There are loads of ways we can keep our calories down when we prepare our meals, and one of them is to reduce the amount of oil we are using.
We all want to make as little work for ourselves as possible, but we also need to make sure we are preparing meals that give us all the nutritional values that we need. So here is one of my favourite ways to pack loads of protein, vitamins, and minerals, into one pot!
Grab some low-fat mince - this can be turkey, pork, beef, chicken, or possibly lamb. Get that into your non-stick saucepan with some chopped up onion, and cook on a 'medium' heat until the mince had browned off and the onion is opaque. Add in some garlic and some herbs and spices of your choosing.
Tip: I enjoy packing in loads of flavours, so here I would add some smoked paprika, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper (just a small bit, so it doesn’t blow your head off!). This combo works well with beef and pork, but you can go for whatever works for you. You can also find spice mixes in the supermarket which work with this meal idea.
Anyway, where were we? Right. Now you have got the flavours zinging away in your saucepan you can start throwing in as much veg as you like. I don’t like to spend a lot of time faffing about, so I like to grab a bag of frozen veg (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peas) and just throw in a good couple of handfuls. The saucepan will be starting to look quite full now! The next thing to do is pour in 1/2 carton of passata, carefully stir it in, and add a vegetable stock cube. Then just put the lid on. You will need to stir it every 5-10 minutes or so and keep the temperature on medium to low so that you don’t land up with it all bubbling over, or burning to the bottom of the pan. The idea is to let it simmer away for at least 1/2 hour so that all the flavours intermingle.
Serve this with whatever carbs you like - just keep the portions sensible!
You will notice that I have not added any oil to this meal. This is a really easy way of getting a huge meal with very few calories. Provided you add enough veg, you should land up with a plate full of food that will keep you full for ages.
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