Stir-fry some strips of onion, red pepper, baby corn, and snow peas (or any stir-fry vegetable mix) in a large pan or wok. Add a tablespoon of red curry paste. Prepare instant Asian noodles according to directions. Add the noodles to the vegetables with enough stock to make a sauce. Stir in a tablespoon of light coconut milk, heat through and it's ready to serve.
2. Speedy Spaghetti
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add some spaghetti and cook according to the directions on the packet. Meanwhile open a jar of chunky tomato marinara sauce and heat. Make a green salad with lettuce, spring onions, and cucumber, or a bag of mixed lettuce. Serve the spaghetti, topped with the pasta sauce, a good sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and the green salad with vinaigrette alongside. Fresh or frozen vegetables can be added to the sauce to increase its nutrient value (for example, mushrooms, onion, eggplant, zucchini, etc.).
3. Fast Fish and Tiny Taters
Take a boneless fillet of fresh fish. Dust it with seasoned flour. Heat a nonstick pan with a thin film of cooking spray or oil and pop the fish in to fry. Wash a handful of tiny new potatoes and microwave or steam them until tender. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish, once you have cooked both sides, and sprinkle with pepper. Serve immediately with the potatoes and a salad or cooked mixed vegetables. (NOTE: New potatoes have a lower G.I. value than regular potatoes.)
4. Quick Pita Pizza
Spread a round of pita bread with pesto or tomato sauce. Top with sliced tomato, mushrooms, roasted peppers, black olives, chopped scallions, oregano, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Heat through under the grill or in a hot oven.
5. Asian Noodle and Vegetable Stir-Fry
Stir-fry two strips of diced bacon (all fat removed) or ham. Add a packet of Asian stir-fry frozen vegetable mix, cooking according to the directions on the bag. Mix in some fresh egg nooodles or prepare instant noodles a few minutes before the end of cooking time, and heat through before serving. TIP: Look for the packets of frozen stir-fry vegetable mix that have noodles and a sauce packet included.
6. Time-Saving Tortellini
Boil a packet of spinach-and-cheese (or your favorite filling) tortellini according to packet directions. Heat some bottled tomato sauce and serve this on top of the tortellini with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Add a large salad and vinaigrette alongside.
7. Racy Rice and Lentils
Put some Basmati rice on to cook. Heat a heavy-based frying pan with a little oil. Add a finely diced onion, crushed garlic, and a couple of teaspoons of dried red-pepper flakes. Saute until the onion is soft. Meanwhile dice a tomato. Open a can of lentils and add to onion with the tomato. Add ground cumin, salt, and pepper to season, heat through, and serve alongside the rice.
8. Easy Chicken Pasta
Cook 4 ounces of shell pasta. Meanwhile, thinly slice half a red pepper, a handful of button mushrooms, and a stick of celery. Cube some leftover grilled chicken. Drain the pasta, add the vegetables and chicken, and pour over some reduced-fat creamy salad dressing. Top with chopped scallions and serve.
9. Tomato and Tuna Pasta
Boil some spaghetti, linguine, or angel-hair pasta. In a small pan, saute some chopped parsley, garlic, and dried red-pepper flakes (optional) in a little oil until soft. Add a can of chopped tomatoes (undrained) and a small can of flaked tuna. Season with pepper and heat through. Serve the tuna and tomato sauce over pasta.
10. Mexican in Minutes
Brown a handful of 90 percent lean ground beef and a finely diced onion in a pan. Add a small can of white navy beans and taco seasoning, if desired. Heat through. Serve with tomato salsa, shredded lettuce, avocado, and grated cheese in taco shells, tortilla wraps or pita bread. (I like to add a bit of low-fat sour cream.)
Top of any of these meals with a little low-fat frozen yogurt for a nice dessert. Enjoy!