What we’ll cover:

• The benefits of planning and preparing meals from scratch
• Quick and easy healthy meal ideas

Like any new habit, the more you practice; the easier it will feel part of your routine. If you don’t enjoy cooking, or don’t have a lot of experience; the ideas below may help to keep things simple. Cooking more meals from scratch can also help to naturally increase your intake of whole foods, whilst reducing your intake of ultra-processed foods (UPF’s) and ingredients.
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The amounts per ingredient will vary depending on how many servings you need. If you are unsure on portions, check out our guide here, or use the Roczen food lists to help you. To support weight management, an easy way to think of your plate is to aim for:

• ¼ plate of protein. E.g. chicken, eggs, fish, tofu, Quorn, meat, beans, lentils.
• ¼ plate of high-fibre carbohydrates. E.g. quinoa, wholegrain rice, wholewheat pasta/ noodles or potatoes.
• ½ plate non-starchy vegetables. E.g. salad leaves, peppers, tomatoes, onion, broccoli.

Traybake Meals (5 mins prep)

Traybake meals are perfect for anyone wanting to save time on washing up, or standing and stirring for long periods of time. All you need is a good-sized roasting tin and oven. These meals can also be cooked using an air fryer. 

• Chicken breast, baby potatoes and broccoli– drizzle or spray with a little olive oil, season and bake for 25–30 minutes.
• Salmon fillet, cherry tomatoes and green beans– all on one tray, cook for 15–20 minutes.
• Lean sausages (i.e. chicken or lean pork variety), chopped peppers, red onion and courgette– roast together for 25 minutes.
• Halloumi, sweet potato and Mediterranean vegetables– bake until golden.
• Lean meatballs (around 5% fat), 1 tin of lentils and 1 tin of tomatoes - all in one deep tin and cook for 30-40 minutes. Serve with a side salad.‍

Super Quick Meals

Your kitchen equipment doesn’t need to be high tech. A stick blender is relatively compact and perfect for homemade soups, or even smoothies. 

• Jacket potato with tuna and salad– microwave potato for 8–10 minutes, finish in the oven if you like a crisp skin. Combine tuna with a tbsp of cottage cheese or yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon to flavour.
• 1 small, or 1/2 tin Baked beans on 1x slice of wholemeal toast with an egg (cooked to your preference).
• Omelette made with 2x eggs, a handful of spinach and leftover roasted vegetables.
• Vegetable soup and a protein source. For example, tomato and lentil soup blended with cottage cheese or silken tofu.
• Breakfast smoothie made with semi skimmed milk, Greek or Skyr yoghurt, a handful of frozen berries and a tsp of nut butter.

Healthy "Assembly" Meals

Sometimes, especially in warmer temperatures you may not feel like cooking at all. Assembling ready-to-eat components of a meal together can still provide a nutrient rich balanced meal. 

• Cooked chicken slices, wholegrain microwave rice (1/2 bag per portion) and salad.
• Falafel, houmous, mixed salad in a wholemeal pitta bread.
• Cottage cheese, baked potato and a large side salad.
• Smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and wholemeal toast.
• Crumbled feta, ¼ tin chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and 2-3 tbsp olives with mixed salad.

Easy Freezer/Fridge-to-Oven Options

Frozen food often gets a bad rep. However, there is a wide range of frozen whole food ingredients such as fruit, vegetables and protein that are just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, and often cheaper too. 

Always check the back of the pack for cooking instructions, but most options are easy to cook straight from frozen without extra time to defrost.

• Frozen cod fillets roasted in a tin with a frozen Mediterranean vegetable mix, served with microwave mixed grains/ quinoa.
• Frozen salmon fillets with frozen/fresh broccoli florets and sweet potato wedges.
• Quorn fillets with frozen mixed peppers and new potatoes.
• Pre-cut chicken mini-fillets or chunks with a frozen vegetable fajita mix, served in a wholemeal wrap.

Summary

At Roczen, we understand that it isn’t always easy to cook healthy delicious meals with limited time, or even motivation. Your meals do not have to be perfect. Sometimes, a simple meal with the right elements to keep you nourished and satisfied.