The foods that save me: baked beans
Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet
I know this is a popular answer, but the last of the foods that saved me when I was super-busy are baked beans.
They come in a can, they take minutes to heat up and provide dense, good quality nutrition. Baked beans are from the legume family and are high in fibre, protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
So while they’re quick and easy, baked beans are nutritionally top-notch. All of which makes them an excellent dietary back-up.
I have two favourite ways of eating them:
It’s easy meal preparation. No thinking required. Exactly what you need when busy and you’re brain’s a bit fried.
This is the last in my series of the five foods which saved me when I’m super-busy. Thanks for all your comments, it’s been great to find out what you do when time-poor.
Photograph by Tony Spencer under the terms of a creative commons license.
The foods that save me: poached eggs
Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet
Sometimes when I’m busy, preoccupied and tired, my menu planning knowledge completely escapes me. While I may spend my days helping clients with this very problem and despite my years of experience, I just can’t work out what to eat.
I know I want something balanced and nourishing. I know I want vegetables and I need some protein. But my fuzzy brain can’t put those requirements together, to make a meal.
It’s then that poached eggs save me.
They turn a plate of steamed vegetables into a meal. They oomph up a bowl of vegetable soup. They add nutritional complexity to rice and vegies. They can be added to a salad to make it feel more like dinner.
Poached eggs are my back-up, instant meal ingredient. They add protein and lots of minerals. They’re quick to make and you don’t need any fancy ingredients – just a couple of eggs and some water from the tap.
How to make poached eggs
Confession time: up until two years ago I avoided making poached eggs.
I loved eating them. So I used to nag Richard to make them, or I’d order them when we had breakfast out. But I couldn’t cook them at home. I tried a few times, looked up different methods, but it was always a disaster.
Then I read Molly’s simple and reassuring instructions over at Orangette. And it’s been a revelation – I can now make poached eggs.
So I do. Especially when I’m super-busy. And now poached eggs are the fourth food in my list of nutritional saviours.
What’s this all about?
This is the first in a series of posts about the foods which save me when I’m super-busy. It’s a companion piece to my post on how I make it easy to eat well.
The foods that save me: frozen vegetables
Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet
Frozen vegies have an image problem.
I spend a good part of my working life encouraging and coaxing people to eat more vegetables.
I regularly suggest frozen vegetables to my time-poor and food-prep phobic clients. But their response is invariably one of horror – as though I’ve uttered something completely inappropriate in the middle of a consultation.
They simply can’t believe their nutritionist has suggested . . . something frozen.
However, during my recent super-busy period, frozen vegies were the third food that saved my diet from being a disaster.
Fresh vs frozen vegetables
Despite their image problem, frozen vegies have a lot going for them and I’ve written about the benefits of fresh and frozen vegetables before.
Simply put, frozen vegies are flash or snap-frozen soon after harvest, when they still contain plenty of nutrients. While some nutrients don’t survive the freezing process, many do.
In contrast, fresh vegetables can lose plenty of nutrients in the journey from harvest to your mouth.
This makes frozen vegetables a valid nutritional choice.
Frozen vegies are a time saver
Having said this, I still prefer to use fresh over frozen. However, I always have some frozen vegetables in the house, because they are a brilliant time saver.
I use them at the end of the week, when the fridge is looking bare. Or when I’m tired and want instant dinner. No washing, peeling or chopping required – simply cut open a bag and empty it into a steamer. A few minutes later and the vegetable component of dinner is sorted.
Over the last few weeks, if I didn’t have frozen vegetables in the house, my diet and health would have suffered.
What’s this all about?
This is the first in a series of posts about the foods which save me when I’m super-busy. It’s a companion piece to my post on how I make it easy to eat well.
The foods that save me: dal in the freezer
Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet
Either Richard or I make dal about once a month. It’s a meal we both love. Usually we make up huge pots of the stuff, eat it for a couple of days and then put the rest in the freezer.
And in my recent super-busy period, having a freezer full of dal was the second food that saved me.
The goodness of dal
Dal is hearty, warming, luscious comfort food. It’s cheap to make, and rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals and fibre. Basically it’s chockablock full of the goodness of legumes.
And after a long day, when your brain is a bit fried, if you have a dal in the freezer you will still eat well.
Over the last few weeks we’ve
- had our dal straight
- eaten up the too watery batch we made, as soup
- served it with yoghurt and chutney
- had a mini salad of cucumber and tomato on the side
It also helps that Richard and I make our dal in different ways. I tend to favour using mung dal (split mung beans), while Richard oscillates between urad, chana and masoor (split red lentils). I like to mix mine up with cabbage or roasted vegetables, whereas Richard is much more traditional. We use different spice combinations and make the dal in different consistencies.
And while it’s from the freezer, defrosted and re-heated, dal isn’t a second-class meal.
Freezer backups
When you’re busy it pays to have some trusty back ups in the freezer. For us it’s dal, but it could also be soup, stews and plenty of other dishes.
These provide instant, nutritious meals when you’re busy – and are worth their weight in gold.
Our dal stocks are now depleted, so cooking a new batch is a job for the long weekend.
What’s this all about?
This is the first in a series of posts about the foods which save me when I’m super-busy. It’s a companion piece to my post on how I make it easy to eat well.
The foods that save me: Moroccan spice blend
Posted by kathryn in Shopping Basket and A Balanced Diet
Among my presents at Christmas was a jar of Moroccan spice blend. It was from my mum. A home-made mixture of ground cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, turmeric, chilli and nutmeg.
It’s delicious and has real oomph. It’s one of the foods that’s saved me while I’ve been super-busy because it’s instant flavour.
I haven’t had to muck around with sauces, individual spices, stock or slow cooking. I haven’t needed to think, plan or do extra shopping. Instead, one spoonful of my Moroccan spice blend and layers of taste and complexity are added to whatever I’m cooking.
