Healthy convenience food? Does it exist?

[daisydee43]

Hi everyone

Really want to eat more healthy so have been buying fruit - had some veg in the week and was lovely. Only prob is that the family don't like meals you can veg up ie cottage pie, spaghetti Bol etc - we currently live on burgers, pizza, Mexican kits and occasionally pasta - want to change without a shock to the system - any ideas?

I must add, I'm defrosting the freezer this week and found buying fresh meals a nightmare for ideas but my shopping bill was an extra £10

You can make lovely burgers for all the family and it won't cost a fortune. The healthy bit kicks in because you have meat which is prob less fatty and you know the quality of the meat. We make our own lush pizza and cost so little. They taste great and kids love joining in making them. I had never made a pizza in my whole life, but once I started…. couldn't stop. We have a few great tips to make those pizza rise really well. Let me know if you want more suggestions.

You can veg up those things quite easily-
Lettuce and tomato in a burger
Lots of veg on pizzas- you could get the kids to help make them and add their own choice of eg peppers, mushrooms, sweet corn
Extra red/yellow peppers in fajitas
Add broccoli, spinach or peas to pasta and cheesy sauce.

We eat basically homemade takeaway, so burgers, kebabs, pizza, curry, fajitas, chicken etc. My kids aren't that big on cooked veggies but we eat masses of salad.
They all reckon my stuff is miles better than takeaway too, so it acts as a junk food deterrent.

Homemade chilli con carne?

Easy to prepare and healthier than some Mexican kit.

Spaghetti carbonara - really quick and easy to do.

Grilled fish fillets - ditto.

Second the suggestion of homemade pizza - buy the bases and bung on your own toppings.

It rarely takes us longer than half an hour to prepare dinner in the evening, but we always cook from scratch (multiple allergy household).

Noodles...endless variations

Rice and pilaf dishes

Cous cous with roasted veg

Dhals with chapatis. Chapatis are really easy to make just find yourself an Indian cookbook or google recipes

Meatballs are kinda like burgers? Make a sauce with loads of hidden veg/blitzed

What about curry? It doesn't need to be with rice you.could make it thick and have a home made shish kebab.

If you have a bread maker homemade pizza bases are a cinch.

When I make burgers I add minced meat (beef, turkey, lamb, whatever) plus:
1 grated onion
1 grated carrot
1 grated apple (skin on)
2 sticks grated celery
2 beaten eggs
a handful of wheatgerm, polenta or breadcrumbs (depending what I have)

The meat goes loads further and the children haven't complained yet!

Pizza is an easy one to disguise vegetables in - make your own sauce topping with tinned toms, garlic, carrot, celery and onion, boil for half an hour then blend. (I do vats of it and freeze).

"Make your own nuggets" (salmon, chicken, etc). Whisk egg. Dip meat chunks in a mix of sesame seeds, polenta, parmesan. Serve with rice and salad.

Hi yes have made homemade pizza before but it often goes great or bad. Don't have a bread maker but make it from a dry mix. On mon&wed when I work I need a quick meal for me and dh, what would you suggest?

Really basic non meat food is good, easy and cheap. Like scrambled eggs on toast, poached eggs on toast, baked beans in a jacket potato etc.

You can get a jus rol pizza base in a can, is good

Corn on the cob
Baked potatoes with various fillings?

Do you have a slow cooker?

I have a great pizza recipe that always works.. I will go and dig it out so marking place here

Also what about chicken kebabs with chunks of courgette and pepper etc

Curry / stir fry

Pitta bread with chilli and salad/sweetcorn

Jelly made with fresh fruit. Health food shop has great jelly.

Basic Pizza Dough - Good Housekeeping

175 g strong plain white flour
Quarter tsp salt
Sachet fast acting dried yeast
One tablespoon olive oil

In a warm bowl mix flour salt yeast
Make well in centre add 150ml warm water and oil
Stir by hand or wooden spoon until it forms a wet dough
Turn out onto well floured surface and knead 5 mins
Place in a bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 45mins

Then knead again, roll out,turn up edges, add topping and bake in a hot oven 220degrees for 20 to 25 mins

Suitable for freezing

Hijacking to ask mrswellyboot at what point can you freeze that dough? Is it after the proving process before the second knead and roll out?

No slow cooker, like the idea of just rol pizza base - I get so fed up kneading dough

Tortilla wraps make great pizza bases if you don't pile too much on top and Nigella suggests naan breads as bases. We make a lot of home made pizza but I'm not sure I'd be arsed if I had to knead it by hand! Respect to you.

We're kneaders in this house. Good for stress. And punching if someone's annoyed you

polly once dough has risen

Ah thanks mrs- will def try that!

I've used pitta bread as a pizza base...seems nicer than a lot of the shop bought bases and they're quite a good size for individual pizzas for little ones

An even easier tastes fantastic pizza dough:

300g self raising flour
300g greek yoghurt
1tsp baking powder

That's it! Mix together, roll out thin on to parchment paper on a baking sheet and top with grated mozarella, then dollops of tomato sauce then toppings and another sprinkle of cheese and herbs.
200 degrees for 12 mins or so and BING!

smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/10/lazy-pizza-dough-favorite-margarita-pizza/

Honestly best pizza base ever, 2 mins to mix up in a bowl, can do hours or day ahead and NO KNEADING!!!