Healthy, Quick & Easy Ideas for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Your pantry is overflowing but there’s nothing to eat? Meal preparation can be stressful when you’re in a hurry... but no worries, we can help you simplify your pantry and have plenty of convenient foods on hand to quickly prepare delicious and healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner... and dessert, too!
Stock Up on the Essentials
Rather than taking a scattergun approach, determine what you would deem a satisfying breakfast, and develop your grocery list for that meal. Then focus on lunch, considering if you (and your family) eat at home or pack a lunch, and finally, follow with supper.
Of course, there are plenty of foods we rely on every day that require refrigeration. We may mention them, but our focus is on non-perishables to keep on hand in your pantry, because there will always be occasions when you can’t get to the grocery store: illness, unexpected guests, power outages, and other life surprises. Let’s look at each meal and some suggestions.
Breakfast
Though we all know we should start the day with a healthy breakfast, the first thing we usually reach for is caffeine! Choose organic, Fair Trade coffee and tea. After a few sips, we’re ready to think about breakfast. When time allows, prepared eggs or yogurt with fruit are popular choices. Options from the pantry include:
- Hot cereals. Most take less than 10 minutes to prepare, but they can power you through an entire morning. Options are numerous and include oatmeal, corn grits, whole wheat, buckwheat, brown rice, as well as mixes containing multiple grains. Top with raisins or fresh fruits.
- Muesli and granola cereals. A combination of grains, dried fruits, nuts and seeds provide fiber and energy to start your day. (The best ones keep sugars below 7 grams per serving.) These cereals are served with yogurt, milk or a dairy substitute. Always keep some dry milk and a couple of aseptic containers of some type of milk substitute in your pantry.
- Pancakes & waffles. Nothing quite satisfies like these classics. No time? Not much needed, with our selection of keto, high fiber, gluten-free and plant-based pancake and waffle mixes. Whip up a batch and pop some in the freezer for toasting on an extra-busy morning. Top with fresh fruit, yogurt, and natural maple, agave, or coconut syrup.
- Plant protein powder drinks. Easy-peasy, for those hectic mornings when you might have overslept. Just mix with your preferred beverage and if necessary, take it with you for the commute.
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Protein bars. The ultimate grab-and-go meal. Yummy options abound! Keep your pantry well-stocked and never leave home without one, because you never know when your lunch may be delayed.
Whole grain toast with spreads. If you make your own whole grain bread, you know exactly how high in fiber and complex carbs it is. These digest slowly and help you feel full for longer. Keep a loaf on hand for breakfast toast, and top with a nutritious spread like your favorite nut butter, cottage cheese, tuna or avocado. (With the cost of a good loaf of bread these days, why not give baking your own a whirl? All you need is water, whole grain flour, salt and baking yeast.)
Lunch
At home, work, or on the road, the mid-day meal is the fuel that keep your body’s engine going strong throughout the afternoon. Today’s insulated lunch bags and lunch boxes offer super flexibility.
- Salads & raw veggies. If you’ve got the greens and veggies, we’ve got the ready-to-use salad dressings. Or try some of our dressing and dip mixes. (Dressings also make excellent marinades, so be sure to have a couple on hand for your dinner menu.) Dip mixes are the frosting on a baked potato and roasted veggies, a lower-fat alternative to mayo on wraps and sandwiches, a tasty garnish for soups, and the ultimate indulgence with potato chips.
- Microgreens & sprouts. Speaking of salads, the healthiest contain these nutritional powerhouses. You can pay a bundle for microgreens and sprouts of questionable freshness and origin at the market. For the best, grow them easily at home with one of our sprout kits. Or invest in one wide-mouth mason jar, a sprouting lid and sprout seeds.
- Wraps and spring rolls. Who wants luncheon meat when you can have hummus? Grab a pack of freeze-dried hummus from your pantry, add water, mix, and it’s ready to wrap or roll! (Don’t forget to add plenty of your freshly-grown sprouts.)
