Life is so busy these days and it is often really hard to have the motivation at the end of a long day to make a healthy home cooked meal. We often resort to buying ready made pizzas that we can quickly heat in the oven or microwaveable ready made meals, but it is not the best choice, especially when it becomes a daily habit . It can actually take longer to defrost and heat up ready made processed meals than it does preparing a healthy and nutritious meal. I know it means that you have to spend a little time in the kitchen, but, hey, that can be fun too! So, here are a few really easy and super quick recipes that even the kids can prepare!
TUNA BURGERS
3 cans of tuna in brine, 3 small minced spring onions, 2 large eggs, 2 cloves of garlic crushed, 2 tsp of grated lemon rind, 1/2 cup of ground flaxseed (optional), season with salt and pepper
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and mix thoroughly…or put everything in a bowl and use your hands!
Form into 2 large patties and fry in a little coconut oil until golden , this will take about 5 minutes. To eat, you can put them in a bun or if you are trying to reduce your calories, wrap them in a big crispy lettuce leaf.
CHICKEN QUINOA
A little bit of pre-prep is involved here. You can cook the chicken and the quinoa the day before and store it in the fridge until you are ready to cook your meal.
8 ozs of roasted or grilled chicken breast, large handful of fresh spinach, 1 crushed garlic, 1 cup of cooked quinoa, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of oil and gently fry the garlic without letting it burn. Cut the chicken up into cubes and sautee along with the spinach. Meanwhile you can heat the cooked quinoa in the microwave or steam over a pan of water. Once the chicken is warmed all the way through and the spinach is wilted, squeeze over the lemon juice . season with salt and serve with the quinoa.
GREEK STYLE BURGER
1 lb of extra lean ground beef, 1/2 cup of feta cheese, 1/2 cup of chopped black olives, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, salt and pepper, 1 large egg.
Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together thoroughly with your hands. Form into 2 large patties and cook on the BBQ or pan fry on the stove. Serve with a tomatoe and red onion salad.
GARLIC PRAWNS
6 ozs of raw King Prawns with their skins and heads removed, 1/4 tsp of chilli powder, coconut butter, 3 crushed cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, 1/2 an orange.
Season the prawns with the salt and chilli powder. Meanwhile pre-heat a frying pan with the coconut butter and add the prawns. Stir fry for a few minutes until they begin to change colour and then add the garlic. Continue to stir fry the prawns for a further minute and lastly add the orange juice. Remove from heat and serve alongside some brown rice or a quick dip made with greek yoghourt and a dash of hot pepper sauce.
Cooking should be fun, stress free and easy! These recipes are basic and you can play around with them by adding different herbs and spices, simply experiment and enjoy yourself! Add a good mix of music and a glass of red wine and you are ready to rock!
Buen Apetito!
