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Short on time, ingredients or resources? You can still eat well!
Our desire to maintain a healthy and balanced diet can be limited by the resources we have access to. A few solutions that we can use include:
For limited ingredients:
- There are websites available that create recipes based on what ingredients you have. You can do this in the online recipe bank of your choice.
- Try to maintain a ‘store cupboard of essentials’ – this includes food such as pasta, rice, spices, oils, soups and beans.
For limited resources:
If you have a kettle, you can use it to cook foods such as noodles or add boiled water to oats to create porridge for breakfast.
A microwave has many more uses than just heating up leftovers. Microwaves can be used to cook starchy carbohydrates such as rice and pasta; add the pasta in a microwavable bowl and add water until the pasta is submerged. Place in the microwave and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the microwave and drain the water. For steaming vegetables, place them in a microwaveable bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover. Place in the microwave and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Here is a really quick and simple recipe that can be cooked entirely in the microwave:
Omelette in a mug
Ingredients:
- 1 large microwave safe mug
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon of grated cheese
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped veg e.g. peppers and mushrooms
Method
- Use a 1 calorie spray or small amount of oil/butter to coat the inside of the mug
- Crack 2 eggs into the mug, add a tablespoon of milk and beat together using a fork Add the additional ingredients, season to taste and stir well with a fork
- Place the mug in the microwave and cook for 30 seconds, remove and stir. Repeat this until cooked through.
For limited time:
- Having home-cooked meals or ingredients prepped in the fridge or freezer means you can have healthy balanced meals ready in no time. Batch cook when you can, extra portions can be stored for later use. (If frozen, remove them from the freezer the night before so they will have defrosted by the time you come to eat them the next day.)
- Try to keep a section of your freezer full of frozen vegetables, frozen fish, meats or vegetarian alternatives. Storing frozen foods like vegetables and protein sources means that if you don’t have time to get to the shops, you can still eat well with what you have.
For limited finance:
- Create a shopping list to take with you when going to the supermarket and avoid going when hungry. This can help to reduce the temptation to pick up unnecessary items.
- Consider using supermarket branded products, they are cheaper and often taste just as good.
- When you are out for the day, consider taking a packed lunch with you rather than buying an expensive and potentially unsatisfying lunch.
Don’t let limited ingredients, resources, time or finance get in the way of your goals. There is always a plan B, and you’ll be amazed at how creative you can get – enjoy!