5 Mid-Week Meal Ideas

5 Mid-Week Meal Ideas

Many people get into a mid-week rut of not having enough time to cook and, as a consequence, their eating habits go somewhat downhill. With this in mind, I thought I'd curate a list of 5 mid-week meal ideas which all have 3 things in common. Each idea is:

• Healthy
• Can be prepared in 30 mins or less 
• Inexpensive 

I think these are particularly important factors for increasing the likelihood of cooking meals rather than resorting to the easily-tempting ready meals or takeaways! I've included both meat-eater meals as well as vegan and vegetarian options. I might do a completely meat-free list in future since I've lately been trying to eat more plant-based meals. For now, I'm still mainly eating a diet with a mix of foods so here's the list of meal suggestions:

1. Chicken and mango curry 

I love this fruity curry. I think I got the idea from a Jamaican curry that I made in a Home Economics class in High School. Growing up, I mainly ate traditional British foods as my Dad is a 'meat and veg' kind of guy and didn't like my mum experimenting with other foods! My mum and I, however, like different types of food so it was nice getting the chance to cook with different ingredients at school. 

Anyway, here's the basic 'how to make it' for the curry. 

Basic how to:

Fry chopped onions, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger in coconut oil (or other healthy oil) until softened. Add chicken breast pieces and curry powder, ground chilli pepper, crushed cumin seeds (or powder), crushed coriander seeds (or powder), and turmeric. 

Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through. 

Now, add chopped mango pieces, desiccated coconut and coconut milk. 

Let the coconut milk reduce down a bit and, make sure the desiccated coconut has softened, serve with rice.

2. Baked herb-topped salmon with new potatoes and roasted vegetables 

This is a satisfying meal full of a variety of nutrients and including omega 3 fatty acids in the fish. Why not make it on a Friday for #FishFriday? My recommendation of vegetables would be a selection from peppers, mini plum tomatoes, courgettes, green beans, and mushrooms. Asparagus is also great with salmon and is often paired with it in restaurant menus but it's a bit pricier. 

Basic how to:

Top a fresh salmon fillet topped with fresh dill and drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon juice in a foil parcel for 20-25mins at 180 degrees C. Make sure salmon is piping hot. 

Chop the vegetables and place on a foil-lined baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables so they don't burn. Roast until softened. 

Serve with boiled new potatoes (or 'tatties' as we say in Scotland!)

Tip: Grow your own herb garden as a low-cost alternative to buying it

3. Quinoa and turkey salad 

Salads are great for summer dinners, or lunches, alike. They are also nice in winter, especially if served with some warm ingredients or with freshly baked warm bread. This salad is versatile in that you can choose what salad items you'd like to add, it can be a good way to use up ingredients in your fridge!

Basic how to:

Choose a selection of salad items for the salad base - I went with cucumber, tomatoes, and lettuce. Arrange these on a plate or in a bowl and mix some cold, cooked quinoa through it. Top with cooled, cooked turkey breast slices or turkey steak. 
Optional: Add a dressing - I often eat salads without dressings, but a balsamic/extra virgin olive oil combo is always a good choice in my book. Honey and mustard dressings are also great. 

Tip: If making this in winter to use up roast turkey after Thanksgiving (for those in the US and Canada!) or Christmas, you could use pomegranate seeds as they're a nice festive fruit and it'd add some sweetness to the salad.

4. Omelette with baked potato and veggies

I’m sure some people consider omelettes to be boring, but I love them. They have eggs and cheese – what’s more to love?! (Note: I may have a slight obsession with both eggs and cheese…) The omelette can be filled with whatever you fancy so it’s a meal that can be served often but with a different take each time making it really adaptable.

Basic how to:

Decide what you want to fill your omelette with – cheese, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, peppers etc.

Bake the potato and steam a selection of vegetables

Cook the omelette with 2 or 3 eggs - add the filling when almost cooked and fold the omelette over

Serve with the baked potato and vegetables
Optional: Add a filling to the baked potato - I added cheese because I can't get enough of it! I used a traditionally made, Organic cheese which has a lower salt content than other cheeses. Using mozzarella would be a good option as it is naturally lower in salt and reduced fat versions are available too. 

Tip: Serve with a leafy salad and couscous for a quicker meal

5. Curried superfood grains  (Vegan)

I made this as an experiment one evening when I had a craving for certain ingredients, so I decided to throw them together in a pan! I sort of knew what meal I wanted to eat but didn't have a description for it resulting in experimentation and creating what I'd been craving. As an artist, I do that with art as well - I'll have visions in my mind of things I want to create before I create them. When I first made the Curried Grains, I noted down what I'd used to make the dish. You can find this recipe in an earlier post of mine. 

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©HLDCblog | Helen C Redman 2018