On top of that is the pressure to provide healthy options for children and for those trying to keep up their New Year’s resolution to eat more vegetables or less meat.
While CSIRO’s Low Carb Quick and Easy might be overlooked as a diet book, it does have some good inspiration for a number of healthy, quick and easy lunches and meals.
CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency. Its goal it is to practically apply science for society and industry and as a result it regularly publishes cookbooks based on its latest nutritional research.
In this book clinical nutrition research scientist Prof Grant Brinkworth and senior research dietitian Pennie Taylor outline scientific concepts and create daily food guides and weekly meal plans that follow a low-carb diet.
Among their recipes is a section on easy portable lunches, some of which require access to a kitchen at lunch time, while others can be made at home the night before. All can be made in less than 25 minutes.
For couples, some of the options could be perfect for a quick dinner that will leave leftovers — ideal for lunch the following day.
Photos: Supplied
Chicken and green olive couscous salad
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Difficulty Low
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
400g lean chicken breast fillet stir-fry strips, seasoned with pepper
½ cup (80g) wholemeal couscous
½ cup (125ml) salt-reduced chicken stock, heated
80g pitted green olives, quartered
2 large Lebanese cucumbers, chopped
1 small red capsicum, seeded and chopped
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
150g baby rocket leaves
Method
Heat a large chargrill pan over medium-high heat.
Place the oil, paprika and chicken in a bowl, season with freshly ground black pepper and toss well to coat. Chargrill for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through.
Transfer to a plate.
Meanwhile, place the couscous and hot stock in a heatproof bowl, season with freshly ground black pepper and stir well. Stand, covered, for 5 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed.
Using a fork, fluff the couscous to separate the grains.
Add the olives, cucumber, capsicum, spring onion, rocket and paprika chicken to the couscous mixture and toss well to combine. Serve warm, or cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
Note: The salad will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Tuna pesto pasta salad
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Difficulty Low
Ingredients
120g dried low-GI or wholemeal spaghetti, broken into 3-4cm lengths
2 zucchini, halved lengthways and sliced
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed, stalks halved
400g drained tinned tuna in springwater (see note)
2 Tbsp fresh basil pesto
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
100g parmesan, grated
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
Method
Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water for 6 minutes. Add the zucchini and broccolini and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain, reserving half a cup (125ml) of the cooking water.
Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss to combine, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen if needed.
Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve warm.
Note: Because you will be draining off quite a bit of liquid, you will need two 425g tins of tuna to have the required quantity for this recipe. Store the leftover tuna in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Rainbow salmon macaroni with ricotta
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Difficulty Low
Ingredients
120g small dried low-GI or wholemeal elbow macaroni
400g drained tinned red salmon, broken into chunks (see note)
2 Tbsp chilli and garlic pesto
1 375g packet simply stir-fry rainbow vegetables
440g reduced-fat fresh ricotta
finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Method
Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until just tender. Drain, reserving half a cup (125ml) of the cooking water. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and gently toss to combine, adding a little of the reserved cooking water to loosen if needed. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Note: Because you will be draining off quite a bit of liquid, you will need two 415g tins of salmon to have the required quantity for this recipe. Store the leftover salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
