One of the greatest things about the recent surge in publicity and popularity of fresh, local and seasonal produce is that it is now available from almost everywhere. No longer do you have to traipse off into the countryside and find a local farm with a small shop to find the freshest fruit, vegetables and meat, you can get hold of them in your local supermarkets and food stores. And what this means is that you’ll have a fresh supply of fruit and vegetables all week long and with these you can follow quick healthy recipes and keep fast and junk food at bay.
Choose from things like gourmet
tuna fishcakes which require basic ingredients, including dolphin friendly tuna
, British potatoes, salad onions, parsley and lemons and vegetable pasta. The great thing about tuna fish cakes is that they’re delicious and very easy to make, requiring a maximum of 15 minutes preparation and a cooking time of 35 minutes and there are no obscure ingredients. Vegetable pasta is the same and you can definitely be very creative with this one, choosing a medley of vegetables that are in season and that you love and combining them with any sort of fresh pasta that you like. Tagliatelle works particularly well with creamy sauces which cling to the long flat pasta ensuring every mouthful is bursting with flavour. Because of the light and fresh nature of these quick, healthy recipes they are as suitable for a hot summer’s evening on the patio as they are for a cold winter’s evening snuggled round a fire.
One of the best healthy dishes you can make for the whole family is a lasagne and if you find an easy lasagne recipe it really will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare. Once you’ve roasted the vegetables and assembled the lasagne, you can shove it in the oven for 25 minutes and forget about it until the timer goes off. You can use almost anything you want in a lasagne these days so instead of mince, why not try using ham and roasted vegetables, which will go nicely with the readymade pasta sheets and your soon-to-be-homemade basic cheese sauce. All you need for a basic white sauce is unsalted butter, British skimmed milk, reduced fat mature cheese and some plain flour. Then buy some egg lasagne sheets, some ham and a selection of vegetables that will roast well, courgettes, peppers, carrots and spinach all keep their flavour, shape and texture well when cooked for long periods of time. Simply roast the vegetables and when they’re done, layer the vegetables, ham, cheese sauce and pasta sheets in an oven proof dish, in that order, until you’ve run out or you reach the top of the dish and then sprinkle liberally with cheese. Place in the oven for 25 minutes until the pasta sheets are soft and the cheese is golden; serve with a fresh salad or some seasonal greens.
A busy life doesn’t have to mean that you eat convenience foods that are full of fat, calories and sugar, find some quick healthy recipes such as our easy lasagne recipe and you’ll feel healthier without having to slave over a hot stove