Time is our most precious asset and we are all familiar with the late afternoon and evening rush to finish work, juggle the traffic, get to the gym or some sort of activity, sort out the kids and the pets and prepare a healthy, balanced dinner. Is it any wonder so many of us are tired?
From a nutritional perspective the good news is that preparing a simple, balanced evening meal does not have to be stressful or difficult. Rather, you can throw together a healthy and tasty meal very quickly once you know a few nutrition tricks of the trade. Or, if you need an even quicker option, pick up one from the growing Lean Cuisine range that has already been balanced for you. Here you can literally have a delicious, calorie-controlled dinner option on the table within minutes.
1) Get organised
When it comes to eating well, planning and preparation is the key. Making time each week to shop for supplies and keeping key foods like frozen vegetables and tinned fish on hand will go a long way in making it easy to prepare quick and easy mid-week meals. Keeping a couple of nutritionally balanced, calorie controlled meals like the Lean Cuisine range will too ensure you always have a quick and healthy meal that is ready to go within a matter of minutes.
2) Focus on vegetables
One of the biggest issues with picking up takeaway meals on the go is that the options rarely have the minimum 2-3 vegetable serves we need in an evening meal for good health. Think quick and easy vegetable options such as pre-made soups and salads or frozen vegetable varieties that you can easily add to bulk up any meal. Or if you love nothing more than the convenience of a frozen meal, the Lean Cuisine Protein Plus range includes 2 vegetable serves in a delicious high protein meal.
3) Remember the protein
Protein rich foods including chicken, eggs, lean meat, fish or legumes for those who prefer a plant-based diet offer a number of key nutrients including iron and zinc and help to keep you fuller for longer after eating. Keeping a supply of ready-made protein rich foods such as eggs, frozen fish or legumes on hand means that you can always throw a healthy meal such as a frittata or fish and vege meal together very quickly.
4) Keep an eye on the portions
Carbohydrate rich foods including rice, pasta and potato are important energy rich foods need to fuel the muscles and the brain, but if your goal is weight control, you do need to keep an eye on the portions. Roughly ¼ of the plate will ensure you tick the box on these energy rich foods without overdoing the calories. When it comes to balance, the Lean Cuisine range has you covered with the extensive meal range offering a balanced mix of carbs, protein and vegetables, which are all calorie controlled and snap frozen to preserve the nutritional quality.
