While we all have the best of intentions, late working hours and a lack of energy can often mean that we end up skipping meals or grabbing the handiest (and usually, unhealthiest) thing that we can find.
With that in mind, we’ve put together some of our favourite ‘go to’ meals that you can through together when you get in the door from work… even if you have to run out again in half an hour.
We know you’re tired from the last month of eating, cooking and prepping food – so these handy solutions mean you’ll have a nutritious meal that won’t leave you slaving away in the kitchen.
The humble omelette
This is a pretty basic one but it’s also an absolute lifesaver if you’ve forgotten to do the weekly shop, as you’ll probably have enough ingredients left to throw it together. It’s also very nutritious.
1) Whisk two eggs with a dash of milk and some black pepper
2) Have a look through the fridge to see what you have. We recommend some diced ham, mushrooms, peppers and onion.
3) Lightly sauté your filling in the pan, before pouring the egg mix on top.
4) Pop a slice of wholemeal bread in the toaster.
5) After cooking for two minutes, fold your omelette in half and cook for a further three minutes.
6) Butter your toast, pop your omelette on top, season with a little more pepper and enjoy the easy deliciousness.
Lamb cutlets with crushed chickpeas and sugarsnap peas
This recipe from The Stone Soup is a great balanced meal with that will satisfy any hunger and only requires a few ingredients. Fresh lamb cutlets are super tasty and cook in just a few minutes, which makes them a winner with us. You can see the all the details here.
Pesto pasta
Sometimes you need something a bit more substantial and with these winter nights, nothing beats a warm bowl of pasta. Add a few little extras and you’ve got yourself a tasty dinner in no time. Better still, make double the amount and the leftovers will be perfect for lunch the next day.
1) Boil the kettle, add pasta (3-4oz per person) and salt
2) Grab a jar of pesto and a packet of cooked chicken from the fridge.
3) After the pasta has been cooking for five minutes, boil some broccoli
4) When both the pasta and broccoli are cooked (about five more minutes), drain and toss one into the other.
5) Add a couple of spoonfuls of pesto, some of the chicken and mix through
6) Finish with a grating of white cheddar and serve!
Charred corn with goats cheese
If you’re a vegetarian or just looking for something a little lighter, this Janet McCormick recipe is a great choice and basically only requires enough culinary skills to put ingredients on a tray and put them under the grill. With dishes like this, rules are made to be broken so if you don’t like an ingredient, just leave it out or substitute it with something else to create your own version.
A list of ingredients and the method is available here.
Stuffed avocados with tuna
Avocados and tuna are both packed with nutritional value so this one will give you major diet brownie points.
1) Take an avocado and remove core
2) Mix a tin of tuna with your favourite dressing or mayonnaise
3) Add some sweetcorn, chopped tomato or anything you fancy
4) Spoon your filling into the avocado and serve.
Prawn stirfry
Fish is really healthy and cooks quickly, making it a great choice for a fast mid-week feed. It always pays to have a few staples such as soy sauce, garlic and chillies in your kitchen as they’ll add a flavour kick to pretty much everything.
1) Take a bowl and slice up two cloves of garlic, some ginger and a red chilli, add a dash of soy sauce, Worchester sauce and white wine vinegar. Pop in some cooked prawns (you can buy them in the chilled section of your supermarket) and place in the fridge. If you can do this in the morning and leave to marinate, it will taste even better.
2) Chop a carrot and some spring onions into a wok with some oil.
3) Once the carrot has softened, toss in some mushrooms, peppers and broccoli
4) Drain the prawns (keeping the liquid) and fry for a minute or two until heated through.
5) Add the prawns and sauce to the wok and toss together over the heat for a minute or two.
6) Serve with a sprinkle of roasted cashews. Done!
Cold meat salad
After a particularly gruelling day, the act of cooking can even be a stretch too far. This is where the handy salad comes in. By including a lot of protein, this can be just as filling as any other dinner.
1) Put an egg on to boil
2) Grab two or three slices of ham or turkey or a breast of chicken from your fridge and put it on your plate
3) Rinse some fresh spinach, slice a few cherry tomatoes, some red/green pepper and cucumber and add to your plate
4) Slice your egg and add to your plate.
5) Finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar for a low-fat and healthy supper.
Sweet potato mash
This Jamie Oliver recipe has become a firm favourite of one of the Her.ie team as it’s easy, tasty and goes with pretty much anything. You can tweak the chilli, lime, and chutney ratios to suit your taste and we promise not to judge if you sit down in front of the telly with a huge bowl of this for your dinner.
1) Take one or two sweet potatoes and chop into large chunks with the skin still on.
2) Place in a microwave-proof ziplock bag with a lime and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes
3) Chop up some fresh coriander and one chilli on a board, add two tablespoons of mango chutney and a dash of soy sauce.
4) Remove the limes from the bag, toss the potato onto the board, squeeze the limes over the mix and discard.
5) Chop with a large knife and mix in the ingredients until blended into the required constituency.
Tortilla pizza
If you fancy something a little naughty while still being healthy, this is the one for you.
1) Pop a tortilla wrap under the grill
2) Turn over and add your favourite topping, such as cheese, tomato, chicken and jalepenos.
3) When the cheese is melted and tortilla crisp, serve with some guacamole. Yum!
Baked potato with beans
Sometimes the old favourites are the best and you can’t beat this simple combination to full you up on a cold evening. If you want to change things up a bit, add a bit of fried chorizo or a dash of hot sauce to your beans .
1) Scrub your potato, prick holes in it with the tines of a fork and pop in the microwave for five minutes. Turn over and cook for a further five minutes.
2) Heat up a small can of baked beans on the hob.
3) Slice open your potato, pour over your beans and you’re ready to go.
