It can be hard to find inspiration for meals during the working week, especially now while we are spending so much time at home. Now is a great opportunity to take total control of our diets and eat lots of nutritious food, but equally it can become tedious without any breaks. I often have clients and friends asking for breakfast and dinner ideas or tips - the trick is to have around 8-9 easy dishes that you know well, you can call on a few each week and then add a few new (or old) dishes alongside to keep things interesting. Here are five healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas for your working week ahead.
Five healthy breakfast ideas
1. Coconut porridge - use half fat coconut milk to cook your porridge and add some desiccated coconut for a delicious alternative to your regular porridge
2. Two slices of breakfast banana bread with peanut butter (see recipe in previous post)
3. Scrambled eggs with grated parmesan and avocado on toast – an easy mid-week egg recipe, the grated parmesan on top of the scrambled eggs gives a lovely depth of flavour to the dish
4. Overnight oats – leave your whole oats soaking overnight in milk, water or a plant-based milk. Add some chia seeds and some honey. The next morning stir through some yoghurt and add some fruit toppings and peanut butter
5. Friday treat – a croissant with a breakfast smoothie – why not treat yourself on a Friday morning to a croissant for breakfast, we can ensure we are getting lots of goodness by having a nutrient packed breakfast smoothie alongside the croissant
Five healthy lunch ideas
1. Falafel salad with hummus
2. Jacket sweet potato with tuna and coleslaw
3. Sourdough sandwich with cheese and tomato or tuna and cucumber
4. Mini ploughman’s with sourdough, nice cheese and lots of crudités and hummus
5. Parsley, tomato and black olive quinoa with mackerel
Five healthy dinner ideas
1. Sausage and chickpea stew with mustard – pop the sausages in the oven while you fry up some onions, carrots and garlic. Add chickpeas and when the sausages are cooked, stir them in with a heaped tsp of mustard.
2. Black bean tomato stew with rice – fry up some onions and garlic and once the onions are translucent add 1 heaped tsp of paprika and 1 tsp honey. Stir through a tin of rinsed black beans and the juice of 1 lime. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes. Service with rice, avocado and a wedge of lime.
3. Harissa salmon with sweet potato fries and peas – cover your salmon with harissa or harissa pesto and a squeeze of honey before baking in the oven. Serve with sweet potato fries and peas.
4. Homemade chicken, fish or halloumi curry – make your own paste by mixing onions and spices in a food processor (spices will depend on the flavour of curry you want – find a recipe on google and blend the spices they suggest). Fry up the paste and add salt, pepper and a tin of tomatoes. Stir your chicken, fish or halloumi into the mix. Add a tin of half fat coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer on a medium heat. Serve with rice.
5. Easy fishcakes – boil some potatoes and mash. Add salt, pepper, spring onions, broccoli, peas and fish – you can use tinned oily fish which is simple and gives a strong flavour or a lighter, white or pink fish. Make into fishcake sizes and fry on each side in a little butter or oil. Serve with salad.