George K.
The foods you eat have a big impact on your health and your quality of life. Eating healthy can be very simple, so don’t let the rise of popular diets and trends confuse you. The most important thing is to follow basic nutrition principles, understand macronutrients, and try eating whole foods most of the time. If you choose organic options you will be on the way to success whether you want to eat healthy in order to lose weight, feel better, or to improve your energy levels.
Many people begin a healthy lifestyle with so much enthusiasm, but eventually, they stop and return to their previous habits. Why does this happen so much? Well, the important thing when it comes to healthy eating is that it must be sustainable. Otherwise, it will feel like a “diet” and let’s face it: Nobody likes diets and restrictions. If you have decided to improve your health please don’t eat only salads for every lunch and dinner, because you will get sick of it in a week. Instead, try some other healthy recipes and we guarantee that the variety will make preparing food fun and sustainable. Here are some healthy lunch ideas that are easy to make (and it’s not a salad, thank God!).
Chicken And Butternut Tray Bake
This nutritious lunch is very easy to make and you may enjoy it if you are not a vegetarian or a vegan. Many people assume that meals with meat are somehow “unhealthy” but it all depends on the meat. Of course, you shouldn’t eat processed meat like hot dogs and burgers, but high-quality organic chicken is a great source of protein. Experts at Cleavers Organic advise choosing organic meat not only for your health but because it’s ethical and it helps our planet. There are many recipes that include healthy, organic meat, but let’s begin with the one we think you absolutely must try!
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 x OrganicChicken Thighs, skinned if preferred
2 Red Onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp plain flour
4 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 red chili, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp cajun spice blend
1 medium butternut squash, about 1kg
400g Potatoes, cut into chunks if large
4 tbsp creme fraiche
28g pack coriander, chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Fry the chicken thighs until they are lightly brown. Remove the meat from the roasting tin and add onions for 5 minutes. Then add garlic and flower for about a minute, while stirring. Add the water, bouillon powder, and seasoning and return the chicken pieces until it boils.
Transfer the tin into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then, add the squash and the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked.
Season to taste and stir the creme fraiche and coriander before serving.
Green Leak And Pea Pasta
You will love this creamy and delicious pasta if you are a vegan or just want to have a meat-free meal. It doesn’t take much effort but it makes a big batch, so you can enjoy it with your family or pack up leftovers. Let’s begin!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp of olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
1 large leek, green tops removed
1 jalapeno, de-seeded, minced
1 large head of broccoli
1 tsp of salt
1½ cups of frozen peas
⅔ cup of frozen spinach
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried mint (optional)
4 cups (400 g) fusilli pasta, or other pasta of choice
1 cup plant-based cooking cream
1 Tbsp lemon juice (the juice from about ½ a lemon)
Directions
Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Add the olive oil to a large pot and add garlic, green onion, jalapeno leek, broccoli, and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the peas, spinach, oregano, basil, and mint and cook for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Add the cooking cream to your veggie pot and stir. You can leave the pasta sauce as it is or blend everything if you want to make it smooth.
Add the pasta to the sauce along with some lemon juice, to taste. Serve it hot, garnished with fresh basil and lemon wedges.
This meal can be stored for around three days in the fridge. If you don’t have a leak you can use 2 medium onions instead, just make sure they are chopped finely.
Now you see that making a healthy lunch isn’t some boring, time-consuming chore. By using a lot of herbs, spices, fresh veggies, and quality meat you can really make the meals fun and original. Your whole family will love these lunch ideas and you will finally realize that you don’t need to eat a salad every day in order to do something good for your health.
