To ask for easy healthy meal ideas?

[BastardBiscuits]

I got fat over lockdown. I just have no motivation when it comes to meals. I have little appetite too so I just tend to fill up on pot noodles and stuff covered in breadcrumbs.

What’s your favourite go to recipe? Something easy

Tonight we are having fish with new potatoes and green beans (probably with roasted red pepper too) and possibly a bread roll.

Easy healthy things for dinner? I just try to fill half my plate with veg to fill me up and then a bit of protein and a bit of carbs.

Yesterday I made a very easy chicken curry from the Pinch Of Nom book. Enough for yesterday and today. I also roasted a load of chicken thighs and vegetables - they’ll make lunches for the week.

Today I made carrot and parsnip soup (adding the juices from the chicken roasted yesterday to the stock for additional flavour). All very easy and mean I don’t have to really think about food for a few days. Can add the cooked chicken to stir frys, to a fake risotto, have on their own etc.

Casseroles and stews are super easy. Just chuck everything in a pot. Loads of recipes online

Grilled chicken strips, marinade in what you fancy with some salad and a bit of some kind of dip (not loads) and a small handful of tortilla chips too. Feels like a bridge between naughty/crap food and super healthy to ease you back in

I’m in the same boat, I’ve had a baby 5 weeks ago and pregnancy combined with being home has made me eat utter shite for months. Considering I’m doing everything one handed currently, I’ve been resorting to the following for quick healthy options. Mix one quick cooking carb (usually couscous, packet rice or orzo), one tin of mixed veg (ratatouille is a current fave, or stir fry veg) and one protein (pre cooked prawns or frozen chicken tenders bunged in the oven for 15 mins). Ta da.

When DD let’s me put her down, I like to make meals that can be stuffed with lots of veg and that are freezable. Stir fries (with either noodles or egg fried rice), chilli (for jacket potatoes, stuffed peppers, with salad etc), homemade soups (make absolutely loads and freeze at least 4 portions for emergency meals), veggie curries (if you make a curry sauce base in bulk you can then freeze and add chickpeas, potatoes, spinach etc as needed to make different meals).

Tray bakes are also good and less washing up! Some veg and one source of protein (chicken thighs, meatballs, veggie sausages cut up etc) plus some olive oil and herbs/spices and chuck in the oven. Easy!

Salmon and roast veg in the oven - last 10 mins add sweet chilli sauce to salmon. Serve with cous cous

What about soup? Healthy, easy, make loads at a time and not too much if you don't have too big an appetite in the evening.
Then just have salad/humus/falafel/tuna/chicken whatever at lunch and eggs for breakfast. Quick all day and healthy.
Beans or scrambled eggs on toast are surprisingly not that bad for you and so quick.

Omlettes. I love them and they fill u up. Just had a baby so needs to be quick and easy .

Chickpea curry- chop & fry an onion and two peppers til soft, add curry powder then a tin of chickpeas (drained), a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of coconut milk. Let it simmer for 30 minutes and have it with rice.

Another one is fishcakes with salad, ridiculously easy when the salad comes in a bag! Or baked potato with a protein (rice, tuna, cottage cheese) and salad. I know it sounds stupidly lazy but I buy the frozen baked potatoes which can be done in the microwave in 5 mins.

Or vegetable soup, can be done in 45 minutes and with a handful of lentils in it it's very filling.

Quick recipe from yesterday:

Cut some potatoes in half / quarters (depending on size)
Chuck in roasting dish with juice of 2 or 3 lemons, good glug of olive oil and a (broken up but still in skin) bulb of garlic. Season, cover with foil, whack in oven (about 180) for 20 mins.

Remove from oven, put chicken thighs on top of potatoes, add a bunch of asparagus, some rosemary if you’ve got it, season again. Put back in over (uncovered). Cook for around 30 mins / until skin is crispy and the spuds are done.

Serve!

I highly recommend the pinch of nom recipe books, fantastic low calorie meals

Following!

I've just decided tomorrow's lunch will be salmon and bagged salad.

I've got leftover cooked chicken for chicken and salad the next day.

I'm also finding it helps to set a lunch for the week. This week is pho soup (I make my own chicken and spice bone broth in the slow cooker, freeze in portions, then daily defrost and use it to cook rice noodles, little bits of meat and easy veg (i use prepared stir fry veg) with a bit of miso paste and soy sauce. Absolutely gorgeous.

Last week i had chicken, apple and pecan salads for lunch.

Slimming eats have some great ideas too.

Mango chicken tray bake. Everyone I've ever shared this recipe with loves it.

Chop up a red onion and some chicken breasts into a big pan. Put some little new potatoes in (the smaller the better). Then get some mango chutney and add water until its the consistency of oil... and pour over the food and coat it all well. Then bake for 25 mins, shaking the pan every now and again. Throw some sugar snap and baby sweetcorn in and give it another 5 mins.

Thats it.

I had a jacket potato with sweet and sour shredded beetroot from Tesco, it was delicious.
Stir fries are great for quick, easy and healthy, fish is good too, with veg or salad.