Easy less processed family meals

[greywinds]

I've been reading about the nitrates in sausages, ham, bacon and processed meats in general and realising that they are in most of my quick family dinners other than the fish finger.

Anybody have any family favourites that we quick and don't rely on processed meats?

Chicken seems the obvious answer but I suppose it depends what you mean by quick! It is versatile though, if you can switch up some of your usual meals for it. Replace ham for sliced chicken. I like to roast a whole chicken when I've time and use that in all sorts.
My favourite quick stuff is goujons, those roasting bags with marinade, stir fry and curry. Diced up it's pretty quick.
I'm not sure how it compares but what's turkey bacon like in terms of nitrates?

That's a good thought, haven't done a roast chicken in ages!

I've never tried turkey bacon, must do. It's a horror show that all the cheaper family staple meats are nearly all in the nitrate death trap category. I was tipped over when I realised sausages were also on the bad list.

Watching! Really trying to reduce our UPFs. We already eat very minimal meat. We’ve just bought a bread maker so that’s mass-produced bread out (and no more plastic bread bags!).

Its tricky to know what counts as processed. One of my kids lives off marmite (ultra processed) and hummus (processed, but surely ok? Easy to make too).

Re your question - bread your own chicken/fish? Make own chips etc. Those are pretty easy options. Basically comes down to making your own stuff I guess!

Pasta sauce - onion, garlic, tomatoes, maybe herbs but my kids like it plain. Blend with stick blender. Freeze in portions. Initial effort but then just get a portion out of the freezer when needed.

Turkey bacon is surely very processed? You want things in their natural form as much as possible, as far as I understand it. So potato waffle - no, normal potato, yes.

M&S outdoor bred bacon is nitrate free. Helen Browning also does a nitrate free bacon in most supermarkets.

Minced beef can be halved in most recipes and replaced with kidney beans or lentils.

Buy a cookbook that really shows off vegetables, as this will help you branch out beyond meat being the star of the show. Jamie Oliver, Hugh FW and Riverford have good ones.

Turkey bacon ingredient list looks no better than pork.

What about other sources of protein like eggs (scrambled, omelette, fritatta, boiled), lentil bolognase, chicken drumsticks?

You can get this range of bacon, sausages and ham from some places like Waitrose, bigger Sainsbury's etc called Naked (I think) and they don't have any nitrates at all.

Salmon fillets with lime juice, chilli and garlic are really tasty and quick to cook. Just serve with salad and rice/couscous

Depends a bit on tastes and preferences but veggie meals tend to be the easiest when trying to avoid processed food. (Obviously not stuff like quorn or fake meats). Simple dishes like fritata, peppers stuffed with cous cous, veg, herbs and topped with mozzarella. Falafels are good. Not quick to make but you can make a big batch then freeze. I use a mix of sweet potato and chickpeas and oven bake so pretty healthy too.

Mince - make chili, bolognese, lasagna. Nigella's Express is my go to cookbook (or if you know the name of it just Google the recipe). Quick, easy (I do not like cooking) and decent serving sizes!
Also tray bakes. Jamie's hit and run chicken- Google that but I use a lot more balsamic, way more garlic and quadruple the paprika (hit and smoked). Even easier now as most supermarkets selll ready prepared roasting Mediterranean vegetables. Serve with rice or crusty bread.

Three are great ideas, than your - I need to plan better, it's just so easy to toss sausages and bacon into the online basket!

Yes sorry the turkey bacon suggestion was more the avoidance of nitrates rather than upf- though I don't know if it's any better!- but good to read you can get nitrate free options.
What about incorporating more fish/seafood if your family like fish fingers OP? Fish pie is a nice meal, I always make two and freeze one though is it does seem to create a mountain of washing up!

Chicken thigh chopped in a pan with garlic mushroom onion flavoured rice then bundle it all into a wrap like a burrito and serve with salad.

Lots of 5 star rated chicken tray bakes on here:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/chicken-traybake-recipes/amp

Thanks - they do like fish pie, partly I've just gotten into a lazy and quick meal rut and stopped making these things!

I love this recipe: www.happyveggiekitchen.com/one-pot-pasta-with-cheesy-lentil-sauce/#respond

You can make a tasty chickpea curry in less than 20 mins. I use a recipe from “5 ingredient vegan’ by Katy Beskow. I’m not vegan but it has some great quick recipes.

That cheesy lentil pasta looks yum! And a 20 min chickpea curry, thanks!

Do you have to soak or rinse chickpea from the tin or can you just pour them out and cook??

Jamie Oliver usually pours them straight into the pan, liquid and all. I sometimes save the liquid to make vegan mayo but never bother rinsing.

Thanks I've always kept chickpeas at arms length as I don't really know what I'm doing with them.

I drain and rinse them before cooking, just as personal preference.

Naked ham is nitrate free, fresh sausage like Italian sausage are nitrate fee too and better naked bacon is nitrate free. Just cook your usually but buy nitrate free versions.

Lurking for inspo

Do you have freezer space? I buy bulk quantities of meat then divide it into family-portion sized bags. Some are left plain, but most I add different marinade ingredients to, before labelling and freezing. I bring one out the night before and let it defrost in the fridge, and as it defrosts it absorbs all the flavours. It's a really simple way to add a load of flavour to plain meats.

Sweet chilli sauce
Soy sauce and honey
Chilli powder / fajita seasoning and a little oil and lime juice
Barbeque sauce
Garlic and rosemary seasoning with a little oil
Curry powder and a little olive oil

I'm sure this would work with fish too, and pork and other meats.

Less processed cooking is like going back to what I was fed late 70's and 80's.
Jacket potatoes with beans/tuna
Roast meat and veg with homemade yorkers
Slow cooked cheaper meats like brisket and made into a stew with mash and veg
Mince and homemade tomatoe and herb sauce so bolognaise basically lots of garlic.
Fish pan fried with oven chips or home made
Think of your starting protein or veg and just have the least ready made options with it. You can still have lots of herbs and spices and so on.
Homemade soups