With thanks to Lisa Phillips, as part of our Healthy Habit series, Downsizing.com.au is pleased to present ten delicious and healthy meal ideas.
Each recipe is quick and easy to prepare, with an emphasis on simple, natural ingredients.
The meals are all low in calories and highly nutritious, making them ideal for anyone trying to lose weight, or simply wanting to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. With a selection of indulgent breakfasts, light meals and restaurant-quality dinners, eating well has never been easier, or more enjoyable!
1. Ham and Mushroom Pita Pizza
Yes, you can enjoy pizza on a diet! This ham and mushroom pizza is absolutely delicious, and it's so quick and easy to prepare. With only 350 calories, it's the perfect indulgent light meal or dinner.
2. Breakfast Parfait
My breakfast parfait is so quick and easy to prepare, and it tastes as good as it looks. Loaded with fibre, calcium and antioxidants, this is one of my favourite healthy breakfasts. It makes a great dessert, too!
3. Fried Cauliflower ‘Rice’ With Prawns
Have you tried cauliflower rice yet? If you're trying to cut down on calories or carbohydrates it's a great alternative to regular rice. I grated my cauliflower but supermarkets sell packs of grated cauliflower, which are very convenient and will save you lots of time.
The trick to successful cauliflower rice is in the frying - the longer you fry, the better the result. You can enjoy a huge plate of this dish for relatively few calories, making it the perfect satisfying dinner for dieters.
4. Dukka Fried Fish and Super Salad
If you like deep-fried, battered fish, you're going to love my healthier version. Coated in dukkah, for a crunchy, nutty flavour, and shallow fried in olive oil, fish prepared this way is absolutely delicious. I used barramundi, but feel free to use any fish you like, and adjust the frying time.
The super salad is filled with a rainbow of vegetables and fruits, for a powerful dose of vitamins, fibre and antioxidants.
5. Easy Cheesy Omelette With Asparagus And Spinach
Omelettes have a reputation for being tricky to make.
They can also be really high in fat and calories.
My Easy Cheesy Omelette is a cinch to prepare - I show you step-by-step how to turn out a perfect omelette every time. I've also slashed the calories to under 400 while sacrificing none of the taste. Perfect for an indulgent breakfast or light meal, I know you're going to love this recipe!
6. Oh My! Omelette
This quick and easy omelette makes a fabulous breakfast or light meal. Add whatever fillings you like - I used leftover stir-fried vegetables, for a delicious Asian flavour. Here's the recipe for the veggies:
7. Overnight Apple And Cinnamon Oats
These overnight oats taste like a delicious, decadent version of Bircher muesli, but are far healthier! Traditional Bircher (the type you get at fancy hotel breakfast buffets) is loaded with cream, nuts and dried fruit. My version has all the creamy sweetness but without the extra fat and calories. And it's so simple to prepare - simply combine all the ingredients and leave them in the fridge overnight. The next morning top with whatever fruit or yummy additions you like. Try fresh berries, seeds, chopped almonds or shredded coconut. Yum!
8. Spicy Chicken Parcel
This is probably the healthiest way to cook chicken.
It is also the easiest and guarantees your chicken will be tender, tasty and unbelievably juicy. If you haven't cooked chicken this way before, you're in for a treat! Feel free to add more chilli, or cut back if you prefer things a little less spicy.
*This chicken is delicious served with my Stir Fried Vegetables. Here's the recipe:
9. Stir Fried Vegetables
Stir-fries are one of the healthiest ways to prepare delicious meals, but many people find them tricky.
The secret to a great stir fry is to cut all your vegetables evenly, and cook the hardest veggies first.
Start with onions and cook them slowly, to allow them to soften and caramelise, and finish with the quickest-cooking veggies like snow peas and asparagus.
Don't overcook your vegetables - you want them to be cooked through but still have a little crunch.
This recipe is tasty and satisfying as a main meal. It's also great as a side dish, with some grilled meat or fish.
10. Stuffed Eggplant With Chicken And Quinoa
These delicious stuffed eggplants are packed with vegetables, chicken mince and quinoa, and served with a rich tomato sauce.
You can substitute the chicken for any other type of meat, or eliminate it to adapt this dish for vegetarians/vegans.
The quinoa is high in protein (great for vegetarians) but feel free to swap it for brown rice if you prefer.
To make this recipe even easier/quicker, you can use a 250g pouch of microwave quinoa or rice. Just heat it for 90 seconds and add to the cooked vegetable/chicken mixture.
I hope you enjoy this delicious and healthy dinner as much as I do!
