Healthy and delicious convenience foods

How did we get here?

Creating quick and easy alternatives to automate our lives has powered much of human civilisation, including driving many recent technological advancements. The proliferation of convenience foods (‘ready meals’) has freed up much time in our busy lives but, often, these meals are highly processed and lack sufficient nutrition.

The desire for convenience often leads to compromised nutrition with the inclusion of potentially harmful additives and negative environmental impacts. So, how do we steer clear of these drawbacks while still enjoying the ease we crave? The answer lies in creating convenience ourselves, right in our own kitchens.

Planning and preparation

Healthy convenience means having versatile ingredients and preparations on hand that can instantly elevate a dish without compromising nutritional value, encouraging healthier choices.

Stocking the kitchen pantry with healthy, flavourful and adaptable ingredients such as herbs, spices, pickles, olives, fermented products, and cheeses are an important basis. Make sure to read the labels carefully, consider how much of the ingredient you need to enhance your dish and weigh up the pros and cons. For example, adding fresh herbs is a healthy option, while grated parmesan might not be. However, parmesan’s rich flavour means a small amount goes a long way, making the trade-off in saturated fat and sodium acceptable when used sparingly.

The key to planning for convenience is preparing flavourful dressings, dips and pastes, cooking sauces and seasonings that can be stored for several days, are ready to use, and can enhance your dishes quickly without sacrificing nutrition or health.

Dressings

Dressings are incredibly versatile. They work well with both raw and cooked vegetables, serve as quick marinades for fish and seafood, add flavour to raw preparations like carpaccio or ceviche, and can even be quickly added to stir-fries.

The core components of a good dressing are fat, acid, and salt. A basic formula is one part acid to two-three parts oil, creating endless possibilities.

For example, a simple dressing may include Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper, and a dash of vinegar of your choice. A Japanese-inspired dressing includes rice wine vinegar, miso paste, and a dash of sesame oil. You can create more complex flavours by adding sweetness, herbs and spices, or a creamy element.

Dips and pastes

Nearly every cooking tradition offers an array of dips and pastes, but it is essential to choose those that are low in saturated fat, salt and sugar whilst being high in nutritional value. Sometimes, simple substitutions or omissions can be made to optimise their health benefits. Some delicious dips and pastes include:

• hummus variations
• salsa
• romesco sauce
• guacamole
• tzatziki
• baba ghanoush
• salsa verde
• date paste
• basil pesto.

Most of these dips and pastes will keep for up to five days in the fridge, and some can be frozen for longer storage.

Cooking sauces

Cooking sauces can be used in curries, stir-fries, and pastas. Preparing the sauce in advance significantly reduces meal preparation time and often the same sauce can be used in a range of dishes.

Pre-preparing your own cooking sauces is a great way to add flavour, save money and add convenience to your meals. Prepare your own sauce by following these four easy steps.

Step 1  

Finely slice or dice aromatic vegetables and cook them in oil until they are soft or browned.

Step 2  

Add spices and/or hard herbs to the pan and toast them briefly to release their flavours.

Step 3  

Incorporate a flavourful paste or concentrate) and cook for 1-2 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld.

Step 4  

Refrigerate or freeze the cooking sauce so that it is ready to add flavour to your meal preparations.

To enliven the basic sauce, the are a number of ingredient that can be added to enhance and elevate flavour profiles, adding great variety and nutrition to your meals.  Elevate your basic sauce with the following additions.

Indian 

Onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, ground coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, tomato paste.

Mexican

Onion, garlic, capsicum, jalapenos, oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, achiote paste, orange juice.

Asian

Garlic, ginger, green shallots, dried chilli flakes, fermented black bean paste, sesame oil.

Seasonings

Seasonings and spice mixes are easily available in many supermarkets but they often contain unwanted additives such as MSG or excessive salt. A simple solution is to make them at home. If you want to add a savoury note to your seasonings, nutritional yeast is a healthy alternative that can provide a rich umami flavour with added vitamins.

Add variety to your meals by adding the following flavour bombs.

Baharat

Caraway, cumin, cassia, cardamom, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and dried chilli flakes or paprika.

Dukkha

Coriander, cumin, thyme, pepper, and mint along with dried nuts, such as walnuts, hazelnuts, and roasted seeds like sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Curry

Turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, cardamom, ginger, mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper and chilli.

Get started

As always, start small. This could at first consist in pre-chopping your vegetables or having a garlic-ginger paste frozen in an ice cube tray.

Embrace these strategies, and you'll find that eating well can be both easy and enjoyable, helping you and your family stay nourished and energized throughout the week.

The CPC RPA Health for Life Program is a partnership between the University of Sydney Charles Perkins Centre and Sydney Local Health District.