Healthy Meals – Ideas for Summer Eating
The Healthier You dietitians have designed a number of nutritious and healthy meals and snacks, suitable for the whole family and making healthy eating easy! Enjoy our ideas for summertime healthy meals.
Breakfast
Banana Smoothie
Banana Smoothie
Serves: 1
Ingredients
200mL skim milk
1 banana
2 tbs No fat yoghurt (eg Soleil or Forme)
1tsp cinnamon
1 tbs psyllium husks
Steps
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Drink immediately (psyllium husks will change the texture of the smoothie if left to stand)
Lunch
Bruschetta
Bruschetta
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 tomato, finely diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 small handful of basil, roughly chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbs reduced fat cottage cheese
2 slices whole grain bread toasted
1 clove of garlic cut in half
Steps
Mix tomato, onion, basil, vinegar and cheese in a large bowl. Rub garlic over both sides of the toasted bread. Top with tomato mixture.
Tips
Tips: Try other types of bruschetta like silverbeet and mushroom.
Panzanella
Panzanella
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 small red capsicums, quartered, seeded
1/2 (330g) loaf day-old ciabatta, cut into 3cm pieces
10ml extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
60ml (1/4 cup) red wine vinegar
200g grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons baby capers
50g small black olives
5 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved, cut into 2cm pieces
1/4 cup small basil leaves
Steps
Preheat grill to high and line an oven tray with foil. Place capsicums, skin-side up, on tray and cook for 15 minutes or until skin is blistered and blackened. Fold foil up over capsicums and cool for 10 minutes. Peel off skins, then cut into 5mm-thick strips.
Place bread on an oven tray, drizzle with extra oil, then season with pepper. Cook under grill, turning frequently, for 10 minutes or until toasted on all sides. Cool, then place in a large serving bowl.
To make dressing, place garlic, anchovies, chilli, and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk to combine, then gradually whisk in oil.
Using your hands, squeeze each grape tomato, bursting skin and squirting juice over bread, then add tomatoes to bowl. Add onion, capsicums, dressing and remaining ingredients, then toss well to combine. Divide among plates to serve.
Dinner
Burritos
Burritos
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
120g tinned, diced tomatoes
120g four bean mix
Grated carrot
Sliced lettuce
Diced cucumber
Tomato sliced
2 tbs reduced fat cottage or ricotta cheese
2 wraps (eg Mountain bread or Goodness Barley wraps)
Steps
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and four bean mix to the pan. Stir for 3 minutes until the mixture is heated through. Serve bean mix on a wrap with lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tomato and cheese.
Roast Vegetable Salad
Couscous and Roast Vegetable Salad
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1/2 red onion
4 garlic cloves cut in half
5 Cauliflower florets
5 Broccoli florets
4 baby beets baby beets (chopped in half)
1 zucchini, sliced
100g cous cous
Handful baby spinach
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp lemon juice
Steps
Preheat oven to 200oC. Place onion and garlic on a baking tray and spray with olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn onion and garlic and add other vegetables. Cook for another 15minutes, turning once.
Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to packet instructions. Set aside.
Toss the grilled vegetables through the couscous and mix through mixed spices. Either mix through baby spinach or serve as a side salad.
Puy Lentil, Walnut and Parsnip Salad
Puy Lentil, Walnut and Parsnip Salad
(Recipe courtesy of Jamie Magazine)
Serves: 4
Ingredients
6 parnsips
1 litre vegetable stock
250 g puy lentils
1 bay leaf
50 g walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
Dressing
3 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp runny honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 shallot
1/2 clove of garlic
a large bunch of watercress, or rocket leaves
a few shavings of hard cheese, to serve
Steps
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Peel and trim the parsnips, cut into batons 5cm long and 1cm thick. Finely chop the shallot and crush the garlic. Bring the stock to the boil, add lentils and bay leaf and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, until just tender. Drain lentils, discard the bay leaf and set aside. Place the walnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove the tray from the oven, scoop out the walnuts, and add the parsnips in their place. Drizzle with the olive oil and roast for 35 minutes until golden. Make the dressing by whisking together the walnut oil, vinegar, honey, mustard and garlic. Season and stir in the garlic and shallots. In a bowl, toss together the lentils, walnuts, parsnips and dressing. Place the watercress or rocket onto plates, pile on the lentil salad and top with shavings of cheese.
Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Salad
Serves: 4
Ingredients
500ml (2 cups) water
150g (1 cup) quinoa
2 bunches asparagus, cut into 4cm lengths
1 cup tinned, baby beets
1 mango
1 avocado
75g goats cheese
40g (1/4 cup) sunflower kernals
½ cup walnuts
4 spring onions
2 tbs chopped parsley
Dressing
1.5tbs tbs lemon juice
2 tsp honey
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
100g baby rocket leaves
Steps
Combine water and quinoa in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, preheat a large chargrill on high. Spray lightly with oil. Cook the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until tender crisp. Add the asparagus, beets, mango, avocado, goats cheese, sunflower seed kernels, walnuts, spring onions and parsley to the quinoa.
Whisk the lemon juice, honey, oil and paprika in a small bowl until well combined. Add the dressing and rocket to the quinoa mixture. Season with pepper and toss to combine.
Lemongrass Chicken Skewers
Lemongrass Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped
2 purple Asian shallots, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon reduced salt soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
Green onions, thinly sliced, to serve
Steamed SunRice Jasmine Fragrant Rice, to serve
Steps
Place lemongrass, shallot, chilli and garlic in a mortar and gently pound with a pestle until a paste forms. Add sugar, combined sauces and oil, and stir to combine. Place in a glass or ceramic bowl and add the chicken. Stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 1 hour to develop the flavours.
Thread the chicken evenly among the skewers. Preheat a char-grill pan on high. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve with ½ cup cooked rice per person and half a plate of salad.
Snacks
Cucumber Rounds
Cucumber Rounds
Ingredients
1 medium Lebanese cucumber
½ avocado
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs no fat natural yoghurt eg Tamar valley
celery, finely chopped
carrot, shredded
alfalfa sprouts
Steps
Combine avocado, lemon juice and yoghurt until they form a smooth consistency.
Slice cucumber into 1cm-thick slices. Top each slice with 1 teaspoon avocado mix. Top with celery, carrot and alfalfa sprouts.
Rice Paper Rolls
Rice Paper Rolls
Serves 4
Ingredients
50 g snow peas, ends trimmed
1/4 large avocado, peeled and stoned
4 rice paper rounds (22cm)
6 cooked prawns, shelled, deveined and cut in half lengthways
4 mint leaves
8 cup coriander leaves
1/2 carrot, peeled and grated
1 tbs sweet chilli sauce
Steps
Slice snow peas and avocado lengthways into thin strips. Divide filling ingredients evenly. To make rolls: Soak the rice paper in warm water until just softened. Remove from the bowl and place on a plate. Put 3 prawn halves into the centre of the rice paper. Add a mint leaf, 2 coriander leaves, snow peas, avocado and carrot. Fold over rice paper and roll up, pressing edge to seal. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
Hummus
Hummus
Makes 40g
Ingredients
400g tin chickpeas
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon (juiced)
1 tbs tahini
1 tbs olive oil
Water (to desired thickness)
Steps
Combine all ingredients in food processor. Serve with vegetable sticks (eg carrots, celery, cucumber, snow peas) or vita-weats.