Healthy and easy
Mealtime Ideas
Home-healthy options
While preparing meals can be a chore for some, it does not have to be overthought. Yes, there are times when you need to run out and buy seasoning that you will only use once, or the thoughts of spending hours preparing a family meal make the local take-away an easy option. But it can be as simple as just throwing together the left-overs in your fridge, or blending up those remaining legumes, potatoes and vegetables to make a delicious soup. Healthy homemade cakes are also a treat, especiially when you know what has gone into them. The meals I provide here will mainly use whats in the fridge, take 5 minutes to prepare and are damn tasty (if I may say so myself).
Left-overs Lunch
There is always a day of the week when the fridge is stocked with left-overs. This was an opportune dish that I shared on Instagram (@primalendurancecoaching). Packed with protein and slow burning carbs, this is the perfect pre- or post-workout meal. The salmon was BBQed the previous evening after marinating in a homemade teryaki sauce for 4 h (family secret I’m afraid). The soy beans were part of a sushi take-away dinner. The quinoa was cooked up in a few minutes, drained and added to the mix. A little virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt, and thats it. Light, refreshing and nutritious.
Carbo-nich salmon
Another left-over lunch posted on Instagram and full of essentials. Many vitamins and minerals are fat-soluble meaning you need the fat in your diet to extract them. Adding some extra virgin olive oil, and mixing it in a few minutes before you eat, will allow the oil to extract some of these vitamins and minerals. This will make it easier for them to be absorbed in the body.
– Spinach leaves for Iron
– Omega-3 fatty acids from the salmon
– Carbs from the fresh pasta
– Sea salt to taste
Salmon and Avocado Salad
High protein dish full of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids provided by both the salmon and the avocado. These are the healthy fats that reduce cholesterol and improve fat metabolism.
– half avocado sliced and diced
– fresh salmon sashimi
– half Mozzarella ball, torn apart
– Cherry tomatoes, quartered
– extra virgin olive oil
Prep time: 5 min
Serves: 1
Scrambléed Spuds
Left-over potatoes for lunch. Pre-cooked and lightly sautéed.
– Add in a handful of chopped fresh spinach leaves. Cover with a lid to wilt the leaves and soften them.
– Pour in two beaten and seasoned eggs. Try to make and omelette (or make it scrambled like I did here).
– Garnish with baby tomatoes.
Prep time: 5 min.
Serves: 2
Wild Parasol mushrooms
This is one to do only if you know what mushrooms are edible (or you get them from the shop). We spent a morning foraging for muhrooms. These parasol species are amazing. They stand 30 cm high on a long stalk with the head opened out like a parasol. You can see my hand as a reference in the photo. Anyway, clean them well to remove insects and sand. Crack open an egg or two onto a plate and whisk it. Next bathe the mushroom in the egg and fry on a high heat for 60 s each side. Delicious.
Prep time: 10 min
Servings: 1 per person
Left-overs
There is always something left over in the fridge that you think…”Nah, I don’t feel like that today”. Ultimately it ends up in the trash. Try using the veggie leftovers (a day or two old) in soups or salads. You will feel better about yourself and reduce your waste. If you must throw it out, and have a garden, why not consider using it in a compost heap (avoid animal products here as they may attract vermin). This will then be recycled later to keep those garden plants or home-grown fruit and veggies well fertilised. It’s a win-win!
Balance
Regardless of what you eat, it is adviseable to balance the macro-nutrients in each meal. For active individuals the recommendation is to get ~15-20% of your daily energy (caloric) intake from protein, ~60% from carbohydrates and ~20-35% from healthy fats. Balance your caloric intake with your output. Too much in and too little out will result in weight gain. Eat more on harder training days when expenditure is higher. Cut back a bit on recovery or rest days when expenditure is less.