No heat meals

Dietitian, Berna Harmse, shares various no heat meals that are easy and convenient to make all the while still healthy and nutritious.

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You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/buddiesforlife

The food we eat must be healthy and enjoyable. We are blessed with an abundance of foods to choose from and yet we so often restrict ourselves and miss out on a range of new and delicious foods, especially when it comes to no heat meals.

Lunch on-the-go

• Muffins with grated low-fat cheese
• Selection of raw vegetable sticks with fat-free cottage cheese dip
• Fresh fruit with yoghurt
• Dried fruit
• Homemade popcorn
• Homemade meatballs
• Homemade vegetable soup in a flask

Wholewheat bread roll or pita bread with an unusual filling:

• Low-fat cottage cheese with chopped apple or dates
• Low-fat cottage cheese mixed with curry powder or mustard
• Grated carrots with raisins and/or pineapple
• Cucumber and sprouts
• Baked beans with slices of onion or chopped green pepper
• Smoked chicken with shredded lettuce and celery
• Chicken or turkey with cranberry juice
• Tuna with gherkin and grated carrot
• Creamed corn with chopped lettuce or chives

LOW-FAT SHAKES

Mixed Fruit Shake

• ½ pineapple, peeled and cubed
• 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 175ml fat-free strawberry yoghurt

Mix all the ingredients together. Blend well until smooth (liquidiser works best). Serve chilled.

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Apricot Cream

• 180ml apricot juice
• 125ml fat-free plain yoghurt
• 62ml pineapple juice

Mix all the ingredients together. Blend well until smooth (liquidiser works best). Serve chilled.

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Coffee Dream

• 250ml skimmed milk
• 1 tsp. instant coffee
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence
• Pinch of cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together. Blend well until smooth (liquidiser works best). Serve chilled.

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Mango Swirl

• 125ml fresh mango pulp
• 125ml orange juice
• 125ml buttermilk or fat-free plain yoghurt

Mix all the ingredients together. Blend well until smooth (liquidiser works best). Serve chilled.

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Quick and convenient no heat meals

SANDWICH

Choose 1 (2 slices)	Choose 1	Choose 1	Choose 1
Brown Wholewheat Sourdough Rye Low-GI	Smoked chicken Thin slice of ham Tuna Boiled egg	1 tsp. mayo ¼ avocado Cucumber	Baby spinach Carrot

WRAP

Choose 1	Choose 1	Choose 1	Choose 1
Brown Bran Low-GI	Smoked chicken Pulled pork Steak strips Tuna	1 tsp. mayo ¼ avocado 2 Tbsp. low-fat plain yoghurt	Salad veg: baby spinach, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, onion Stir-fry veg: cabbage, spinach, carrots, peppers, onion

PASTA/COUSCOUS SALAD

Choose 1 (1 cup)	Choose 1	Choose 1	Choose 1
Cooked and cooled pasta Couscous	Smoked chicken Tuna Boiled egg	1 tsp. mayo ¼ avocado 2 Tbsp. low-fat plain yoghurt	Salad veg (as above)

NOODLES

Choose 1	Choose 1	Choose 1	Choose 1
1 cup leftover noodles	Smoked chicken Pulled pork Steak strips Tuna	1 tsp. mayo ¼ avocado 2 Tbsp. low-fat plain yoghurt	Salad veg (as above) Stir-fry veg (as above)

Don’t forget the snacks 

• 1 cup of fruit with: 100 – 175ml yoghurt or 20g biltong or 20g nuts.
• 4 Provitas or 4 wholewheat crackers with: ¼ avocado or 1 Tbsp. cottage cheese or 1 cheese wedge or 1 Tbsp. peanut butter (sugar and salt-free).
• 1 muffin (bran, banana, carrot) or 1 rusk (bran).
• 1 small packet of rice cakes or 1 small packet of baked crisps or 2½ cups homemade popcorn.
• 1 cup vegetable sticks (cucumber, carrot, celery, peppers, mange tout, baby corn) with 2 Tbsp. guacamole dip or 1 Tbsp. cottage cheese dip or 1 Tbsp. hummus or 1 Tbsp. tzatziki.

Header image by Freepik