Desperately seeking easy healthy dinners

[VikingNorthUtsire]

I am adjusting to life with a chronic illness. I want to eat as well as possible to maintain my general health, but have very limited energy for cooking and shopping. Trying to avoid ready meals as much as possible but very open to cheats and hacks!

I'm also not a big fan of eggs which seems to rule loads of things out.

Had anyone got any good recommendations please? Looking for maximum nutrients to minimum effort prepping (long cooking times is fine, I am often WFH)

Thank you

Slow cooker all the way - especially great this time of year. Soups full of veg, casseroles etc. I quite like the Pinch of Nom and you can filter by slow cooker recipes

Just been through the same due to breast cancer. Buy prepared ingredients. Frozen ready chopped onions, garlic, veggies. They are nutrionally just as good, if not better than fresh. Buy meat that's already chopped. Use recipes that only use one pot.

I'm out now but I'll add the recipes I use when I get home.

Anything in the slow cooker.

My other quick go to is a tin of lentils, tin of tinned tomatoes, grated carrot and some spices thrown in and mixed together - i then put it in a wrap with cheese on, fold it jn half and put it in the air fryer for 5 mins. Lasts a couple of days n the fridge.

Frozen everything. Have a look in a couple of supermarkets Frozen sections- they are always slightly different.

Frozen herbs, frozen chopped onion, frozen chopped squash, frozen veg ready for roasting etc etc.

Kept my DM fit and well for years while she couldn't move her right arm.

I would look to mix up things like stir fries with pre-chopped veg/meat (or prawns), pasta and potentially some jacket potato and salad meals, with slow cooker dishes.

The Taming Twins website is great for ideas - there are a lot of slow cooker ideas there which genuinely take 5-10 minutes to prep as you don’t have to brown the meat. This would also be good if you struggle with energy levels as you could prep earlier in the day and then if you’re tired later on, you only need to cook some rice or veg or whatever (or bung jacket potatoes in the oven/air fryer), rather than starting to cook in the evening.

This is what AI can be great for- put in your physical, food choice and situation constraints and get some ideas. I'd give it a try.

My real life tip is buy frozen base mix and frozen garlic - the base of so many easy meals with no chopping.

This time of year is amazing for healthy eating.

soup - takes less than an hour to make. I make roasted red pepper and tomato soup regularly. Bolognese sauces, stews, casseroles, etc

Canned soups can be great for especially difficult days, the M&S chunky chicken and vegetable and chilli bean soup are both high in protein and fibre and are great Depression meals for me

The biggest game changers for me have been buying a food processor (great for chopping veggies, grating cheese etc) and a rice cooker (rinse rice, bung in rice cooker with water, flick a switch and wait). I always use brown rice for added nutrition.
Also, on days where you're feeling a bit better, batch cook (can be in the slow cooker) and freeze.

I have been there with mobility issues. I quite like the bbc foods website for inspiration, it has many tabs including number of ingredients, time to prep, difficulty, occasions and cuisines.
I would (edited *second) the recommendation to buy frozen pre chopped herbs and onions etc as that simplifies things a lot.
Even if you are not specifically on a budget I would recommend the budget family meals for inspiration as they tend to be quick and healthy types

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food

Soup - if I use frozen soffrito I can get a soup made very quickly. Lentil and vegetables is a favourite.

Roast some vegetables and eat them through the week in salads, a warm salad with a pouch of lentils and beetroot and some feta is comforting this time of year.

Use the same vegetables in a pasta sauce and add a tin of beans or chickpeas.

A tin of beans or chickpeas added to most things is good!

make a double portion of curry or stew when you feel up to it and freeze a portion for your own ready meal. I get outfaced by batch cooking but a portion of tagine type stew that I can have with a baked potato and home made coleslaw or coleslaw and couscous feels like a treat rather than a chore. I'll pep the stew up with some chilli or herbs to freshen it up.

I'll often make home made coleslaw and use an oil and lime based dressing with herbs that lasts a few days in the fridge.

Add olives, nuts or seeds to things to get some nutrition and make them a bit more interesting.

Stirfry can be easy and quick - make your own dressing - just soy sauce, lime or lemon and some garlic and chilli. I have prawns in the freezer so it's easy.

Salmon fillets cook easily in the oven from frozen.

How many are you cooking for? I think that makes a difference. Big group s- tray bakes and slow cooker all the way. The bbg good food website has loads of recipes and the chicken tray bakes in particular are great and often really are a whole meal in one dish.

