When I became a single mother four years ago, I had to find ways to ensure I could eat a nourishing and nutrient-dense diet with a smaller food budget each week. This taught me a new appreciation for foods that I previously had dismissed and not had any interest in trying, yet they were foods that supplied us with a great deal of nourishment at a much cheaper price. Some of the foods that I began to look at included vegetarian protein options such as chickpeas and lentils, and although these don't contain full protein chains like meats do (a fancy technical term meaning that they don't contain all the nine protein bits that we need), if I combined them with each other correctly I was getting everything I needed. At a fraction of the price! These meatballs made from mainly lentils, for example - a can of lentils cost me $1.29, so along with the other bits in this recipe, the total cost for this meal for two people is sitting around $5.00 if you add some in-season vegetables with it. Even better though is that these meatballs do contain all of the protein 'bits' that we need as quinoa is one of the only known plant-based foods that contains all nine amino acids. So, my point to this is that if you are or are not on a budget, you can still manage to get nourishing healthy meals with a bit of forward planning. Try these little guys though - I promise they are much more delicious than you sound! Ingredients 1 can of lentils, rinsed 1 carrot, grated 1 onion, finely chopped ½ cup white quinoa ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 egg, beaten Directions Add the lentils to a bowl and mash. Ground the quinoa to a flour using a high speed blender, and add to the lentils, along with all the other ingredients. Mix well to combine. Using about a tablespoon of mixture, roll between hands to create meatballs. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a fry pan over a medium heat and add meatballs. Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning around every couple of minutes, so they are browned on all sides. Serve as they are alongside your choice of vegetables or try adding the following sauce to the meatballs for a delicious taste with extra nutrients. Tomato and red capsicum sauce: 8 tomatoes 1 red capsicum 3-4 cloves of garlic 1 onion, chopped 1 teaspoon honey 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried) Sea salt and black pepper Place the tomatoes, the red capsicum and the garlic into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a fry pan. Add the onion, honey, thyme, salt and pepper to the pan, and turn the heat on to medium. Place a lid over the pan and leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Enjoy! AuthorMy name is Kerri van de Loo and I am a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, specialising in Eating Psychology, with a huge mission to educate, inspire and ignite a passion within you to live a healthy life through moving, nourishing and loving your body.
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Kerri van de Loo - Mindfulness coach, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach & SELF-LOVE COACH:Join our Online Wellness Club here: https://www.bodyessence.co.nz/wellness-club.html Categories
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December 2022
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