How I’ve used it
- I’ve added it to roasted vegetables
- Mixed it up with yoghurt in dressings
- Used it to flavour Kalyn’s egg muffins.
- Cooked it up with lentils and vegetables
- Sprinkled it over cooked rice and steamed veg
- Dusted tofu in it prior to stir-frying
- Used it in a quick lentil soup
- Stirred it through warm cooked chickpeas with chunks of tomato and fresh herbs
I love this mixture, but you don’t have to use this particular blend. You also don’t have to make your own. But having a pre-made spice mix or other means of adding instant flavour to food, can be a dietary saviour.
I’m down to the last few teaspoons and I don’t have the recipe! So as soon as I post this, I’m going to be emailing mum!
What’s this all about?
This is the first in a series of posts about the foods which save me when I’m super-busy. It’s a companion piece to my post on how I make it easy to eat well.
Photograph by Whirling Phoenix under the terms of a creative commons license.
The foods that save me when I'm super-busy
Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet
I’ve just been through a super-busy period with work. Long working days, six day weeks, lots of decisions and too much tiredness have meant a drop in my usual dietary diligence.
However, while not up to my usual standards, it hasn’t been a nutritional disaster – because of five foods.
These trusty dietary side-kicks have made it easier for me to eat well. They’ve helped me prepare a quick meal at the end of the day, without resorting to take-away and toast.
Over the next few days I’m going to talk about these five foods. What they are and how I’ve used them. This is a companion piece to my post on how I make it easy to eat well – the super-busy version!
Along the way, I’m also interested to know what foods save you when you’re busy?
- Moroccan spice blend
- Dal in the freezer
- Frozen vegetables
- Poached eggs
- Baked beans
Photograph by Isabisa under the terms of a creative commons license
Quicklinks
Posted by kathryn in Vegetables, Food & Health Myths and Vegetable recipes
- Eating more vegetables: The Go for 2&5 campaign is aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. I particularly like their weekly healthy eating email – a quick, regular reminder of the practical ways you can eat more fruit and veg. Sign up here.
- Root vegetables: In the Northern hemisphere root vegetables are in season. In the Guardian this week, Nigel Slater has a great column discussing different ways of using carrots, kohlrabi, parsnips, etc: The Root Master
- Nutrition horrors: First I saw the UK Heart Foundation advert what goes into crisps goes into you. Then the next day a friend sent me the cheeseburger in a can. Why oh why?
- Using radishes: While I like radishes, there not a vegetable I ever get creative with. This week I’ve spotted Lucy’s excellent looking radish pickle. While Cassie from Veggie Meal Plans has made lentil, radish and spinach stuffed pita breads.
- Late night eating: I liked this article from the Times which debunks some of the myths around eating late at night.
- No forbidden foods: I’ve written before about choosing small, contained quantities of treat foods like ice-cream, cake and chocolate. There’s another good example over at Weighty Matters. What do you do if you’re an obesity doctor and your daughter wants hot chocolate?
Photograph by Kaishin under the terms of a creative commons license.
The end of Q & A Month
Posted by kathryn in Q & A Thursday
Q & A Month is officially over.
Thank you to everyone who sent me questions and responded so positively to the posts. I was quite overwhelmed by the wonderful feedback and involvement.
If I’ve missed any questions, then my apologies – and please let me know by email.
Q & A Thursday
Regular Q & A Thursdays will be returning in 2008. But it’s going to be a monthly event.
I’ll be running them on the first Thursday of each month. So the next one will be Thursday 3rd April. I’ll post a reminder a few days before this.
One other admin change – I’m going to ask for all questions to be sent to me by email. This will help me keep track of all the current topics.
Thanks again to everyone who took part.
What's in season: March in Sydney
Posted by kathryn in What's in season
As summer gently winds down there’s been a subtle shift in the produce available.
Frankly I’ve given up on peaches and nectarines. While they’re still plentiful, I’ve had one too many flour-y, bland experiences with them in the last two weeks.
Plus heavy rains in February have disrupted the vegetable supply – meaning quality is down and prices are up.
But the new season apples are being picked. This is the time of year when they’re at their best. Plus plums are gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS.
And then the Harris Farm newsletter informed me this morning that the beginning of autumn means . . . figs.
So it’s not all bad news.
Fruits in season this month:
- Apples – galas and red delicious have been in the shops for a few weeks, while Jonathons are coming off the trees at the moment
- Avocadoes – Hass are finishing up, but Shephards are coming into season
- Bananas
- Berries – this is the end of the season, but blueberries and blackberries are still very good
- Figs
- Fuji fruit
- Guava
- Mangoes – Kensington Prides have finished but the end of season Palmer mangoes are beautiful
- Pears – William, Sensation and Bosc
- Pineapples – Bethongas are still great
- Plums are gorgeous at the moment – particularly radiance and I’ve seen the first of the tiny sugar plums
- Pomegranates – mostly still fruit from the US, but the local supply will start later in March
- Quinces
- Rhubarb
- Strawberries have been available at bargain prices, but whether that’s due to this report or an over-supply I couldn’t say
Vegetables in season this month:
- Asian greens
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts – the season is just starting
- Capsicums are good and cheap
- Cucumbers
- Chestnuts should be coming in later in the month
- Chillies
- Eggplant – the long thin Italian eggplants are particularly good
- Lettuce – although they’ve been small recently
- Mushrooms
- Okra
- Potatoes – Dutch cream and Sebagoes are the best
- Snow peas
- Sugar snap peas
- Sweetcorn
- Sweet potato
- Zucchini – excellent small zucchini available at the moment
Photograph by Wendy Lefkowich under the terms of a creative commons license.
5 comments
29 March, 2008
