Healthy meal ideas for when you have no ideas and no time

Why is it so hard to know what to cook?

The problem isn't a lack of recipes. It's that you have to make the same decision two or three times a day, tired, after a long day, with whatever is in the fridge. At that moment you pick what's quickest, not what's best: a takeaway, pasta with whatever's around, a sandwich.

When the decision is made in advance, you don't have to think in the evening. That's what a weekly menu really does: it takes the decision out of the worst possible moment.

What simple rule helps at every meal?

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health put it into one picture, the "Healthy Eating Plate", and the NHS gives similar advice:

• Half the plate: vegetables and fruit, as varied as possible. Potatoes don't count here.
• A quarter: protein – fish, chicken, eggs, beans and lentils, tofu, cheese.
• A quarter: whole grains or potatoes – brown rice, buckwheat, wholewheat pasta, wholemeal bread.
• A little good oil, such as olive oil, and water to drink.

It doesn't have to be exact. It's a guide you can remember in the kitchen and in a restaurant.

10 healthy meal ideas you can repeat

Meal	Time
Oven-baked salmon with vegetables and potatoes	30 min, almost no work
Pan-fried chicken with peppers, onion and brown rice	25 min
Vegetable and lentil soup	40 min, lasts 3 days
Omelette with spinach, tomatoes and wholemeal bread	10 min
Big salad with chickpeas, tuna, vegetables and olive oil	10 min
Wholewheat pasta with tomato sauce and beans	20 min
Vegetable stew with eggs	25 min
White fish with broccoli and buckwheat	25 min
Oven-baked meatballs with cabbage salad	40 min, can be frozen
Pumpkin soup with a slice of cheese and wholemeal bread	30 min

Pick 8–10 meals you like and find easy. With them you can build almost any week.

How do you plan a week of meals in 20 minutes?

1. On Sunday, look at your schedule. On long evenings, something quick. On free evenings, something you can make in a big batch.
2. Pick 4–5 main meals and cook double for the next day.
3. Write your shopping list from the menu, not from the shelf.
4. Prepare what you can in advance: washed and chopped vegetables, a pot of cooked grains, boiled eggs.
5. Leave one evening free for leftovers or a meal out.

The first plan takes longer. By the fourth, you'll do it from memory.

What should you always keep in the cupboard and fridge?

Half of the "what do I cook" problem is solved when you shop. With a few basics at home, you can put a good meal on the table in 20 minutes without much thought:

Where	What to keep
Cupboard	lentils, tinned chickpeas and beans, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, oats, tinned tomatoes, olive oil
Fridge	eggs, yoghurt, cheese, salad vegetables, onions, garlic
Freezer	frozen vegetables, fish, chicken breast, berries

Frozen vegetables are as good as fresh ones and don't go off in the fridge. With eggs, a tin of chickpeas and a bag of vegetables you already have dinner. When your basic list is always stocked, cooking becomes more of a habit than a decision.

How does MentorSano help you know what to cook?

• For free, your daily to-do gives you small habits to tick off: vegetables at lunch, an earlier dinner, water in the morning.
• With the subscription you get a menu for the week, built around your tastes, preferences and schedule, with calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and fibre for every meal. It's normal food that's easy to make.
• The shopping list comes with the menu, and you can buy the products in one click.
• The photo food journal: take a photo of your plate and see not just the calories, but how well the meal suits your health and what you could change next time.

Start with the free part: create your free MentorSano account, fill in the questionnaire and see which habits suit you. The menu comes only if you want it, with the subscription.

What do you do on evenings when you really can't be bothered?

• Keep vegetables, fish or ready-made meatballs in the freezer.
• Always have eggs, tinned chickpeas or tuna and wholemeal bread.
• A big salad with some protein and a slice of bread is a complete dinner.
• If you do order, choose a dish with vegetables and protein, not just pizza or a burger.