OH! Magazine - Australian Version August 2015 | Page 13
DR
JOANNA
NO-COOK DINNERS
www.drjoanna.com.au
( Nutrition )
Enjoy a night off with these no-cook dinner ideas from Dr Joanna.
Ideally, set yourself a goal of cooking
most nights of the week – say, at least
four nights – and if you manage more
then terrific! On the other nights you
need a few ideas to fall back on that will
ensure you don’t sacrifice your progress
towards your goals (although you may
also eat out on one or more nights).
Following are three ideas, with reference
to my Dr Joanna Plate (pictured below) as
a helpful guide to appropriate nutritional
portions (where 1 = plant food, 2 = protein,
3 = smart carb and 4 = healthy fat).
•
Plant food = add a side of whatever
greens you have in the fridge (e.g.,
sliced tomato, lemon juice, or even a
spoonful of tomato salsa)
•
Protein = canned sardines (heat
them gently in a non-stick frying pan
– I’m not going to call that cooking
either!)
•
Smart carb = wholegrain toast (rye
toast is particularly delicious with
sardines – keep a loaf in your freezer
for such occasions)
Protein = can of tuna or salmon, cold
leftover meat from the night before,
cheese and perhaps a dollop of
natural yoghurt in the soup. Even
better if there are lentils, beans,
meat or seafood in your soup.
•
Healthy fat = avocado or simply
drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil
over your toast (and then rub it with
a clove of garlic).
•
Smart carb = wholegrain bread
•
love cooking and there’s no doubt
that preparing food at home
generally ensures healthier, and often
tastier meals. However, regardless of
whether you love or hate cooking, we all
have nights where you just don’t want to
– me included. But that doesn’t need to
ruin your plans to stay healthy!
I
Healthy fat = avocado or hummus.
Throw together a mix of whatever salad
veggies you have in your fridge, top with
a can of tuna, half a can of four-bean mix
(or whatever beans you have in your
pantry) and whisk together 3:1 portions
of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice,
or white wine vinegar as a dressing.
veggie soup to boost the plant content
and help fill your stomach. The soup can
be a pre-frozen portion of homemade
soup, or a tin or carton of soup from your
pantry (there are some good commercial
varieties available).
•
•
Plant food = veggies in the soup, plus
whatever salad veggies are in your
fridge to add to your sandwich (e.g.,
salad greens, tomato, grated carrot,
snow peas, sprouts, cucumber). If
you have a can of sliced beetroot in
your pantry add that in too.
2. SARDINES ON TOAST
Okay, so I’m not counting toast as
cooking! Canned sardines are one of the
best sources of the anti-inflammatory,
brain and heart healthy, long chain
omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA).
1. SOUP AND SA NDWICH
We always think of sandwiches as being
lunchtime fare, but who says a sandwich
can’t make a great dinner? Keeping the
Dr Joanna Plate in mind, you can build a
perfectly healthy and filling meal with the
right sandwich, teamed with a bowl of
While much criticism is thrown at modern
processed foods, some technologies can
actually make healthy eating easier.
Canning is one of them. Not all foods can
well of course (e.g., green leafy veggies),
but for others it’s a brilliant means of
food
preservation
without
adding
chemicals and/or dramatically increasing
the shelf life. Certain types of fish
including sardines, tuna, salmon and
mackerel, all can really well so make an
ideal pantry staple.
3. NICOISE SALAD
If you have the energy to boil an egg
(alright, that may be kind of cooking;) do
that while you’re throwing the salad
together and when it’s cooked, peel it,
halve it and pop it on top.
•
Plant food = salad veggies
•
Protein = can of tuna, egg
•
Smart carb = can of beans
•
Healthy fat = extra virgin olive oil.
Learn more about the Dr Joanna Plate
and Dr Joanna’s fresh, personalised,
research-based approach to getting
lean at www.drjoanna.com.au
( OH! MAGAZINE ) AUGUST 2015
13