It’s time to debunk the notion that healthy cooking means cooking everything from scratch. We can break the rules and cut corners to save time and energy – in fact I encourage you to do that!
While cooking everything from scratch is nice, it’s not always possible. And it’s not necessary. The right convenience foods can make cooking so much more of a breeze!
Sure, a number of convenience foods aren’t actually super health, as they can be ultra-processed and stripped of nutrition. However all convenience foods shouldn’t be seen in the same light!
My favourite health convenience foods include:
- Frozen edamame
- Pre-made pesto
- Frozen fruit
- Pre-chopped veg
- Salad kits
- Canned beans
- Canned diced tomatoes
Check out how I use all of these in my recipes below!
Root Veggie Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs root vegetables (use a combination of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips, etc) **I used the pre-prepared versions
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 cups diced tomatoes canned
- 2 cups white beans canned
- 200 g frozen spinach
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Add the vegetables, sliced onion and rosemary sprig to a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle avocado oil on top. Place in the middle of the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes until the edges are crispy and veg is fork tender.
- When there is 10 minutes left of cooking for the root veggies, combine the tomatoes, beans and spinach in a large saucepan on the stovetop over medium to high heat. Use a wooden spoon to break the frozen spinach apart. Stir often for about 6-8 minutes.
- When the veggies are done roasting, add them into the saucepan. Top with oregano. Let everything simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from hear. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed and enjoy.
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Beany Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups bean salad I used a pre-made bean salad for this, which had a vinaigrette
- 4 cups spinach
- 3 cups salad 'kits' of choice I like the Dole salad kits
Instructions
- Lay down 1 cup of spinach in each container and top it with salad kits. Finish with bean salad. Enjoy!
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BBQ Tofu Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Pre-made salad kit divided into two
- 8 oz tofu
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into cubes. Place them evenly on a flat surface such as a cutting board lined with paper towels or a clean towel. Cover with a layer of paper towels, set a baking sheet on top and then something heavy, like a large book or cast iron skillet. Press like this for 15 minutes.
- While the tofu is pressing, follow divide the salad kit between two containers.
- In a medium-sized metal bowl, combine the cornstarch, oil and BBQ sauce. Toss the pressed tofu cubes into it. You can either pan-fry these over medium heat for 10 minutes or cook them in the air fryer for ~ 13 minutes, at 390 F.
- Combine the cooked tofu with salad kit. Enjoy!
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