There’s no question that it’s better for our health to eat “real foods” – or “whole foods” or “natural foods” or whatever you prefer to call unprocessed foods that actually come about naturally (as opposed to being manufactured in a lab somewhere).  However, reality is that many of these foods take longer to cook than their “junk” counterparts, and this modern culture of ours is pretty fast-paced.

To some extent, real food advocates simply have to come to terms with advance preparation and a change of expectations.  But what about those days when you get home late, everything has fallen apart during the day, or you’re just not feeling well?  (Or, heaven forbid, all of the above?!)  Give yourself some “convenience” options by deciding (in advance, preferably) what’s “good enough.”

What is “Good Enough”?

What do I mean by that?  Well, there are some things which, while technically processed, are more or less individual foods.  These might not be your preference for all day every day healthy eating, but when you need quick, you can trade a little bit of “healthy” for “fast and easy” – if you plan in advance so you don’t end up with really unhealthy because you couldn’t think of anything better that would fit your time constraints.

So let’s look at a couple different categories.

“Good Enough” Ingredients

Your “good enough” ingredients might not be the same as mine.  Everyone has different dietary preferences, constraints, and priorities.  That’s okay!  But hopefully seeing some specifics will get your mental juices going and you’ll come up with some ideas of your own even if these won’t work for you.

Pasta

There are widely differing opinions regarding pasta as an everyday food.  Some people have no problem with pasta as a regular part of their diets.  Others consider it too highly processed, or simply don’t like that it isn’t fermented.  Wherever you fall on the spectrum, the fact remains that pasta is pretty quick as the centerpiece of a meal.  If it’s whole grain, it can also be a good source of nutrition.  I prefer 100% whole wheat pasta (try different brands; there are definitely some that are better than others!) or, if gluten-free is necessary, Tinkyada brown rice pasta.  (Vitacost is the cheapest source I’ve found for Tinkyada pasta.  You can check for it at Wal-Mart, too.)

Frozen Potatoes

Another good gluten-free option is potatoes.  If you don’t have time to do the prep, frozen hash browns or tater tots might be a viable option.  You can serve them as a side dish (obviously) or you can use them as the base for a casserole.

Vegetables

Vegetables are, of course, not really a “good enough” food – they’re generally a good food!  Don’t overlook them, though, when you’re searching for a quick meal.  Cauliflower makes another great casserole base.  (Being fairly bland, it tends to take on a lot of the flavor of whatever you cook it with.  And being white, it doesn’t visually dominate the meal, either.)  Of course raw veggies with dip are pretty quick, as are most stir-fried or steamed veggies.

Eggs

Eggs are also a pretty healthy food all the time, but I tend to forget about them when it comes to dinner!  Even something as simple as scrambled eggs can serve in a pinch – especially if you toss some veggies on the side, or even scrambled right in.  If you have a little more energy, you can make a quiche or something.

Canned Salmon, Tuna, or Chicken

Protein can be one of the trickier things to sort out when you’re trying to throw something together at the last minute!  Canned meat might not be as ideal as fresh, but canned salmon, tuna, and chicken are already cooked and ready to go.  Toss them into a casserole, make “salad” (you know, like “tuna salad,” “chicken salad”) or salad, use them in quesadillas, etc.

Canned Beans

Some people prefer not to use canned beans, as a rule, due to concerns with BPA in can linings or simply because cooking dried beans is less expensive.  But there’s no question that using canned beans is faster.  Simply open the can, rinse, and drain.  These, too, can be added to casseroles, salads, quesadillas…

If you can really plan in advance, then of course cooking your own beans (or chicken, or whatever!) and freezing it will give you even better options.  But I’m assuming if you’re reading this you’ve found yourself, like me, simply trying to figure out at the last minute what in the world you can fix that won’t take an hour or more and with nothing already prepared!  (If you really need something you can cook right now, lentils cook much faster than true beans.)

“Good Enough” Done-for-You Options

Chances are, done-for-you options are going to be yet another step down from “good enough ingredient” options.  But sometimes you need them.  Maybe you’re sick and someone who doesn’t usually cook has to feed the kids.  Or you’ve just moved and you only have one pot.  Or the oven is broken.  I don’t know the circumstances, but the point is sometimes things happen and you really can’t cook even fairly simple things!

Healthy-Brand Mac & Cheese

Boxed mac & cheese still has to be prepared, but it usually only takes a single pot, very minimal work, and can be accomplished by anyone who can follow instructions.  (So if the kids have to cook, or a hubby who doesn’t really know his way around a kitchen, they can handle it.)  Check the natural foods aisle and find a good brand of macaroni & cheese.  Look for whole grain pasta.  If it’s on the natural aisle, you probably don’t have to look specifically for anything else (unless you’re check for food-allergy purposes).  For instance, Annie’s has some that are organic but not whole grain, so you’ll want to check for the whole grain variety.  But they don’t use “junk” in the cheese part of any of their options.

Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chickens from the deli are already cooked and ready to go.  You might want something simple on the side if you can manage it – steamed veggies are quick.  Or grab a good brand of salad dressing and a bag of cole slaw veggies and throw together some cole slaw.  Save the bones to simmer and you can make broth for another meal!

Do you have a favorite go-to option for last-minute meals that aren’t too unhealthy?  Please share it in the comments to help the rest of us out!

This post is being shared at Allergy-Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesdays, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Wellness Wednesday.