We’ve all been there: getting home from work after a stressful day, taking one look in the kitchen and thinking ‘nope’ before calling for a takeaway. Or finishing a workout and feeling like you just want to die and thus can’t possibly start cooking. Or hearing that it’s National Pizza Day and firing up the Domino’s website quicker than their PR guy cashes his cheques. OK, so we’re just lazy, but why would you want to cook when you can get someone else to do it for you?
Takeaways are so tempting (and don’t we know it) but they’re really not great when you’re trying to lose weight. Did you know that our favourite meat feast pizza has almost 300 calories PER SLICE? Yeah, we didn’t at the weekend when we had 5 slices. Yikes.
Thankfully we’ve rounded up 7 tasty recipes for quick meals which are much healthier than a takeaway and are far, far quicker. So next time the Chinese is calling your name, spend a little time in the kitchen instead. 20 minutes isn’t too much to ask, after all.
1. Chilli with creamy chive crushed potatoes
The ultimate in winter comfort food, this is a twist on traditional chilli as it uses meatballs made from sausages instead of mince. It’s the kind of food you just want to jump into headfirst after a rainy day, and at only 547 calories, it’s a great dinner option. You could even make double and have the leftovers for lunch the next day.
You can’t go wrong with Joe Wicks (aka the Body Coach) when you’re after something quick and healthy – his Instagram is a continual source of inspiration and his book Lean In 15 is highly recommended. These noodles go from wok to table in less than 10 minutes and are a great way to refuel after a workout.
This is a really simple recipe that works well as a ‘throw everything into it’ kind of meal – got any questionable looking veg lingering at the back of the fridge? Throw them in and give them a new lease of life.
Jamie Oliver is perhaps the king of quick meals, having brought us 15 minute and 30 minute meals a couple of years ago, but not all of his recipes are exactly waistline friendly. Here’s one for a ‘skinny’ carbonara – all of the same creamy goodness but with a healthy twist, featuring almonds and natural yogurt.
This veggie curry is packed full of flavour thanks to the spices used. If you keep your kitchen cupboards stocked up with tins of chickpeas, chopped tomatoes and a few essential spices you can make this seriously tasty curry with minimum fuss – and best of all, it only takes 10 minutes.
This looks – and tastes – much fancier than it is. Perfect for veggies, this chilli and bean wrap brings you the best of flavourful Mexican food in one neat little package, and you can eat it on the go too.
7. Bacon and egg baked avocado
Bacon? Good. Egg? Good. Avocado? Goooooood. There’s nothing not to love about this meal, which combines all of our favourite things into one incredibly simple but incredibly tasty meal. This would also be a pretty perfect breakfast, one you could even make the night before.
Got any go to recipes that tick all the right healthy boxes? Let us know your favourites in our forum