\Smaller groups - quick things fried and steamed. eg, alone, I might do a couple of lamb chops with some new potatoes and steamed greens. Or a chicken breast served on rice with a bit of a sauce/gravy with salad or veg on the side.

Do you have freezer space, and are you cooking for yourself or a family also, if you don’t mind the question, as that will change specific recommendations ?

Stock up with things that need minimal prep, and can sit happily in the cupboard or freezer until needed. My quickest dinner is hot smoked salmon/trout fillets (eat straight from the pack, no cooking), a pack of ready cooked lentils or beans (I like Merchant Gourmet, link below), and frozen veg (the little packs where you just do one portion in no time in the microwave). I have also found that M&S own brand tins of chili and bolognese are delicious, use no UPF ingredients, and have chunks of proper meat, not just a meaty mush.
https://www.merchant-gourmet.com/collections/pulses-grains?srsltid=AfmBOoqVbu889_vxU_e0LuXeZU4HOIUBXA7Yh1NNxjW0VQTfwmycb1k6

Tinned tuna or other fish can be a good bet. Mix with salad, bit of mayo and Greek yoghurt. Have in pitta or with potatoes - boiled or baked. or some pasta.

Yes my DM loves the Merchant Gourmet packets.

She's also keen on Baxters soups. And chucking a packet of gnocchi into things for effort free carbs.

Do you have a cleaner/family member/neighbour? She gets her cleaner to open anything difficult or do the chopping. Also if it falls on the floor it's fine until the next time the cleaner comes.

Have you got any of the 'Roasting Tin' cookery books? They're really easy prep, full of fresh veg and everything's - unsurprisingly - cooked in one roasting tin.

And maybe get a soup maker? Sling everything in, leave it, eat it!

I've had chronic fatigue syndrome for 11 years and am not able to work/very limited in ability.
I've found pre chopped/frozen veg especially onions and pepers are great.
I use my slow cooker on a 'good day ' and make batches for the freezer for the not so good days.
Things like pasta sauces, chilli, curry, stew work great.
I've just invested in a soup maker (went for a large one) i put pre chopped vegetables, stock and seasoning in and have 4-5 days of lunches in 20 minutes. I know soup makers seem to divide opinion here but for my specific situation its ideal.
I meal plan and order online because then I know I've got everything i need in (because going to the shop won't happen so I'd resort to toast and jam).
For lunches I tend to do leftovers, something on toast (eg mushrooms, beans, tomatoes with egg but obviously you'd need to find something different) or soup and a roll as its quick and easy.
I have fruit in many forms and is my go to snack/breakfast. Just a handful of dried fruit over a yoghurt is a healthy breakfast that doesn't take much energy to prepare.
Move your kitchen around so that the things youll use regularly on a bad day are within easy reach, make things as easy as possible. I have small baskets in my cupboard so I can lift them out.
Also accepting the odd bad food day isn't the end of the world. Look at your diet over a week not a day.
My doctor advised me to take some supplements vitaminD, calcium and a multivitamin 'as a backup up'. He said most people dont need all these supplements but for someone who has health issues cant always prepare and eat well its 'a belt and braces approach'.
I think its looking at your life bit by bit and asking do I need to do that? If I have to how can I modify it? Because if you modify all your life you may then have the energy to prepare a simple, healthy meal and eat it.

Chicken thighs or salmon in either a soy or sweet chilli glaze. Sides can be rice, air fryer roast potatoes, mash and a variety of veg.
Spaghetti bolognese prepared in bulk can have lots of veg in it

My DH is completely incompetent in the kitchen but can manage The Roasting Tin. Set of Falcon (or supermarket alternative) and you are good to go.

They are so quick to do and very few duff recipes.

Is a soup maker different from a slow cooker?
This is a genuine question.
I'm enjoying reading all the advice about quick, healthy meals on this thread.

I've got a rice cooker which doubles as a slow cooker. I'm assuming that it would work for making soup.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGvpOsnMDCw/?igsh=MXFhcGZzeTVpeW9mNw==

This recipe is good. It all goes in one dish in the oven. You do have to chop up chicken breast and some veg, but I think you could use frozen pre chopped peppers and onions and you can buy chicken pre cut into pieces.

Yes, completely different. Mine sautés the veg if required, then will cook/blend the soup in less than 20 mins.

Ah, thank you. That's interesting.
I will have a look at some in that case.

Wow, thank you all so much. Kids are grown up so the number I am cooking for is variable - also quite often it has to be veggie which does seem to limit the slow cooker options. But so, so helpful to hear what's working for others. I think I need to write myself a list for when brain fog hits.