5 Quick Light Meals

These 5 Quick Light Meals have saved my life for the past two weeks. All of them are nutritious, light – you can have them at any time of your day and they are quick to make. It takes exactly 5 minutes to get them ready.

It’s already October – a rainy month and there is plenty of time for cooking and baking. Well, I hope you all have crazy fun moments in the kitchen and try out new recipes.

I, for one, am working hard on moving over to a self-hosted wordpress blog that will be all mine. I felt like I had to share my new project with you all as I am so excited about it – the big friendly family of bloggers. THANK YOU guys for all your support and beautiful words. It meant so much that it has convinced me to take it to the next level! :) 

Although I have professional experience in Marketing & Sales and a recent passion for Web Design & Development, it’s definitely an overwhelming process, so I’d appreciate all the tips you may have for me. Anyway, I will keep you informed about my progress.

Meanwhile, I do have a few healthy meals to share with you.

To be honest, these 5 quick light meals have seriously saved me a lot of time. So in case you happen to go through the same thing – you have no time for anything else rather than “work”, but still want to keep yourself healthy and fit, then my meals will come in handy in those hectic moments of your life. All you need to do is to roast some pumpkin and cook a few things like chickpeas, quinoa, beans and lentils beforehand in bulk and keep them in the fridge for the next couple of days. You can easily refrigerated them up to 5 days.

Here it goes …

1. Roasted Pumpkin topped with Black Lentils & Spinach

 

Prep time: 5 mins (Serves 1)

• 500 g butternut pumpkin, roasted beforehand
• 50 g of black lentils Beluga
• 1/2 avocado, cut in large chunks
• 1 green onion, roughly chopped
• a handful of fresh spinach, steamed
• a handful of raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• a splash of lemon juice
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Warm up the roasted pumpkin and lentils in the microwave for a few mins. Meanwhile, chop the green onions and avocado and add them to the lentils. Season with a splash of olive oil and and fresh lemon for a extra twist. Ready to be served in only 5 minutes!

Are you looking for more details on how to roast the pumpkin or cook the lentils in all colors? Here are a few recipes to start with:
1. Lentil, Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad
2. My Iron Booster Salad
3. Couscous with Lentil and Yoghurt Paste

2. Fruity Salad with Chickpeas

 

Prep time: 5 mins (Serves 1)

• a handful of green lettuce
• 50 g chickpeas, cooked beforehand
• 1/2 avocado, cut in large chunks
• 2 cherry tomatoes
• 1 green onion, roughly chopped
• 4 strawberries, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• a splash of balsamic with honey
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Rinse all the vegetables very well and chop them roughly. Place them all in a bowl/plate, add the cooked chickpeas and drizzle the dressing over it (olive oil, balsamico, salt salt and pepper). Boom, done! I personally like those rice cakes to munch on them along with my meals, but go ahead and use your choice.
P.S. You can also use canned chickpeas, just make sure you buy the good stuff (not the ones full of sugar, salt and additives).

Are you looking for more details on how to cook chickpeas? Here you can find a few tips – Spicy Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Mushrooms.

3. Quinoa, Avocado and Feta Cheese Salad

 

Prep time: 5 mins (Serves 1)

• a handful of green lettuce
• 50 g red quinoa, cooked beforehand
• 1/2 avocado, cut in large chunks
• 10 g of feta cheese, cut in large chunks
• 2 cherry tomatoes
• 1 green onion, roughly chopped
• 1 small red bel pepper
• a handful of walnuts
• 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• a splash of fresh lime juice
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Rinse all the vegetables very well and chop them roughly. Place them all in a bowl/plate, add the cooked red quinoa and drizzle the dressing over it (olive oil, lime, salt salt and pepper). Et Voilá, only 5 minutes of your precious time! :)

Are you looking for more details on how to cook quinoa in all colours? Here are a few recipes to start with:
1. Roasted Potatoes with Red Quinoa
2. Green-ish Salad with Quinoa
3. Grilled Salmon, Asparagus and Quinoa

4. Summery Salad with Mushrooms

 

Prep time: 5 mins (Serves 1)

• a handful of baby spinach
• a handful of green lettuce
• a handful of fresh champignons
• 2 green onions
• 4 radish
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 big size carrot
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 big size red bell pepper
• sea sea salt & pepper to taste

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

First, rinse all the vegetables very well under the running cold water and chop them roughly. And then place them all in a bowl/plate and drizzle the dressing over it. Et Voila, again only 5 mins to get it done.

This recipe was one of my first posts – here you can find more details – Summery Salad

5. Brussels sprouts, White Beans and Almond Flakes

 
 I know that most of the food bloggers claim that every recipe they make is one of their favorites, but this one in here is something that my boyfriend and I have been eating a few times a week now. The mix of the tender Brussels sprouts, white beans and almond flakes cooked in a little bit of butter gave them such a divine texture.

Prep time: 10 mins (Serves 2)

• 1 pound ( about 500g ) Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 can cooked white beans, rinsed and drained
• a handful of almond flakes
• 1 tbsp of butter
• a splash of sesame oil
• a splash of fresh lemon/lime
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• sea salt and pepper to taste

This is absolutely by far my favorite meal ever and you can find the Preparation part right here – Brussels Sprouts, White Beans and Almond Flakes.

Enjoy them all & stay healthy!

With love, Cris