Tips for Preparing Healthy Dinners

Dinner

Coming up with healthy dinner options every week can be tedious. That, coupled with having nothing in the house when you return from work or simply running our of ideas, means that you are much more likely to reach for convenience food or a takeaway menu. These foods are fine to eat every now and again, but when they are eaten regularly they can contribute to weight gain and can negatively impact on your health. 

With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you cook and eat healthy dinners. 

Plan ahead

Always start the week off by planning what you are going to have. Go to the supermarket or shop online, knowing what you will have for all your dinners in the week. This will mean you’ll always have the ingredients for a tasty meal in the house. You will be prepared to cook it when you come through the door in the evening. 

Prepare ahead

I used to find I would get home from work and I would find it hard to face into peeling and chopping and that this would slow me down. I would start snacking on biscuits or chocolate while I was cooking my dinner. Now I peel and chop the evening before and cover and refrigerate everything. When I walk in the door the following evening, everything is ready to be cooked and dinner is ready in a fraction of the time.

Make extra 

This has changed my life since returning to work. As a rule, two nights in the week we have the same dinner. If I am making something like a stew or a bolognese, I make double the portion It’s perfect for the following day! This means that there is at least one evening a week that we don’t even have to think about cooking. If you aren’t in to eating the same things 2 days in a row, simply freeze the extra portion. Then all you have to do is reach into the freezer and defrost something. This works particularly well with curries, stews, pasta sauces and chilli. Simply freeze without the carbohydrate you usually pair with it and then cook the rice or pasta while it’s defrosting.

Be clever about what you’re cooking

There is no point in attempting to make a dinner that takes an hour to cook when you arrive home from a long day at work in no form for it. Those dinners are best left to a day when you have plenty of time. I often find on days when I have very little time, fish works well. It is cooked in minutes and goes with everything. Try pairing it with some salad and new potatoes which take a fraction of the time to cook and don’t require peeling. If, like me, you love something warm waiting for you, a slow cooker is a worthwhile investment. You can put all the ingredients in and it will cook away while you’re in work and a tasty meal will greet you when you arrive home.

If you struggle to make healthy food choices or are unsure about how to improve your eating habits, we are here to help. Book in to our weight management clinic now by clicking here.