New year, new you – new healthy meals!

As we charge forward into the new year, you may have set some resolutions or goals for yourself already, particularly around your health and wellbeing. If you’re out to ‘spring clean’ your diet this year, we’ve got some ideas for your healthy meal plans right here! Even if you love eating out, we can give you the best chance at fulfilling your resolution with scrumptious café and restaurant quality food, delivered right to your door.

Best healthy meals

You’ve probably already heard or read about all the ways you can eat healthier – more fruit and vegetables, less oils and fats – but quick, easy healthy meals don’t have to be boring. To get you started, let’s look at the main meals you might consume in a day and a few healthy meal ideas you might like to try.

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Give your body a whack of nutrients first thing in the morning with a refreshing green smoothie. You might like to drink it all in one go or sip away on it throughout the morning – either way, it’s one of the best things you can do to kickstart your digestive system in the AM.

To make this delicious breakfast treat, you’ll need:

• A handful of greens, either spinach or kale
• Your milk of choice, either dairy-based, oat or almond
• Half a cup of blueberries, strawberries or mango
• 1 banana (ideally frozen the night before), chopped into three pieces
• Half a cup of oats, and
• A 3cm piece of ginger, grated (for an added kick!).

Blend all of the ingredients together in a high powered blender until smooth and serve in your favourite glass or tumbler. 

Lunch: Giant salad bowl

Lisa Simpson was made fun of by her family for going vegetarian as they conga-lined around the house singing, “you don’t make friends with salad!” Well, we’re here to bust that myth wide open because a giant salad bowl can be your healthy lunch BFF.

When it comes to salads, it’s all about getting the combination of flavours just right. For your next lunchtime salad, you might like to assemble:

• A base of your chosen greens, whether that’s cos lettuce, a pre packaged salad mix or kale
• Add 2-3 vegetables of your choice, like cucumber, shredded carrot or even broccoli
• Top it with some protein, either meat, poultry or some Quorn pieces (as a vegan option)
• Sprinkle on some nuts, like almonds or cashews, and
• Finish it off with a simple dressing of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

TIP: For when you’re on-the-go, we’ve also got a wide variety of ready-made salads to choose from, including options for our vegetarian and vegan friends.

Snacks: Get dippy!

One of our go-to snacks is dip and carrot sticks. We carry a variety of Yumi’s dips, perfect to keep in the fridge and dig into when that 3pm slump hits. But if you’re not a fan of dips, another option for snack time is a handful of nuts and an apple. It might sound simple, but it’s the perfect balance of sweet and savoury (plus it won’t be too filling).

Dinner: Stir fry heaven

One of the best ways to boost your health is by eating more vegetables. One tasty way to do this is to master the art of the humble stir fry. 

Let’s keep this simple – here’s a basic stir fry method you can use any night of the week:

1. Dice up 1 white onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic and a 3cm knob of ginger.
2. Chop up 1 carrot, half a red capsicum and half a zucchini into bite sized pieces.
3. Heat 1tbsp of coconut oil in a wok or large frying pan, then fry off the onion, ginger and garlic until the onion is translucent. 
4. Add in the remaining veggies plus a few splashes of tamari sauce.
5. Cook your veggies until they are slightly soft and feel free to add cashews or baby corn a few minutes from the end. 

You could serve your stir fry up as is, or put it on a bed of cooked brown rice.

Easy healthy meals

We know that life can get busy – sometimes you may not have the time (or energy) to meal prep or even cook at all! Having a few easy, healthy meals stored in your mind (or saved on your smartphone) can help take some of the stress out of eating during the week.

Here are our go-to healthy meals when time is of the essence:

• Our selection of ready made meals, including frozen options from our restaurant partners like LadyBoy Dining and Vegie Bar, are great to whip out and reheat.
• Remember this formula: a palm sized amount of protein, 2 cups vegetables and half a cup of grains.
• Breakfast for dinner – that’s right, a green smoothie works just as well for dinner as it does for breakfast!

Healthy meals on a budget

If you’re working to a budget, it’s an opportunity to get creative! Our biggest tip here is to cook in bulk. Preparing dishes like spaghetti bolognese, a pasta bake or any kind of soup can help to make your dollar go further and still keep you on track to a healthy diet. 

To help you with your meal prepping, we offer a range of different sized fruit and vegetable boxes. Filled with all your favourites, they can take some of the hassle out of menu planning and allow you to keep it simple.

Let iPantry be your accountability buddy!

From fresh produce through to restaurant quality meals, we’ve got your back. And if you order before 2pm, you’ll score next day delivery. Let us get you closer to your healthy eating goals in 2021 – but don’t forget to treat yourself every now and then!