Those who eat a minimally processed diet...

[FartingAgainstThunder]

Could you share your favourite dinner recipes please?
I'm aiming to create a four week rolling menu plan and looking for inspiration.

@Joeslaol00 your question was a perfectly reasonable one.

Processed food is any food that has been changed from it's original form. Humans have been processing food for millennia. Bread, cheese, yoghurt, ham, jam, canned vegetables are all processed food.

Ultra processed food is food that has been made in a factory using ingredients that we wouldn't normally eat, emulsifiers, stabilisers, flavourings.

As a general rule, if it is wrapped in plastic it is probably ultra processed. If it has an ingredient that you wouldn't recognise or wouldn't find in your kitchen it is ultra processed.

Supermarket sliced bread is ultra processed, homemade bread or bread from a bakery isn't. Pasta isn't but a dehydrated pasta box is.

Take a look at this YouTube video for more information

If i get in a rut, i find it useful to think in terms of bases. A tomato/onion/garlic base, an indian base, a carrot/onion/celery base. Then you add in what you have on hand, and vary side dishes.

Blimey I had absolutely no idea that Basa could be so dodgy! No wonder it's cheap.
What a shame - I love the taste and texture of it! I tried this recipe with cod and it was too heavy. I'll try haddock.

Thank you so much for the heads up @LovelaceBiggWither - this could explain why the psoriasis on my hand has flared up lately - I've eaten basa 2 or 3 times in the last few weeks!

Don't let it put you off the recipe - just switch the fish!

Am not intentionally avoiding UPFs but trying to health more healthily in general, is leading in that direction anyway. Some items from the coming week's menu, are:

Salmon kebabs (salmon, mushrooms, olives).
Spanakopita (without pastry - lots of eggs instead - like a frittata).
Sausage casserole - doesn't count - but has a lot of leafy greens!
Aubergine Paneer & Tofu Curry.
Bircher Muesli for breakfasts.

Yeah I don't understand why it is sold so widely! Shame cod doesn't work well in that recipe.

We do a lot of things like rice bowls with various toppings (pulled pork or salmon, eda mame, avocado, cucumber, seeds, seaweed etc)

Burritos with various fillings.

currys

stir frys

Pasta with roasted tomatoes and burrata

Stuff like that

I'm going to give cod another go with it. I used cheap, frozen cod so it may have been tougher, it may have just seemed heavier due to the lightness of basa - I'll try cod from the fishcounter next time.

Quite gutted about basa - I love the texture and taste of it!

So does my husband. It was quite the battle to get him to concede there are healthier options out there!

Pea and ham/bacon soup made with dried marrowfat peas and excellent quality gammon or bacon. I can get about 15 portions from one smoked gammon joint plus enough stock for a second round of soup using bacon instead of gammon.

Braised shin of beef: I basically tip a litre of bone broth over four pieces of beef shin, add some herbs and cook covered on very low for 5 hours. I finish it with some cornflower to thicken the sauce, and use it as it is or for pie filling, etc. It freezes well and one portion is enough to feed 2 or 3 people or to fill a pie, with additional mushrooms.

@notacooldad
Yes, I could easily pick up a cookbook thank you...or I could start a thread asking others what their favourites are and get ideas and advice from other people. I'm not sure why you feel the need to call it "mad"

I enjoy these quite often:

Tuna fritters (I add grated cheese and spring onions)
https://www.kiddycharts.com/cook/cupboard-food-for-toddlers-tuna-and-sweetcorn-fritters/

Salmon traybake
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/salmon-pesto-traybake-baby-roast-potatoes

Chicken and pea risotto (I make this the day after having roast chicken and do make my own stock. I don't bother with the creme fraiche).
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roast-chicken-pea-risotto

Spag bol. After trying this I can never go back to Dolmio. I omit the bacon and chilli.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-spaghetti-bolognese-recipe

Venison madras. The best curry I've ever managed.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/venison-madras

Also Delia's courgette and cheese quiche.

For breakfast I like

https://cookieandkate.com/healthy-granola-recipe/

Banana pancakes
https://click.convertkit-mail.com/mvunk7rxn0i6ud7qdwimhe9qplqq/dpheh0h0qmlvkxul/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub25jZXVwb25hY2hlZi5jb20vcmVjaXBlcy9iYW5hbmEtcGFuY2FrZXMuaHRtbD9sY3RnPXBrdjhyZ2s1I3RhYnJlY2lwZT9hZHRfZWk9cmFjaGVsaGFyZGlzdHlAZ21haWwuY29t

Just done the Waitrose online shop. Here's my plan for next week:

For breakfast we eat a range including yoghurt with honey, soda bread and cheese/ salami, muesli, porridge, dips eggs, French toast, homemade cake etc.

