Quick, Simple, Healthy Food - Recipes

[pcstru]

As a follow on to some of the threads on fitness and health, I thought it might be useful to have a thread for recipes/ideas with a particular focus on food that is quick/easy to prepare and relatively healthy. Please do share your favourites here giving a prominent indication of the time needed to prepare the dish. Example :

 

Tuna on a bed of Spinach and Pasta : >> 10 mins <<

 

Ingredients :

 

Fresh Tuna Steak

Spinach

Olives (pitted) or Capers or both!

Pasta (Penne)

Olive Oil

Sherry Vinegar

Pepper

 

Put the pasta into water and bring to boil (for a little more flavour put in a whole garlic clove to cook with the pasta - but remember to remove it before serving!). Cook as per instructions (typically 8 min for normal dried pasta). Meanwhile, heat a pan and add a little oilive oil. Put the Tuna steak in and cook on a medium heat for 4/5 mins before turning (you should see the bottom half is cooked but the top is still raw). After turning allow to cook for 2 mins, then use a fork to poke a few holes in the top and pour over 1 tsp (a splurge) of sherry vinegar and cook for another minute. Add olives/capers to the Pan, whole or halved, and a few handfuls of spinach and stir it until the spinach wilts (you will appear to be using a lot of spinach but don't worry, it reduces substantially.

 

Drain the pasta, return to the pan and throw in a dash of olive oil and some freshly ground pepper and stir well to coat the pasta.

 

Plate up the pasta, grate on a little fresh parmesan, add the spinach and then the Tuna Steak.

 

 

(You can add some tomatoes too, switch the Tuna for other fish (Salmon is my other go-to) and for less health you can add a little chopped bacon into the frying pan to do with the fish).

Edited March 4, 2015 by pcstru
Addded Photo!

[MrMat]

Excellent idea!

 

Not a fan of Tuna or Olives mind so i think i'll give yours a miss

 

I'll suggest Overnight Oats! Not necessarily a recipe but it's something some people may not be aware of. Dead simple, easy and tasty breakfast. Exactly the same as normal Oats except cold and much, much quicker!

 

Shove some oats in a lockable container and pour in your milk/yogurt. Use more milk than you usually would for regular oats. Then simply place in the Fridge before you go to bed.

 

Add extra ingredients in the morning. Peanut Butter and Jam is a good one. Or some Fruit and honey etc.

 

Plenty of ideas can be found here.

 

Enjoy!

[Tesla]

Tend to sometimes cook chicken along with some Uncle Ben's express rice, that's healthy, right?

[LazyFanatic]

Tend to sometimes cook chicken along with some Uncle Ben's express rice, that's healthy, right?

 

Only if you add some veggies

[Tesla]

oh, yeah, usually have it with reduced fat coleslaw and some green salad

[arwen]

Lemon and pepper chicken with veggie rice is one of my favourites. Not particularity quick, but prep time is low and simple. The time is mostly waiting for the chicken to cook.

 

For the Chicken -

Simply slice up a few lemons (about 1cm in thickness) spread some tin foil on a backing tray (don't tare it from the roll just yet) and lay half of the slices on it. Sprinkle a little crushed black pepper corns over them then place strips or whole chicken breasts on top. Place the rest of the lemon on top followed with some more pepper if you like. You can also add some butter if you like.

Take the roll of tin foil and put it over the chicken and create a parcel. Keep it reasonably thigh fitting, folding all the ended over so no juices escape.

Chuck in a preheated oven at 170°C for about 50min to an hour.

 

For the Rice - (I cook this in a rice cooker, but you can do it in a normal pot too)

Put in the rice and water according to the instructions on the rice packet. Cut up some veggies that you have. I normally use mixed peppers, sweet peppers, spring onions, sweetcorn. If you put red onion in it turns the rice a lovely shade of pink!

Put them all in the pot and cook according to the instructions on the rice, you may need to add some more water half way through depending on the veggies. Just check it after 10min to see if it is starting to stick to the bottom. If you are using frozen veggie then use a little less water to begin with.

 

 

 

Stir Fry is always good. Normally supermarkets have deals on noodles, mixed veg and sauces for around £3-5.

Just remember to heat the wok up properly before hand, and be light on the oil when frying the meat. I also use fish in my stir fries. Can make a healthy dinner in around 15min.

 

 

Pasta Bake : Useful for lunches.

Put dry pasta in a casserole/lasagne dish along with a jar of sauce (loads available in all supermarkets. Found around the pasta aisle). 3/4 fill the jar with water and add that. You can then add extra veggies (peppers are a favourite of mine) and some meat. Bacon, precooked sausages, already cooked chicken (leftovers from another dinner?).

