Anytime meals made easy

We’ve all been there. You’ve had a tough day at the office, followed by a killer session at the gym and the last thing you want to think about is what to make for dinner or pack for lunch tomorrow. Before you reach for the take-away menu, check out our mini meal plan. We’re turning those bland basics into healthy meals. Plus they won’t take forever to prepare, so you can still catch your favourite show on TV.

Try these to spice up the standard

You have in your cupboard	Spice it up
Tuna and ryvita, corn thins or provita	Create a salad of drained tuna, lettuce, spinach leaves, basil, rocket, cherry tomatoes, and peppadews (or any salad ingredients you have at home). Round it off with some black pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon, balsamic vinegar and a drop of low fat mayo. Top the crackers with the salad.
Eggs and wholewheat wraps	Fancy a breakfast wrap? Heat the wraps and fill them with scrambled egg, roasted cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, peppadews, tri-coloured peppers and brinjal.  Spice it up with some sweet chilli sauce and black pepper. Fill the wrap and enjoy.
Rice and mince	Add some imagination to mince by turning it into mouth-watering meatballs. Bind the raw mince with 2 slices of bread (torn into small pieces), chutney, tomato sauce, low-fat milk, Worcestershire sauce, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Roll into balls and place into a casserole dish. For some zing, pour a tin of tomato and onion mix over the meatballs and some roughly chopped baby marrows, brinjal, large chunks of peppers and red wine. Bake until cooked through. Serve on brown, wild or basmati rice.
Fish fillets	Chop the fillets into chunks and dry fry with fresh lemon, salt, pepper, a handful of roasted nuts and some chilli. When almost done, add fresh basil, rocket, mint and coriander. Remove from heat and serve with rice and a salad. Delicious.
Plain yoghurt and berries	Tired of cereal? Break out the blender and fill it with ½ a cup of plain yoghurt, 1 cup of berries (try blueberries for an awesome anti-oxidant boost), some ice, ½ cup of low-fat milk and 2 teaspoons of honey. Blend till smooth and sip on your way to work or save for a snack during that tricky after-breakfast before-lunch snack time.
Potato and skinless chicken breasts	Prick the potatoes and bake them in the oven till they become crispy. While they crisp, cut the breasts into chunks. Dry fry with rosemary, pepper, salt and white wine. When almost done, add peppadews, avo and reduced fat feta. Heat for another 2 minutes. Once the potatoes are done, cut open down the middle and squeeze on the sides so that the cooked potato peels out. Fill with the chicken and serve with a crisp salad.
Penne pasta and creamed spinach	Simply heat the creamed spinach and add some low fat milk and black pepper to create a sauce. Cook the pasta and drain. Stir the spinach into the pasta for a fast and no fuss supper. Add some chicken strips if you’re a meat lover. Don’t forget to spice things up with a fresh salad or roasted vegetables.

See?  Healthy, quick meals are so easy. The only difficult thing left to do, is decide what programme you want to watch on the tube. This might be a toughie.