Quick and tasty!

Emma Parkin gives us some great ideas for tasty meals that you can whip up in minutes after a long day's work.

After a long day, it's great to be able to whip up a tasty meal in 30 minutes or less. With a little preparation and foresight it is possible to cook up a meal in no time at all. The most important thing is to keep it simple. Dinnertime doesn't have to be a fancy four-course meal!

Eggs, tinned tomatoes, tinned tuna, bake beans, frozen vegetables and dried pasta are good healthy stand-by foods to keep in the kitchen.

For example, omelettes are really quick and easy to make and are a good source of protein. Fill the omelette with a few chopped vegetables and you have a quick and easy meal.

Try these recipes for quick and tasty meals anytime!

Bacon and green bean pasta
Serves 4-6

2tbsp olive oil
250g bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
250g green beans, trimmed
200g frozen peas
5tbsp green or red pesto

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boiling point and add the pasta. Cook for about 10-12 minutes until just tender.
2. Drain the water off the pasta. Set aside and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp. Take out of the pan and set aside.
4. Add the chopped onion to the pan and fry for five minutes. Stir in the green beans and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until tender.
5. Add the peas, heat through, then stir in the freshly drained pasta with the pesto. Mix lightly together and serve immediately.

Fat 20g, Carbs 21g, Energy 344kcal, Protein 21g Sodium, 0.2g Fibre 4g

Macaroni cheese
Serves 4

500g macaroni
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3tbsp olive oil
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs, beaten
250ml low-fat milk
1/2 tsp chilli powder, to taste
salt and pepper
2tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To serve
Green salad

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Grease an oven-proof dish.
3. Cook the macaroni in boiling, lightly salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. Meanwhile fry the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Put the tomatoes into a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside
5. Mix the macaroni with the onion, garlic and cheese. Turn into the prepared ovenproof dish.
6. Place the puréed tomatoes, eggs, milk and chilli powder into a bowl and beat well. Pour this mixture over the macaroni, season and top with the grated cheese
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until set and golden brown. Serve with a green salad.

Fat 20g, Carbs 6g, Energy 525kcal, Protein 24g, Sodium 0.3g, Fibre 5g

Citrus and chocolate topped ice cream
Serves 4

1 tin mandarin slices, drained, juice reserved
3tbsp orange marmalade
2tbsp honey
60g dark or milk chocolate, grated
4 tbsp vanilla ice cream

1. Put the mandarin slices in a shallow dish and reserve the juice. Combine the marmalade, honey and 4 tablespoonfuls of the reserved mandarin syrup. Pour over the fruit. Set aside to soak for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
2. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl set over a saucepan of hot water. Stir until smooth.
3. Spoon a portion of ice cream into four dessert glasses or pudding bowls.
4. Divide the mandarin slices and their sauce over the ice cream and drizzle with the melted chocolate. Serve at once.

Fat 6g Carbs 31g Energy 172kcal Protein 1g Sodium 0.1g Fibre 0.2g