Mix it all up. Very few bits of pasta should be showing above the water line, if they are then they will burn.

Stick in a preheated over at 190°C for 45min or so. checking after 20min to give it a stir. It is ready once the pasta is soft.

If you are feeling "bad" you can add a layer of grated cheese 10min before the end and it makes a lovely topping.

 

 

Couscous with anything makes for a quick meal or lunch time snack on its own.

[pcstru]

Could I ask that only recipes are posted to this thread. I'm generally very relaxed about thread drift and "on topicness", but this thread won't be very useful if you have to plough through 10 wibble posts for every recipe.

[pcstru]

Prawn Marie Rose Salad : >> 10 mins <<

 

Cooked, Peeled Prawns (fresh or frozen)

Mayonnaise

English Mustard (powder will be fine)

Tomato Puree

Wholemeal Bread

 

If using frozen prawns, thaw them in lukewarm water - it will only take a few minutes. Don't use hot water it will start to cook them again. When thawed then put in a sieve to drain.

 

For the sauce/dressing, use a couple of large (tblsp) dollops of Mayo, add a teaspoon of mustard powder, a teaspoon of tomato puree (tomato ketchup will do). Mix well. I like to then mix the prawns in so they are coated in the dressing.

 

For the salad, I like mixed leaf salads - typically Italian leafy lettuce and rocket (in the winter I buy bags of it, from spring I grow it in seed trays, starting one a week and cropping at 4/5 weeks) with some onion (spring or red) very thinly sliced mixed in, sweet cherry tomatoes halved or quartered, sometimes grapes, finely chopped apple and/or olives (hey , I like olives!). I toast some slices of bread (these days wholemeal), layer on some salad, put the prawn & sauce mix on, then sprinkle with a little paprika (entirely optional) and drizzle with lemon juice. A nice addition is a few marinaded anchovies on top of the prawns.

 

 

(the stuff on top is slices of carrot (just slice with a potato peeler))

[LeMarchand]

Saw this one today. High on calories, but...

 

Avocado Baked Egg (around 25 minutes)

 

Heat oven to 425 F/220 C.

Slice avocado in 1/2 and remove pit.

Crack an egg into each pit "hole" (use small eggs or carve a bigger hole).

Season with salt/pepper/cayenne/chilli/whatever.

Bake for around 15 mins; you may find a ramekin or scone tray or similar useful to keep things the right way up.

You can add garnish if you like: chopped chives would go well (so would bacon bits, but that probably doesn't count as healthy!).

 

Edited March 4, 2015 by LeMarchand
Added time

[connor_ict]

As ive started the gym again, im back to having a high in protein but a low in fat diet (Lean muscle diet)

Oats and a banana in the morning with green tea or lemon water

chicken and brown rice with vegatables (broccoli,green beans or spinach) marinated of course

I cooked a nice seafood stew not long ago that was delicious think its called SEAFOOD ONE POT

[LeMarchand]

Cobbled Cajun Chicken Chow

15 mins prep, 30 mins cooking

 

Needed to use up various bits and bobs from the fridge last night, so cobbled this together (hence the name). Was really tasty and should be healthy. Times and some quantities are guesstimates as I didn't time myself! Was enough to feed two very greedy people (was delish!) but would easily do 3 if not 4 with more rice.

 

• 2 large chicken breasts cut into large chunks
  
• Couple of teaspoons of cajun spice (enough to coat chicken)
  
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
  
• 1 red chilli, deseeded (or not, if you like it fiery but it was pleasantly warm deseeded) and thinly sliced
  
• 1 tablespoon oil
  
• 2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed and medium sliced
  
• 1 parsnip, peeled or scrubbed and medium sliced (maybe quarter the "top" slices as well if large)
  
• Enough hot chicken stock to cover ingredients (500ml?) - I normally "cheat" and used very thin chicken gravy, but had some of that gel stuff that I'm going to try to make matzo soup with and it really did make a great difference
  
• Couple of handfuls of sugar snap peas (could probably use mange tout), roughly chopped
  
• Couple of handfuls of roughly chopped fresh coriander
  
• Rice to serve
  

 

Chunk up the chicken, sprinkle with the spice and stir to coat - make sure the chunks are evenly coated. Leave to one side while prepping the veg.

 

Take a large, heavy bottomed pad and fry the onion and chilli in the oil over a medium heat until starting to soften, then bung in the chicken and stir to coat. Keep cooking with occasional stirs until chicken starting to brown.