I have lunch at home, and often it’s soup or salad. DH has cheese and bits. Kids get a cooked lunch at school and have what they fancy. With seconds.

Spatchcock roast chicken, rocket and Parmesan salad, roast new potatoes.

Ham (from the bone-in ham and e had at Christmas, I froze a few slices.), egg and homemade chips.

Homemade tomato and chilli sauce with fresh pasta.

Caponata with fresh bread (I’m working from home so easy to make a loaf.)

Halibut pan fried with lemon butter, rice and green veg.

We have friends over and will have venison tagine with homemade flatbreads etc.

Off for a curry on Brick Lane on Friday, before heading to a concert.

I have a decaf coffee with dark chocolate, cheese or affogato most nights after supper.

I think there is a lot of alarmism about UPF and some people making a great deal of money pit of people’s fear. If you eat a fresh diet, cook mostly from scratch and buy good quality food, you’ll be fine.

Try not to think about ‘no UPF’ instead focus on delicious, high quality food. Bed Wilson’s The Secret of Cooking and anything by Nigel Slater is a great inspiration.

I'm dairy and gluten free which affects most if not all processed foods. This week we had

Cottage pie (made from scratch)
Stir fry chicken in Hoi sin sauce (DH had rice, I didn't)
Salmon fillets with broccoli cooked in oil and new potatoes
Steak with broccoli, corn on cob and green beans (DH had rice too)
Pork chop with some chilli rub, green beans and 🥦

DH usually adds rice or potatoes to his, I try and avoid carbs and end up eating vegan chocolate

Really though, we buy and eat a lot of frozen veg and meals tend to be a meat and three veg as elaborate cooking is too much hassle!

There is an instagram account called @go.upf.free that lists packaged food that is not upf. I find it very useful.

The busiest day tends to be Thursday, and if you don’t work shifts, Friday is very tempting to just have a takeaway, cause, … you know.
So Thursdays is always freezer stuff, meals I cooked before, portioned and frozen.

Fridays are fakeaways, haloumi and mushroom burgers and home made chips for example.

Saturdays are for batch cooking. Make more and reserve and portion the rest for lunches in the week.
Sundays batch cook again, and have 2-3 portions for dinner Tuesday/Wednesday and one for the freezer.
Mondays is always eggs in my house, in various forms. I go to the gym on Tuesdays, so whatever I cooked on Sunday becomes dinner.

You get the gist.
HTH

This week's meal plan
Roast beef dinner
Cold beef, jacket potatoes & salad
Veg curry (from freezer - I batch cook in the slow cooker).
Chestnut & mushroom stew
Teriyaki salmon
Khapsalon chicken
Home made baked beans on homemade sourdough (Tom Kerridge beans recipe, but using Parma ham instead of bacon as no nitrates). + fried eggs.

I agree with PPs to keep lots of pulses . I buy tins, but realise it would be cheaper to buy dried.
I also keep a lot of frozen veg, meat & fish in the freezer, so I can quickly do salmon/couscous & Mediterranean veg or chicken & peppers.

I made tartiflette on Saturday and it was demolished by the whole family I mainly did it to use up stuff in the fridge

diced potatoes
garlic bulb roasted (then just squeeze out)
pot of cream
wedge of brie left from christmas (you can use any Brie/Camembert/reblochon type cheese)
leftover ham from the one I baked at new year
lots of salt and pepper

bung it all in and bake

It’s all about salads for me, I tend to have around 6 types of veg with chicken, eggs or seafood.
I eat a lot of eggs and enjoy fruit in the morning made into a smoothies.

Sounds deeelish!

Veggie mix. Fry an onion add to slow cooker, add 1 tin of lentils, 1 tin of tomatoes, any 5 mugs full of veg if your choice, eg sweetcorn, cauli, celery, peas,carrots, beans, fresh or frozen. Add stock cube, tblspn of tom purée and any herbs or spices you like. Eg curry powder or paprika . This makes loads and can be served with baked potatoes, pasta, rice , or makes base for veggie shepherds pie. Freezes well too.

Today a veggie cottage pie delicious.

Thank you for starting this thread, its really helpful

That's a bloody marvellous idea.
Going to do that as soon as the wee one is down for his nap.