy Meals Using The Staples
So you've decided you want to cook more of your meals at home. You understand the benefits of enjoying more home-cooked meals, and are working on addressing some of the barriers to regular cooking by stocking your kitchen with the essentials. But you're still short on time, and can never think of what to make with said kitchen essentials. With more practice, it definitely gets easier to look in your pantry/fridge/freezer of basics ingredients and think of different meals to make, but before you've had sufficient experience, it can be hard and overwhelming to decide what to cook, and when this happens it's easy to fall back in to the old trap of 'I can't be bothered so i'll just order a pizza'.
That's where I can help! I've put together 5 last-minute meals that you can easily prepare using your kitchen staples. All recipes include:
Smart carbs, these are the carbohydrates that provide us with a stable source of energy as well as fibre, to help us feel fuller for longer after eating (they also help in keeping our gut happy), examples of smart carbs are: pasta, brown rice, and lentils.
A source of protein, which is important for maintaining muscle mass, and also helps us feel satisfied from our meal, examples of protein are: meat, dairy, eggs, fish, legumes and tofu.
And, veggies, which are very important in our diet as they contain a variety of nutrients and fibre (which we know is super important, fabulous even), which helps to fill us up and keep our bodies happy and healthy. It's great to eat a wide variety of colourful veggies daily, and buying frozen vegetables can be a great way to always ensure you have some on hand.
Once you've mastered these recipes, you'll be better equipped to look into your pantry and fridge and come up with a new creation using the ingredients you have.
Veggie omelette with wholegrain toast - using eggs, fresh or frozen veggies and bread
Heat a frypan on medium with a small amount of olive oil, crack two eggs per person in a bowl and whisk with a fork to mix. Cut up some veggies (broccoli, corn, spinach, mushrooms and frozen veggies are all good options) and lightly steam in microwave. When the pan is hot add the egg mixture and when the egg has firmed up and the vegetables to the pan. Fold one half of the egg over the vegetables (as shown below) and cover with a lid until cooked. Toast some bread and serve with your delicious omelette for a quick, easy and tasty lunch or dinner option.
Broccoli, corn and ham omlette, so easy and delicious.
Quick fried rice - using packet brown rice, frozen veg and eggs
Heat a frypan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add diced onion and saute until translucent. Add packet brown rice (1 packet for 2 ppl) and (lots of) frozen veg, cook until tender. Add 3-4 eggs and mix until cooked, then finish with a splash of soy. Enjoy your tasty fried rice!
Quick, easy and tasty fried rice.
Tuna pasta - using pasta, frozen veg, grated carrot, garlic and tuna
Bring a pan of water to the boil (for the pasta). Add pasta when boiling, and cook to the packet directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium frypan, and add 2 cloves crushed garlic and 3 grated carrots, and any frozen vegetables you have, and cook until tender. Open a tin of tuna and stir thru. Serve pasta with tuna and veg, and top with grated cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Super simple tuna pasta
Salad bowl - using a rice packet, lentils, veg, dressing
Use any vegetables you've got available (fresh or frozen), open a tin of lentils or chickpeas, microwave a packet of rice, add a dressing (I use equal parts of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce), and voila you have a super quick, tasty and nutritious lunch or dinner.
A colourful salad bowl.
Lentils, brown rice and salad, easiest meal ever!
Lentil, mushroom, chili pasta -
Follow the simple instructions in the link above for a quick and tasty pasta, perfect for any night of the week.
lentil, mushroom, chili pasta
What are your easy go-to dinners?
If you found this article helpful, please share it on!