Eating right when time is tight


 eating right when time is tight   Arriving home late and hungry with no time to shop or cook? Catherine Saxelby gives us some tips and tricks to whip out quick easy meal solutions that aren’t going to drown you in saturated fat, salt and processed fare.

Planning ahead

Having a well-stocked pantry and/or freezer is the key to good-tasting nutritious meals when you’re in a hurry. With items like pasta, noodles, rice, cans of tuna, tomatoes, beans, sardines and eggs, you’ve always got the basics to start from for ‘emergency’ meals or if friends drop in unexpectedly.

If you have space, it pays to make use of your freezer. Buy chicken or beef strips and pack into plastic containers in quantities to suit your family - 500 grams of meat or 750g mince to make a dinner for four OR 250g or two steaks or chicken breasts if there’s only two of you.

Frozen peas, spinach, corn, mixed stir-fry vegetables, fish fillets and berries are also handy to keep on hand as are frozen meals or diet dinners e.g. Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choices.

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Quick meals from the cupboard and fridge

Sometimes, despite the planning, you run out of things, can’t get to the shops in time or you’re just too tired to cook. Here are some quick last-minute ideas to pull together a simple meal from what’s in your cupboard or fridge.

Canned salmon or tuna

Mix together cooked pasta shells or spirals with a can of drained salmon, frozen green peas (you can microwave for a minute to thaw quickly), parsley or baby spinach leaves. Add a little low-fat mayonnaise to moisten.

Eggs

  • Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast 
  • Mushroom omelette - Using three eggs, cook up an omelette in a small pan flavouring it with sliced mushrooms and reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Alternatively use whatever’s hanging around in your fridge – diced ham, capsicum, onion, baby spinach leaves or leftover chicken pieces. Serve with a tossed green side salad. 
  • Frittata with pumpkin, capsicum and zucchini

Toasted sandwich or muffin

This can be either an open sandwich with a grilled cheese topping (cheese melt) or a heartier version made with two slices of bread toasted in an electric sandwich maker. Start with soft wholemeal or grainy bread. Lightly spread with butter or margarine. Top with a protein food such as ham, salmon, cold leftover slices of beef, lamb or egg. Then add sliced tomato, lettuce or grated carrot, finishing off with grated cheese or a slice of reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Toast or grill for 2 minutes.  

And those perennial toast toppers:

  • Baked beans on wholegrain toast
  • Sardines on wholegrain toast
  • Lentil and vegetable, chicken or pea and ham soup (canned, home-made or frozen) with toast.

Smoothie or milk shake

Good on a hot summer day! Not a replacement for a full dinner but nourishing for a light meal. Add in banana, strawberries or frozen mixed berries plus a dollop of yoghurt.

Use up leftovers from yesterday

Rice

  • Odds and ends fried rice - Make up an easy fried rice in a wok or deep pan by sautéing cold cooked rice in a little peanut or olive oil then tossing in diced capsicum, ham or lean bacon bits, cooked peas, chopped spring onions, sliced carrot or corn niblets, broccoli florets and  sesame oil. Finish off with chopped coriander or parsley.
  • Rice salad – serve with a quick grilled steak or cutlets: In a large bowl, mix together cold cooked rice with sliced mushrooms, sliced celery, cherry tomatoes, avocado, Spanish onion slices, baby spinach leaves and capers. Moisten with a little light mayonnaise.

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Take-aways with promise 

Take-away food can be good or terrible depending on what’s on offer in your area. For instance, some Chinese restaurants cook their dishes with only a little oil and keep things light and fresh; others come swimming in grease with little in the way of vegetables. It pays to try them out and decide what’s reasonably good and nutritious. Here’s where I find your best bets will be:

Rotisserie chicken shop

Pick up a BBQ chook along with two salads such as a Greek salad, coleslaw or mixed green leaves. Add a wholemeal roll or potato salad and you’re on a winner.

Portuguese chicken take-away

These flattened butterfly chickens tend to be “drier” and less oily than the regular BBQ chickens. Less fat, more flavour, more nutrition. Again buy salads or roasted vegetables (not chips).

Thai restaurants

Generally lighter and fresher than the more traditional Chinese take-aways. Opt for stir-fries or red/green curries based on prawns, seafood, chicken, beef or satay skewers. Add a plate of mixed seasonable vegetables for colour and nutrition (or an aromatic Thai salad), plain boiled rice or noodles tossed with vegetables. Pad Thai tends to be too sweet and oily. Avoid curries swimming in coconut milk as well as fried entrees such as fish cakes and crab parcels.

Gourmet burgers

A better-tasting and healthier alternative to mainstream burgers. These are made with a substantial meat, chicken or vegetarian patty and lots of lettuce, tomato, onion and beetroot - a move in the right direction.

Japanese

Seaweed-wrapped sushi or the larger hand rolls (California rolls) filled with salmon, avocado, prawns or cucumber are light, low fat and quick. Go easy with the salty soy sauce. 

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More articles by renowned dietitian and nutritionist Catherine Saxelby