 

Stir in the carrot and then the parsnip, lower heat and put lid on pot for a couple of minutes - give it a shake occasionally to prevent sticking.

 

Add the stock, turn up heat and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer with lid on until veggies softening and chicken cooked (approx 20 mins). Depending on how you're doing the rice, use this time to get it ready. I cheated and used a microwave packet.

 

Stir in the sugar snaps while you get the plates out and serve the rice (you may want deep plates and spoons with this) - they should be heated through but still nice and crisp in a couple of minutes.

 

Stir in the coriander just before serving.

[Miscbrah]

Bear in mind that 'healthy' is a broad term, and a meal only as useful as its place in your diet plan, with due attention paid to macronutrients. Are you counting carbs? Calories? Protein? Are you just after your "5-a-day"? IIFYM?

 

Quick and easy for me would be lemon chicken pasta:

 

100g chicken breast

80g wholewheat pasta

100g broccoli

tbsp lemon juice

1-cal frying spray

 

Cut chicken into pieces, heat and spray pan, cook chicken in it. Boil pasta and then add broccoli when it's almost done. Drain, return to pot (off heat) with chicken, mix in with lemon juice. Get it down whilst Newsnight is on.

 

On average 34g protein, 511 calories, 62g carbs.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Miscbrah

[pcstru]

Sirloin Salad (My take on a Thai styled salad - the steak makes this a substantial salad with the lime and coriander dressing cutting through any fattiness of the meat to keep this feeling quite fresh and light ). Approx 10 Mins to make :

 

Steak rubbed with garlic and seasoned, cooked as you like it (Med Rare for me). Add some chopped spring onion about 30 seconds before it is done. Set aside to rest.

 

The salad is mixed leaves, cucumber, grated carrot, red pepper (capsicum), vine tomatoes. I drizzle a little mayonnaise on (more for looks than texture or taste).

 

Finally, squeeze juice of a lime into a bowl, add salt, pepper and some chopped fresh coriander leaf. Slice the steak into thin(ish) strips toss in the dressing and then place on top of salad. Drizzle any remaining dressing onto salad.

 

(Poor photo).

 

[Joanne]

Slow Cooker Curry

 

Diced Stewing Steak, red onions, 1 pepper, garam massala, tin of chopped tomatoes, creamed coconut sachet.

 

Brown the meat in a frying pan with the spices and onions.

Put in slow cooker with the pepper and tin of chopped tomatoes. Leave.

When you get home, add the sachet of creamed coconut. Give it an hour or so.

 

Serve with brown rice and optional:

 

Home Made Chipati

 

Flour, oil, water.

 

Mix the above together to form a dough. Give it a knead for 5 minutes and then section off into balls and roll out.

Heat up a dry frying pan (or, if feeling adventurous, a buttered one)

Fry the flat bread until cooked.

 

YUM!

[denzal2k4]

Chicken Rice and Veg

 

Take casserole dish (round cast iron type), drizzle of oil at the bottom, add half mug of rice for 2 people, chop up spuds/ broccolli/ carrots whatevs put it on top of the rice, fill with water till it's about an inch beneath the top of the veg add stock cube/ worcester sauce/ herbs whatever, season chicken thighs, place chicken thighs on top of veg, put lid on the dish pop it in the oven 180-200 degs for half an hour then check (add water if needed, give it a general shake to stop things sticking to pot) cook for another 20 mins or when chicken has crispened up, take lid off to hasten the crispening (shut up it is a word).

 

Love this because its quick, easy, tasty and all in one pot.

Edited May 2, 2017 by denzal2k4

[witch]

Sweet Potato and Spinach Bake ( or any other veg you fancy such as parsnip)

ingredients:

2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing

1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

160g bag ready washed baby spinach

1kg sweet potatoes (750g peeled weight), thickly sliced

400ml semi-skimmed milk

Pinch of cayenne

100g Mature Cheese, - could be low fat if you want

 

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Grease a 1L ovenproof dish.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion over a medium heat until soft and turning golden. You can use a spray such as Frylight if you want to save a few calories

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the spinach and stir-fry until it wilts. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the potatoes in a pan with the milk, cayenne and a pinch of salt.

Cover and heat until simmering. Simmer for 7-8 minutes, then season.

Drain, reserving the milk.

Arrange half the potatoes over the bottom of the dish.

Top with the spinach mixture and half the cheese, then cover with the rest of the potatoes. Pour in the milk.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake for 40 minutes until golden.

For a non-veggie version, add bacon pieces