Which ingredients do you always have at home to make a healthy meal quickly? Get inspired and expand your pantry with one or more of these ingredients. Steam, stir-fry or blend, mix and match.
1. Frozen shrimp
Defrost the shrimp very quickly in a bowl of cold water and stir-fry them with celery, peas and rice. Or pre-steam them in a protein-rich meal, such as a salad, wrap or quinoa dish.
2. White bean dip Add a good splash of olive oil, some warm water and a pinch of salt to a can of white beans and blend everything into a spreadable dip. You make it a main course by eating the spread with roasted vegetables and quinoa. Also delicious on a sandwich with cucumber, tomato and cheese slices. You can keep this dip in the fridge for about five days.
3. Sliced celery Celery stalks are great for dipping into a bean dip and a healthy snack to take on the go. Cut into small pieces, they also taste good in a tuna salad.
4. Roasted eggplant with bell pepper
Slice the aubergine and cut it in half again. In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp paprika, 2 tbsp olive oil, a small clove of garlic and a little salt and pepper. Brush the aubergine slices with the olive oil mixture and place them in a grill pan. Brush the other side as well and cook both sides until you see brown streaks. These pieces go well with different dishes and are a handy base for adding extra vegetables to your meal.
5. Finely chopped herbs Stir a handful of chopped herbs (such as oregano, parsley or rosemary) into a salad or soup. Or sprinkle them over chicken or meat substitutes.
6. Boiled small potatoes
Small potatoes are cooked a tasty snack with herbal yogurt. You can also mash them with some milk or mayonnaise and a little salt to make a puree.
7. Head lettuce
With a head lettuce of which you store the leaves torn in a large drum in the refrigerator, you have the basis for a few days at home to make the tastiest (lunch) dishes such as a salad, smoothie or sandwich.
8. Nuts
A simple and healthy snack is a handful of nuts. You can eat them as is or toss them in your cottage cheese, (fruit) salad or soup. Also delicious:mix mixed nuts with roasted chickpeas.
9. Tuna salad Mix 1 can of tuna (in water or olive oil) with cottage cheese, pepper, salt, chopped gherkins and 1 tsp mustard. Tuna salad is the ideal protein-rich sports snack.
10. Pineapple cubes Cut a large pineapple into small pieces, freeze them in and take them out of the freezer when you need them. Eat them as a snack, put them in your cottage cheese, eat them with vanilla ice cream or add them to rice dishes.
11. Carrot spread Mix 1 can of chickpeas, 1 can of carrots, 1/2 tsp dried coriander, 1/2 lemon (squeezed juice), a little fresh chives, salt, black pepper and curry powder. Drain the chickpeas and carrots and rinse them briefly under the tap. Place them in the blender and blend until smooth. Put the spread in a bowl and mix the chives through the spread. Add plenty of black pepper and a little curry and salt. Mix everything with the juice of half a lemon.
11. Snow peas
The crescent beans are very tasty to eat straight after cooking, or to add to your rice dish with stir-fried or steamed shrimp.
Read also: Healthy eating that counts
