Home Made Fast Food

Need a quick lunch? Don't discount the humble spud.

Confession time Lupies! Who gets really tired and either skips meals or goes out for take-away, rather than cook a proper meal?

I've done both. Neither is a healthy way to deal with the situation.

Skipping meals affects your energy levels and metabolism, as well as whether or not you can take your pills.

Take-away food is usually high GI, high fat (often saturated or trans fats - the bad ones), and really isn't designed with good nutrition in mind. It usually costs far more than preparing food at home. It also takes time to travel to get the take-away, which often means it's not really so "fast" at all.

I have a couple of much better options, that do work for me, and save me both time and money.

The first option is to cook extra of meals, and keep some in the fridge or freezer so it's a simple matter of reheating.

Another is to always have the ingredients on hand for a couple of quick, easy, and healthy meals. The humble spud makes a great basis for this kind of meal.  It's possible now to get white potatoes which are naturally low GI.

My lunch today was a microwaved potato, cut in half and topped with a tablespoon of light sour cream, 25g light grated cheese and some chives fresh from the garden. I followed it with a grapefruit sprinkled with artificial sweetener.

The humble spud can be topped with a variety of quick and easy toppings:

• Sour cream, cheese, and chives
• Salsa, cheese, avocado, beans
• Leftover pasta sauces
• Diced bacon or ham, tomato and herbs
• Leftover savoury mince
• Diced cold chicken and avocado
• Three bean mix and chilli sauce
• Ham and pineapple, with a little melted cheese
• Tomato sauce, salami, mushrooms, olives, herbs and cheese
• Mono-unsaturated margarine and garlic
• Tuna with lemon juice and pepper

Serve it with a side salad (you can buy pre-packed salad mix that keeps well in the fridge for a few days, if needed), or follow it with a serving of fruit, and you've got a nutritious meal. It's much faster and cheaper than going out for take-away, and far healthier.  And it doesn't take much energy to prepare.