Healthy Halal's easy autumn meal tips
Autumn brings added stress on meal prep time so we have some kid-friendly tips to beat the autumn.
Well, it’s early October and it definitely doesn’t feel like summer anymore. The days are shorter, it’s noticeably colder, and the leaves are already changing colour. This is the time of year when most households find that their go-to meals don’t seem to work the same way because we are not sitting outside all day beside our barbecues. With the kids in school, we should have more time but with the days getting shorter, somehow it feels like we have less time. One of the first casualties of the fall readjustments usually involves the amount of effort we put into cooking. Fall means less time to prep and most meals are cooked in the oven rather than on the barbecue. How did we have time for after-dinner walks in August? Now, we feed the kids and it’s already past their bedtime!
They say that it takes a village to raise a child so we want to do our part by giving you some time-saving meal tips to help you get through this transition into the new fall normal.
Lunch
It’s no surprise that lunches are a bit of a pinch point when the new September routine comes flying at us. Lunches take time to make that you just don’t have and you just can’t rely on kids to forage the school playground like cattle like they did in the old days. Don’t worry, we have some easy, kid-approved lunches to try:
Roll-up for the win
It doesn’t get easier than this. Grab some sliced halal cooked meats, maybe some cheese, and roll it all up into a tortilla and lunch is done. You can add some variety by adding a dipping sauce, mixing up your halal meats, or adding extras like lettuce, sliced pickle, grated carrot, or diced bell pepper.
Quesadillas
If you have more time or just like a crispier crunch to lunch, you could take all of these same ingredients and make a quesadilla instead. In a non-stick pan on medium heat, lay a tortilla flat in the pan and add grated cheese, halal lamb mince meat, and veggies to half of the tortilla. Fold the empty side of the tortilla over and cook until the bottom tortilla starts to brown, then flip and cook the other side. These handheld beauties are great for lunch either hot or cold.
Dinner
By the time you get the kids home from school, dinner is somehow already late (and the kids have no problem letting you know that). You need dinner fast so here with some fast dinner winners:
Ground beef is your go-to
Minced beef is very versatile and is always better when defrosted overnight in the fridge but… in a pinch, you could speed that up with other methods to thaw the frozen meat. Once cooked, ground beef can easily make tacos, sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, and much more. Save time by browning more than one pound at a time so that it is ready for you later in the week to just heat up and make a meal. Or just have a package defrosting in the fridge so that you are ready for those nights where you need a quick dinner because of an unforeseen shift in the meal plan.
Get the kids distracted, uh, we mean involved
Most nights, you need to keep the kids distracted so that you can just get through cooking dinner but somehow, they always keep you from doing just that. Why not put them to work and have them make the meals with you to speed it up. Kids love to help and should be taught how to cook so this is win-win! Tag them in for meals like build your own pita pizzas, diy burrito bowls, or halal meatball nachos. Kids are more likely to eat meals that they can claim some ownership in helping with - now if you could just get them to help clean up!
Lessen the burden of cleaning up after a meal
If the kids won’t help with clean-up then we need to make it easier to do without them. We likeone-pan recipes like steak fajitas, pesto fish and potatoes, chicken sausage skillet, halal beef bacon wrapped cod and veggies, or chicken stir-fry. Many of these meals are very quick and have leftovers so you can speed up tomorrow’s lunch at the same time! You can always find something easy and quick to make from the recipe section of our website and we frequently add new easy recipes for you to try.
Have us deliver your meat directly to you
Healthy Halal has always offered convenience by delivering amazing food right to your door. With nationwide service across the UK, we work around the clock to ensure you receive the best seasonal produce fresh, good value for money & premium quality cuts.
