My Top 3 Quick & Easy ‘go to’ Meals
What do I mean by ‘go to’ meals?
These are meals that you can make at home that don’t require too much thought or effort. Meals that you often have as part of your diet that are nutritious, filling and not too many calories either.
Let’s set the scene…
You have a long and busy day at work. You come home and you’re tired, you’re hungry and all you want to do is sit down, relax and have something to eat.
BUT, there’s one problem,
You’ve forgotten to plan what you’re going to have for dinner that evening.
So what do you usually do?
McDonalds? KFC? Takeaway?
Let’s face it you don’t want to spend ages slaving away over a meal when you can get it delivered straight to your door. The problem with these quick and easy solutions to your hunger is that it’s probably not very supportive of your health and fitness goals.
This is where the ‘go to’ meals come in.
Having 3-5 (or more) different recipes that you can throw together in 10-20 minutes with ingredients that you have around the house is something that could make the difference when you feel the urge to get a takeaway.
Start thinking about what meals you enjoy that support your goals and are quick and easy.
Here is my personal top 3:
Fruit & Greek Yoghurt < 500 cals:
Ingredients:
Greek Yoghurt (0% fat)
Banana
Blueberries
Strawberries
So this is a great one for breakfast or a refreshing snack. Greek yoghurt is a great source of protein which is going to help you stay full for longer, alongside that you have the banana to provide you with a good amount of energy with the strawberries and blueberries adding a bit of sweetness. This only takes 5 mins to chop up the fruit and add it to a bowl of yoghurt.
I often use a whole pot of yoghurt which can be upwards of 50g of protein (depending on the brand) while containing very few calories.
Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
Tinned Tuna
Mixed salad (lettuce,cucumber etc)
Mayo
Dressing
This can be whipped up in no time. The prep involves mixing the tuna with a small amount of mayo, salt and pepper which should take no more than 30 seconds. The most time consuming part is assembling the salad. Add as much variety here. You can get mixed salad leaves in a bag and add them toa bowl and chop up and add some peppers, onion, cucumber and whatever else tickles your fancy.
Nothing wrong with a little bit of salad dressing here, just be wary to the calories it has (same goes for the mayo).
You can easily keep the calories under 300 here, whilst getting in a good 25g of protein. You could even add a second tin of tuna and keep it under 500 while getting a whopping 50g of protein.
Grilled Chicken, rice and veg
Ingredients:
Chicken breast
Rice
Veg (broccoli, green beans etc)
Seasoning
I know, I know...chicken rice and veg, the body builder’s classic.
Well one reason is that it is a highly nutritious meal, packing a large amount of protein alongside getting on those vital micronutrients from the veg.
The other reason is that it’s easy to make and requires little effort, it’s also super filling. Now this may sound like a boring meal, however you can season the chicken to suit your taste (I’m all for a caribbean style seasoning) which doesn’t add too many calories.
Around 10 mins to grill the chicken, and in the meantime you can boil the veg and get the rice ready. I use microwave rice as it takes 2 mins to do.
Depending on your portion size you can make this for around 500 calories and around 30-40g of protein.
You could also do this meal with salmon instead of chicken, just season the salmon and stick it in the oven for 20 mins.
So there you have my top 3 ‘go to’ meals. Meals that are packed full of nutrients that take no more than 20 minutes to make.
If you want more recipes then head over to the store section of my website and grab yourself a copy of my FREE recipe books to help you with even more cooking ideas!
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