It’s easy to rustle up a healthy meal at home

WHETHER you are a stay-athome or working mother, a bachelor, young professional or semi-retired, we all at some point forget to plan ahead for meals at supper time.

The worst thing that you can do on the way home after a busy day is to stop at a supermarket, restaurant or takeaway and buy a convenience meal, no matter how healthy the label tells you it is.

There is a common misconception that preparing a healthy meal takes time and requires fancy ingredients.

People need to be less daunted by the process and seek advice if they feel that they would benefit from some direction with a structure around what and how much food to feed their families.

A simple, healthy meal can be easy to make and you do not need to be a Masterchef contestant. The trick is to keep a few specific items on your grocery list and in your kitchen as staples that can be put together in various combinations to make up a nutritious meal.

This list must include the types of foods that you want your family to eat, not what you think they will eat.

Avoid leaving out food groups and keep your meals balanced. You will have healthier families as well as happier, thriving kids that way.

So what can you do to still prepare a healthy meal for your family when you only have half an hour before supper time?

The first thing to consider is protein. This is important for our immune system as well as growth.

Items like eggs, tinned fish, smoked chicken, white hard cheese, cottage cheese, biltong, soya beans, tofu, plain yoghurt, smoked or pickled fish are all excellent sources of protein.

These are versatile ingredients that will keep without having to be frozen.

Skinless chicken fillets, pork strips and mince are all quick to defrost even if you only take them out when you get home.

There should always be fresh vegetables and salad ingredients in your fridge. A daily intake of these provides valuable micronutrients as well as fibre.

A good selection that keeps well and lasts, provided they are refrigerated, includes carrots, tomatoes, onions, baby spinach, cucumber, broccoli, peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, butternut, gemsquash, beetroot and corn (on the cob or mini), to name a few.

Some frozen vegetables stashed in the freezer can also be a good option as they cook in minutes and can sometimes be as good as, if not better than, fresh.

Starches provide carbohydrate, a valuable source of fuel for muscles and the brain, roughage for gastro-intestinal health as well as micronutrients.

Carbohydrate is particularly important for growing children and for those who are exercising. Options that cook easily include sweet potato, baby potatoes, tinned lentils, tinned beans, tinned chickpeas, wholewheat couscous and wholewheat pasta.

Wild rice and barley are also good options, but they do take a bit longer to cook.

Remember that other store cupboard staples should include flavouring such as garlic, ginger, dried herbs, dried spices, salt, pepper, lemon juice, oils, vinegars and soya sauce.

Considering that a meal should contain all of the above elements, you can now let your creative juices go to work and plan delicious combinations for supper time.

A few examples could include;

• A frittata (aka omelette) with eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers and sweet potato.

• A salad with smoked fish, baby spinach, carrots, broccoli and canellini beans drizzled with a vinegar and oil dressing.

• Couscous with smoked chicken, roasted butternut, peppers, red onion and herbs

• A salad with biltong, chickpeas, steamed broccoli, beetroot and a cottage cheese dressing.

• Pasta with roasted baby tomatoes, onion, corn, herbs, tinned fish and olive oil.

• Baked sweet potato with cottage cheese and a fresh salad with cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and baby corn.

• A curry with chicken fillets marinated in yoghurt and spices then cooked in tomatoes, onions, ginger, chilli and garlic.

• A stir fry with pork strips, carrot, onion, cabbage, herbs and soya sauce.

For a quick kiddies meal serve boiled egg, slices of white cheddar, fresh fruit, baby tomatoes and gem squash.

• Gibson is a dietitian specialising in paediatric and sports nutrition.