20/05/2026
The other night, I was watching Masterchef with my twins and the contestants were asked to create a โweeknight wonderโ in 36 minutes. A young male contestant was clearly concerned about his ability to complete the task, admitting that he usually takes at least an hour to cook dinner at home. My daughters agreed that they wouldnโt be able to cook dinner in such a short time.
I, on the other hand, couldnโt see what the big deal was. As a busy working mum, Iโve become pretty good at whipping up an evening meal for our family of five in half an hour or less. Iโm pretty sure that many of you would be doing this on a regular basis too!
Iโve talked before about how Iโm a big fan of meal planning, but I know meal plans donโt work for everyone so what Iโm sharing here is a formula. A simple structure you can apply to almost any combination of ingredients you have on hand, that covers the nutritional bases without requiring a recipe, a big grocery shop or a lot of time.
Here it is:
๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง + ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ + ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ + ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ
Letโs break it down in a bit more detailโฆ
โ
Protein - to stabilise our blood sugar, support cell and muscle growth and repair, keep us feeling full and support healthy production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. It also plays a key role in hormone production, immune function and making the digestive enzymes our body relies on to break down food properly.
๐ How much? Aim for a palm-sized serve
๐ Sources: Chicken, turkey, fish, red meat, eggs, legumes (lentils, beans, peas), tofu, tinned tuna or salmon
โ
Colourful vegetables - a source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. The fibre in vegetables supports bowel regularity, helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and plays an important role in the body's natural detoxification processes. Eating a wide variety of different vegetables also increases the diversity of our gut microbiome.
๐ How much? Aim to fill at least half your plate with vegetables at each meal, choosing two or more different colours where possible.
๐ Sources: Leafy greens like spinach and kale, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, and other colourful options like capsicum, zucchini, cucumber, tomato and beetroot. Starchy vegetables like sweet potato and pumpkin also count and are particularly good for sustained energy and feeding beneficial gut bacteria.
โ
Quality Carbohydrates - for sustained energy throughout the day, healthy brain function and feeding the beneficial bacteria in our gut
๐ How much? Aim for roughly a quarter of your plate to be a quality carbohydrate source at each meal.
๐ Sources: Brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, wholegrain pasta or sourdough bread
โ
Healthy Fat - play a crucial role in hormone production, brain function and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
๐ How much? When it comes to fat, small amounts go a long way, e.g. a drizzle of olive oil on salad or veggies, a small handful of nuts or ยผ - ยฝ avocado (depending on size)
๐ Sources: Extra virgin olive oil, avocado and avocado oil, nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews and macadamias), seeds (chia, flaxseed, h**p and pumpkin seeds), oily fish (salmon, sardines and mackerel), coconut oil in small amounts, and egg yolks.
To give you an idea of how the formula works in practice, I've shared ten simple meal combinations to get you started. I want to point out that this way of cooking doesn't have to mean a traditional meat and three veg style dinner every night. The formula applies just as well to a pasta dish, a curry, a stir fry or a bowl meal - the components are the same, just put together differently.
The goal isnโt perfection, itโs consistency. Once you have this formula in your head, getting a nourishing dinner on the table becomes a lot less complicated - even on the busiest of nights ๐
Note: The images and meal ideas are for inspiration only. For simplicity, I have only listed the main components of each meal, not the sauces and additional ingredients.
