Advice on healthy eating

[Catsanfan]

Hi all

I know this is really stupid but I am trying to improve my diet, less shite more veg etc. But I am a really uninspired meal planner and terrible could. Cook anyone suggest any healthy, yet easy dinner ideas?

TIA

It’s just about balance e.g. a dish a white pasta with a creamy sauce and no veg or salad is not particularly healthy but use wholemeal pasta, a tomato based sauce and added chicken or tuna for protein and you’ve got a fairly decent meal. Rather than trying to cook loads of new recipes which can feel daunting I would look at how to make healthier versions of the foods you like - swap fried for oven baked, leaner protein, and add plenty of salad and veg.

What do you normally eat for dinners in a typical week?

I'm a bit naughty for convenience foods like ready meals as I'm not a very good cook. I just need inspiration I think

Start simple then - a bag of ready chopped stir fry veg, some cooked chicken or prawns, a microwave pack of brown rice and a splash of soy sauce and garlic / chilli in with the veg.

Baked potatoes, tuna (go easy in the mayo!), and salad.
breaded fish or chicken in the oven, homemade potato wedges and frozen peas
falafel, beetroot, feta and salad in wholemeal wraps
homemade chilli (use tinned tomatoes and chilli rather than ready made sauce) and rice

Gusto is your friend. The ingredients are the exact amount so no measuring etc. The recipe is broken down into baby steps, it’s a great way to learn to cook and eat healthier.

Have veg with your ready meal. Either a salad or something like a couple of handfuls of spinach rinsed and pinged for a few seconds.

Something like a jacket potato with baked beans, but with some added veg on the side.

Omelette etc

What ready meals or other meals do you like?

So for instance say you like macaroni cheese, get some macaroni pasta, 10 mins in boiling water, grated parmesan, bit of pesto (from a jar) stirred in and chop up some salad, salad leaves, cucumber, grated carrot tomato

Start small

So what do you like we might be able to help you more with specific meals.

If you are cooking just for you I'd take a look at buddha bowl recipes. Easiest things to plan and make ever.

Or bake a bit of salmon, 15 mins? Medium oven in a baking tray, at the same time steam new potatoes and green beans, 10-15 mins you don't need to peel the new potatoes and a couple of minutes before it's ready melt a tiny bit of butter and crushed garlic in a small pan just until the garlic starts to brown drizzle garlic butter over potatoes, easy healthy quick
20 minutes start to plate

Buddha bowls look amazing! I like couscous so should.include that more. Prefer rice to pasta, not keen on fish really but can handle prawns if in a sauce. Like chilli con carne (but have never made myself) chips, pizza, quiche etc are an example of things I am try. My guilty pleasure is ginsters slices 😳

Sorry I meant pizza chips quiche etc are what I am trying to move away from

Love new potatoes but have a tendency to cover with butter

Thanks all, I will give it a go 😀

Try making tortilla / Spanish omelette or crust less quiche - it’s a lot healthier than shop bought as it doesn’t have pastry and if you use a really strong cheese you need less of and you can use skimmed milk rather than full fat.

Tray bakes are also super-easy. So many online recipes. Just google the protein you want to use, like chicken tray bake or salmon tray bake. Follow a couple of recipes then you'll get in the swing of choosing your own ingredients and flavourings.

If you can afford it I would recommend Gousto and chose the healthy options. We all hate convenience foods now and understand portions. Fruit and plain yogurt for breakfast, soup or salad or left overs for lunch, gousto for dinner. We've all become a lot healthier. I have a code if you want one, as all Gousto members do :)

Tray bakes are a great suggestion! Look at the roasting tin book series by Rukmini Iyer.

It's 70% of the first box and I get £10 :

www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=JOANN41397093&utm_source=weblink

A word of warning re Gusto…..it’s great BUT read the recipe instructions online before you order. I’ve had some lovely dishes but some require a lot of pots, pans and utensils for a relatively simple dish! I’ve learnt to short cut some of the steps but if you’re not a confident cook you’d really need to follow the instructions. It’s also much cheaper if you buy a box for 4 servings rather than 2 so see if you find dishes that will freeze ok.

Replace butter with good extra virgin olive oil on potatoes, I know it's expensive but you only need a dribble.

Couscous is easy as you like but needs flavour, tiny bit of tomato paste, that has been heated with onion, garlic, herbs, harissa, chopped red peppers

Steam potatoes and make a potato salad or have sweet potato wedges instead

As you like couscous, a chickpea tagine would be a good thing to make. Very quick & easy and you can freeze extra portions.

I used to be rubbish at cooking. I improved by researching recipes of dishes I'd had before and liked. There's no point spending ages cooking something you don't like. So I'd suggest that you think about what you like and then look up a few recipes online, read the reviews and see what changes other people made.

Like if you like pizza then you could have a go at making at home until you perfect it just how you like it.

The problem with threads like this is that our idea of 'healthy eating' as a society is based on dodgy science from the 60s that is backed up by very little or no evidence (eg the message that eating fat makes you fat when there is no evidence that that is the case; low fat is 'good common sense' whereas anything else is 'faddy' because it's not a good idea to cut out or restrict any one food group (er... low fat..?)).

At a very simple level, I would suggest reducing carbs (our diets are stuffed full of them and lead to insulin spikes); eating full fat food (no crappy diet alternatives that are packed with additives); avoid ultra processed food in general; if you're aiming for 5 a day, aim for 1-2 portions of fruit and 3-4 of a range of veg. Full fat food is tastier and filling. You're less likely to snack and more likely to feel satiated. Focus on nutrition rather than calories.

BBC Good Food website is good for recipes (it's how my daughter taught herself and what kept her busy over lockdown in her early teens).