5 Simple Tips To Quickly Make Brain Friendly, Healthy + Delicious Meals
Do you have loads of time to spend in your kitchen creating delicious meals?
I assume not, but also assume you want meals that look and taste delicious – and are brain friendly!
Here are my favorite ways to toss nutrient-dense meals together quickly. Meals which nourish my busy brain – and can do the same for you and your family.
Firstly, the idea of meal ‘prep’ sounds wonderful, but few people have unlimited hours to devote to making complete meals.
The idea to ‘produce prep’ is a lot simpler and allows us to be prepared for the week ahead but not tied down to specific meals.
I buy my fresh produce every Sunday morning from my local organic market and then get it ready to be used in a variety of ways during the week.
For example, I’ll wash a lettuce and spin the leaves so they're ready to be used instantly. I’ll get other veggies ready too, such as cucumbers, carrots, green beans, snap peas and leeks, all of which are obviously dependent on the season.
Keep your vegetables whole until you need them, as every open surface of a sliced vegetable is exposed to oxygen, which leads to oxidation of that part of the flesh and reduces the nutrients available.
Preparation is key to success in eating well consistently, just as it is important in life generally! There’s a reason I have this quote in the introduction of my second book:
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
~ Antoine De saint-Exupéry
These five tips will make meal creation during the week simple and quick, with delicious results:
Salad dressings and sauces
Whether in a salad or when cooked, no one enjoys chewing their way through plain vegetables.
Dressings and sauces using good fats and oils enliven vegetables because flavor molecules disperse more effectively in this medium than in water.
On a Sunday morning I’ll make two or three salad dressings to use during the week, and a sauce or two, which can be tossed over salads and roasted vegetables.
One of my favorite and versatile dressings, a tahini and lemon cream dressing, can be used over green leafy salads, roasted vegetables and legume and grain salads and pilafs.
Smart baking/Batch cooking
It makes sense to use the oven effectively when it’s on, which saves time and energy.
For example, I’ll bake a tray full of cauliflower florets, and another of sweet potato cubes tossed in whatever dried spices take my fancy that day, while also baking a lentil or bean stew.
Baking miso-tossed onions, garlic, ginger and tofu is another simple task while baking other produce.
A batch of quinoa or millet (using a cup or a cup and a half of uncooked quinoa or millet) and separately, some beans and lentils, are also simple tasks.
A batch of artichoke hummus is a family staple too, and is a fabulous dip for crunchy vegetables, with baked corn chips, or as a filling for sweet or ordinary potatoes.
It’s also very nutrient-dense so it’s the perfect snack food for hungry children and teenagers.
A well-Stocked pantry
Legumes, artichokes, or pre-cooked rice, as well as nut butters, nuts and seeds, and tomato pasta sauce in glass bottles, are very handy to add to what you’ve already prepared.
I developed my shopping list based on unprocessed produce, with some minimally processed, convenient, pre-prepared but healthy foods that are useful to have on hand.
Toppings
What you add to the top of a meal can make the difference between an awesome and a not-so awesome meal.
Toppings also provide a simple opportunity to increase the nutrient density of a meal without much fuss.
My favorites include fresh herbs, sprouts, slivers of preserved lemon, or grated citrus rind (from organic fruits), or pomegranate seeds and fresh, activated nuts or seeds, and pesto, to mention a few.
Amazing kitchen appliances
Although one can get by with a good sharp chopping knife, some great appliances can make life easier – and make cooking a delight.
A high-speed blender, and a food processor, with which to make smoothies, creamy dressings and hummus, respectively, would be hard for me to live without.
However, I really couldn’t live without my mandolin. Salads are more interesting as I can make a variety of shapes from my fresh produce, and I can choose either paper-thin or julienned slices.
So, what to do with all these foods?
Now, you may be curious about what I’m going to do with these examples, so here’s a glimpse into what some of my meals look like during a normal week using the above foods:
Lentil and quinoa salad with finely sliced red onion and creamy garlic and tahini dressing topped with slivers of preserved lemon, sprouts and brazil nuts or sesame seeds
Green leafy salad with chickpeas, cauliflower florets, raspberry dressing, sunflower seeds and lemon rind
Green leafy salad with spicy sweet potato cubes and a sprinkle of quinoa topped with a maple and mustard dressing, grated orange rind and crushed walnuts or pecans
Green leaves with lightly steamed broccoli, sliced mushrooms, green beans or snap peas, topped with tahini dressing mixed with turmeric powder and topped with pomegranate seeds
Lentil or bean stew served with baked corn chips and guacamole topped with julienned cucumber and fresh coriander (cilantro) and sprouts
Green leafy salad tossed with baked and spicy tofu and a sprinkle of quinoa topped with mustard or creamy tahini dressing and avocado slices and sprouts
Quinoa and tofu salad tossed with cauliflower florets, and topped with finely sliced Bok choi and creamy tahini dressing, fresh coriander (cilantro), sprouts and sesame seeds or crushed almonds
Lentil or bean stew on top of quinoa or millet topped with fresh coriander or basil and sprouts and lightly steamed broccoli
In conclusion, it’s important to chop and change what we eat, according to the seasons, what’s freshest, and also get new ideas from books and magazines, and Instagram!
As humans we do get bored with eating the same food continuously.
Hopefully these examples, tips and tricks will give you some ideas about how to create a variety of meals.
Allow yourself to enjoy making healthy meals and being creative, tossing together combinations you hadn’t thought of before – and having fun!
Let me know which ones become your favorites and check my IG feed for other ideas.
Please find my favorite 12 pantry items with which to make 70+ different meals e-Book here.
References
Greger, M. (2016). How Not To Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. New York, USA: McMillan Publishing.
McCabe, D. (2016). Feed Your Brain. 7 Steps to a Lighter, Brighter You! Sydney, Australia: Exisle Publishing.
McCabe, D. (2017). Feed Your Brain. The Cookbook – Recipes to Support a Lighter, Brighter You! Sydney, Australia: Exisle Publishing.