Dinner (or Supper)
Whether you call it dinner or supper, the main meal of the day should be nourishing and relaxed. If your main course is simple, your primary focus can be on preparing a fresh salad, some frozen vegetables, or other favorite side dish.
- Whole grains. Stock up on a variety of these versatile and satisfying, nutrient-dense sources of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, several B vitamins, and minerals. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer that supplies many of the nutrients and antioxidants. Use them as side dishes, part of the main course, or to add carbs to a vegetable-laden soup or salad. Rice, barley, couscous and farro are best known, yet many ancient grains are being rediscovered and are now more readily available, like teff, amaranth and kamut.
- Soup mixes. No can opener required, and that’s just one of the many conveniences our soup mixes offer. From Corn Chowder and Spicy Black Bean to Broccoli Cheddar and Chicken Noodle, there’s a flavor to please every palate. Just follow the simple directions on the package, or use them as a base to jumpstart your own creations by adding some of your leftovers, plant-based protein crumbles, dried vegetables, or dried mushrooms.
- Heat & serve meals. A satisfying, healthy dinner can’t get much easier than heat and serve. After a long day, you can enjoy the flavors of Indian cuisine with no effort at all, thanks to our selection of Maya Kaimal meals.
- Ready-made sauces. All the flavor without any of the work! With pasta sauce, you only need some pasta noodles for a comfort-food classic. Or, with a quick pizza crust mix and a couple of toppings, you’re soon ready to enjoy a home-style favorite. For a taste of the exotic, try topping rice or other grain with an Indian simmer sauce.
Desserts & Snacks
Sometimes, a wonderful dessert or yummy snack is all that’s required to transform a tough day into a not-really-so-bad day. To keep these small indulgences quick, easy, and healthy, we recommend having a few of these delicious “mood enhancers” on your pantry shelves.
- Popcorn. Popcorn is an all-time, anytime favorite snack, but not the healthiest when bought prepackaged. Have some fun and pop it yourself! Air-popped popcorn is the healthiest way, but popping it on the stovetop using avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil is a way to add healthy fats to your diet. Shake on the umami with nutritional yeast, popcorn seasoning, smoked paprika, or even a bit of balsamic vinegar for an unexpected burst of flavor.
- Pudding and gel mixes. A bit of sunshine on a gloomy day, our all-natural sugar-free pudding and gel mixes whip up in a jiffy.
- Nuts & trail mixes. Enjoy a healthy handful of chewy textures, flavorful satisfaction, and nutritious energy with an abundance of nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Avoid mixes that are sugar-coated or contain candies; you may get a brief sweet buzz, but the ensuing letdown is steep and hard.
- Chocolates. You simply can’t beat a piece (or two) of premium chocolate for some “Oh, yeah” snack satisfaction. And you simply can’t beat our selection of premium organic and Fair Trade chocolates. Just one tip: hide them somewhere way in the back of your pantry, else they will be long gone when you reach for them!
Spices & Herbs
Variety may be the spice of life, but spices add great variety to life. The same dish can taste quite different simply by using different herbs and spices. (Always purchase from a reliable source, as most cheap or discounted spices and herbs are farmed and processed in places without safety regulations or oversight.) Here’s a very brief list of must-haves.
- Sea salt. You should have two different salts on hand. There are so many options available today! Learn more about salt varieties and their uses in our blog.
- Peppers. The essential types are black pepper powder, red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika, and smoked paprika.
- Garlic. You’ll want garlic powder and garlic granules. Powders blend with other flavors more easily, while granules impart more intense flavor and a bit of texture.
- Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg. Because they are used in many classic holiday baking recipes, these four are sometimes referred to as Christmas spices. Beyond that stereotype, they are also wonderful additions in breakfast cereals, as flavorings in teas and coffees, and warming savory enhancers to root vegetables.
- Ground cumin. Cumin’s slightly sweet, warming flavor accentuates the sweetness of root vegetables, adds complexity to vegetarian dishes, and complements red meats.
- Parsley, basil, oregano & thyme. Italian, Mexican, French, American... these herbs are the foundation for so many cuisines!
