what is healthy food ? MN has spoiled it for me. simple recipes

[Tortington]

think of the custardo family as a typical family stuck in 1979. it comes from a box in the supermarket freezer section, gets shoved inth'oven after work and gets eaten.

i don't have the time the inclination or the skill.

so, i buy pre-prepared pasta ( is there any other sort?) some is in a packet off the shelf.

some is in a packet from the chilled section.

then i make a nice sauce with pesto, olive oil and garlic.

and i think 'what a healthy meal'

and now it seems its not.

wtf. i am rather depressed.

i am running out of things to eat and about an inch away from 'fuck-it i'll have curly fries and grillsteaks'

so - any chance you can help me out with 'chuck it in the pan/oven' not a lot or pre preperation - and don't go on about how you bake on saturday all the meals for the coming week - becuase i don't want to d'ya hear me? i want to spend saturday in the garden with a beer and the laptop.

i do want to eat healthily but it seems that healthy isn't as simple as one would think.

We eat a lot of curry.

Onion, ginger, chilli, garlic (any or all)
Any old veg (whatever is on offer or lurking in your fridge)
Pulses (dried or tinned)
Tinned tomatos
Spices

Flatbread or rice

Good, quick, cheap, healthy, freezes easily, child friendly. I sometimes wonder how people manage without eating curry at least 3 times a week.

Oh, and meat I suppose if you're that way inclined.

if you like pasta and like tomoato sauce, but have Kid that won't eat veggies if they can see them in a sauce....make the sauce wiht lots of veggies and passata and than blend it....you could make it in very big badges and then freeze it in portions...you than could add some mincemeat etc...for Bolognese

Most of my recipes start with frying an onion and garlic and then adding chopped veg - for stir fry, veg fajitas, soup, veg lasagne, pasta sauces, veg chilli, veg curry and then adding the relevant seasoning, sauce or tomatoes/ passata.

I also keep a bag of frozen spinach portions in the freezer, can be added to most soups, sauces and meals and no need for chopping and won't end up semi-liquified in the vegetable drawer. I also defrost one to add to my daughter's lunch on days when I can't be bothered to chop other veg.

Grilling fish is also quick as is poaching it in foil in the oven with a bit of stock/ garlic/ herbs. Serve with new or jacket spuds (no preparation) and salad or veg.

get ye onto amazon

click onto Jamie Oliver (maybe under 'God')

buy his Ministry of Food

it is fab fab fab

I got it free with a magazinee sub and have made tons of stews and proper food

easy peasy, no faff and v tasty

even my two PITA non-eater children deign to poke it without comment (and have eaten the odd bit)

oh

I see someone has already suggested it

hahahahaha

[reads thread]

nothing wrong with pasta

or other carbs for that matter. Nothing wrong with potatoes either, it's how they're cooked that turn them less or more 'healthy'.

Couscous is a quick easy alternative carb for a meal (if you like couscous that is) as you just bung it in a bowl and pour boiling water over it and wait ten minutes.

When cooked you can add anything, like with pasta, I bung olives and cherry tomatoes in and then whatever protein we're having with it I still feel it's 'healthy'

I've been doing the veggie pasta sauce thing for my fussy DH (who once said he preferred Dolmio to my homemade pasta sauce ) and DD and it's really nice. I have loads of empty butter tubs filled with it in the freezer. I think the key to healthy meals is to make sure you have a bit of protein, a bit of carbs and a bit of veg, so maybe with your pasta you need to add some sort of protein (though I'm not entirely sure what constitutes protein apart from meat ). It sounds a bit gross but I often chuck boiled egg into pasta sauces (I think that is protein) to bulk it out.

What about stir fries? Very quick and you can chuck what you like in with some rice or noodles.

I did a mega-easy baked risotto last night, which was lovely. Can post recipe if you want it?

your idea of meals sounds fine, read some mega annoyingly unhelpful threads on mn re healthy food that really makes people feel bad. im trying to learn to cook so my ds can eat well and its learning a few simple dishes and building it up. the recipe section on mn is fab. i did the veg soup recipe simmer lots of veg with stock and then puree...yum!! also an apple crumble recipe which my husband loved. dont be put off by those who think you should even make your own pasta as shop bought stuff is unhealthy!! all the experts say frozen veg is just as good as fresh so i have a few bags of diff things eady to throw in for the last few mins. keep going.