Low Prep Meals

Holidays in cabins, home renovations without your usual kitchen, or those days when you simply can’t get to the supermarket for fresh food – these are the times when low prep, no fuss meals are a must.

There are so many foods available to help reduce cooking and food preparation, including pre cut salads, mixed frozen vegetables, oven/microwave ready protein portions, microwave rice sachets, BBQ chicken, tinned fish and tinned vegetables are just the beginning.

Kitchen equipment has also evolved to make food prep easy such as microwave containers for poaching eggs, electric egg cookers, sandwich presses and pie makers – the list goes on.

With a few basic kitchen devices and some carefully selected convenience foods, quick, healthy, low prep meals are possible.

Following are some low prep meal ideas to get you started:

• Tuna & Salad Wrap: multigrain wrap + low fat mayonnaise + pre shredded salad vegetables + tinned tuna.
• Chicken & Avocado Melt: wholemeal sandwich thin + avocado + sun-dried tomato/roasted capsicum + sliced chicken toasted in a sandwich press.
• Scrambled Egg Muffin: English muffin + relish + mushrooms + tomatoes + microwaved scrambled eggs.
• Baked Bean Taco: Taco shell + Philadelphia extra light cream cheese + salsa + diced tomato + shredded lettuce + tinned corn + baked beans.
• Eggs & Tomato on Avocado Toast: wholegrain/multigrain toast/toasted sandwich thin + smashed avocado + poached/boiled egg.
• Roast Meat Pita: wholemeal pita bread/wrap + chutney + pre shredded salad vegetables + cold sliced roast meat.
• Ham & Cheese Crackers: wholegrain/multigrain crackers + Philadelphia extra light + sliced tomato + sliced ham.
• Pita Bread Pizza: wholemeal pita bread + tomato paste + sun-dried tomato/roasted capsicum/artichokes/roasted eggplant + feta + grated cheese.
• Kidney Bean Salad: diced salad vegetables + kidney beans + salsa.
• Turkey & Tzatziki Wrap: mountain bread + tzatziki + finely shredded cabbage + sliced turkey + cranberry sauce.
• Salmon & Avocado Crackers: wholegrain/multigrain crackers + avocado + sliced tomato + tinned salmon.
• Chicken & Corn Muffin: wholegrain/multigrain English muffin/sandwich thin + mayonnaise + creamed corn + sliced/shredded chicken.
• Fish, Vegetables and Rice: single serve fish (cooked in sandwich press, microwave or oven) + single serve frozen mixed vegetables + microwave ready rice.
• Chicken & Vegetables: BBQ chicken/oven ready chicken fillets/fillets cooked on sandwich press + mixed frozen vegetables.
• Scrambled Eggs & Tomato on Toast: microwave scrambled eggs + diced tomatoes + diced mushrooms + wholegrain/multigrain toast.
• Tuna/Salmon & 3 Bean Cous Cous: tinned tuna/salmon + tinned 3 bean mix + cous cous.
• Chicken & Vegetable Rice: cooked BBQ chicken + grated vegetables + microwave ready rice.
• Baked Potato: half a microwave baked potato + baked beans + tinned beetroot/tinned corn.
• Stir-fry: pre sliced lean strips of meat/chicken + mixed frozen vegetables + Hokkien noodles.
• Grazing Plate: cold sliced meat + cheese + nuts + vegetable sticks + hummus/tzatziki.
• Poke Bowl: microwave rice + tinned chilli tuna + diced avocado + carrot sticks + cucumber sticks + edamame + soy/rice wine vinegar.
• Tuna Salad: tinned tuna + pre cut salad leaves + diced boiled egg + mayonnaise.
• Mexican Bowl: toasted tortilla + tinned black beans/shredded BBQ chicken + salsa + diced avocado + tinned corn.