One Pot Main Courses: Mini Meals

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If you’ve undergone gastric or bariatric surgery, you’ll have to learn a whole new way of eating. You won’t be able to eat standard size meals anymore and you’ll have to spread your food intake across the day, rather than sitting down to three square meals. You’ll also have to find a way to ensure you get all the basic food groups into your diet. And, if you’re watching your weight, you’ll want your meals to be nutritious and tasty as well as low-fat and low-calorie. There are many different ways to approach your new situation, and this website has been created just for people in your position (see Learning to Eat Again).

The following recipes will demonstrate that, despite your surgery, you don’t have to miss out on your old favourite dishes altogether, albeit in a mini version.

microwave-fishA small fish fillet makes an ideal meal in our situation. If you find the fish fillets from your local fish shop are too big, you can buy frozen uncooked fish fillets from the supermarket. They are usually cheaper than fresh fish and are often individually wrapped in small potions. They can also be cooked in the microwave straight from the freezer in as little as five minutes. (For more ways to cook a fish fillet, see Something Fishy.)

All the remaining recipes are based on 50–75gm of lean minced meat or poultry. We can’t buy meat in such small quantities (unless you have a very sympathetic butcher) so one option is to buy a larger quantity, divide it into small portions and freeze. For example, 500gm can be divided into 7–10 portions. While these recipes specify minced chicken or beef, they can all be made with minced turkey if you prefer.

If you have a little extra capacity, these meals can be rounded off with a small serving of carbs. This might simply be one or two rice cakes. Alternatively, you could make up one or two tablespoons of couscous by adding the same volume of boiling water and letting it stand until the water is absorbed. Finally, you could reconstitute one or two tablespoons of instant mashed potatoes, perhaps boosted with one or two teaspoons of skim milk powder or neutral protein powder.

While there’s a range of recipes that you’ll find useful in the Cooking in Bulk collections, you’ll also find mini versions of other old favourites in the entries:

   »     Fast Eggs

   »     Quick and Health Snacks: Soup-in-a-Mug

   »     Quick and Healthy Snacks: Macaroni and Cheese

   »     Quick Vegetable Side Dishes from the Pantry 

  »     Quick Soups from the Pantry

For more information, and to access the full range of small meals on this website, consult the entry Early Days after Stomach Surgery.

 

Recipes:

Five Minute Fish

Mini Chicken Cacciatore

Mini Creamy Chicken

Mini Chicken al Pesto

Mini Stir-Fried Chicken

Mini Sweet and Sour Chicken

Mini Beef Bolognaise

Mini Beef Stroganoff

Mini Beef Goulash

Mini Beef Curry

Mini Beef Chow Mein

 

Five Minute Fish

  • 1 small (frozen) fish fillet
  • 1–2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Parsley and pepper
  • 1 portion frozen spinach (optional)
  • 1–2 tbsp. instant mashed potatoes (optional)
  • 1–2 tsp. skim milk powder (optional)

 

  1. Place fish fillet in a microwave proof dish
  2. Douse with lemon juice and sprinkle with pepper and parsley
  3. Cover tightly with some venting and microwave on high for 2–3 minutes (for frozen fish, add 2 minutes to cooking time)
  4. Let stand for 1–2 minutes

For optional side dish:

  1. Meanwhile, place spinach in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds on high to thaw
  2. Add instant mashed potatoes and skim milk powder (optional) and stir in sufficient boiling water to reconstitute

Tip: for more ways to cook a fish fillet see Something Fishy

 

Mini Chicken Cacciatore

  • 50–75gm minced chicken (or turkey)
  • 1 mushroom, sliced
  • ¼ cup red capsicum, sliced
  • ¼ cup diced tomatoes
  • Garlic granules, dried onion, paprika or chilli (optional) and pepper
  • Parsley, basil and oregano
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Sauté chicken with garlic granules, dried onion, paprika or chilli (optional) and pepper
  3. Add mushrooms and capsicum and sauté
  4. Add diced tomatoes with parsley, basil and oregano
  5. Simmer for 10–15 minutes
  6. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Creamy Chicken

  • 50–75gm minced chicken (or turkey)
  • 1–2 mushrooms, sliced
  • Dried onion, garlic granules, pepper and parsley
  • ½ tsp. chicken stock powder
  • ½ tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • ½ tbsp. natural yoghurt
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Sauté mushroom with spices
  3. Add chicken and sauté until browned
  4. Add ¼ cup boiling water with chicken stock powder and parsley
  5. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
  6. Stir in Parmesan cheese until it melts
  7. Remove from heat and stir in yoghurt
  8. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Chicken al Pesto

  • 50–75gm minced chicken (or turkey)
  • 1 tbsp. chopped onion
  • ½ cup frozen peas and/or (frozen) broccoli
  • ½ tsp. chicken stock powder
  • Dried onion and pepper
  • 1 tsp. basil pesto
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Add chicken with dried onion and pepper and sauté until browned
  3. Add ¼ cup boiling water with chicken stock powder
  4. Bring to the boil and add peas
  5. Simmer for 15 minutes, allowing the stock to reduce down
  6. Stir in pesto
  7. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Stir-Fried Chicken

  • 50–75gm minced chicken (or turkey)
  • ½ cup mushrooms, red capsicum, sliced and/or carrot, chopped
  • ½ tsp. soy sauce
  • ½ tsp. chicken stock powder
  • Garlic granules, ginger and coriander
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Stir soy sauce, stock powder and spices into 2 tbsp. water
  2. Marinate chicken in mixture for 15–30 minutes
  3. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  4. Sauté mushrooms and capsicum
  5. Add chicken with marinade and sauté until cooked through and sauce is reduced
  6. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Sweet and Sour Chicken

  • 50–75gm minced chicken (or turkey)
  • ½ cup chopped carrot and red capsicum
  • 2–3 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tbsp. fruit juice
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. tomato paste
  • ½ tsp. soy sauce
  • Dried onion
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Combine fruit juice, lemon juice, tomato paste, soy sauce and dried onion
  2. Marinate chicken in mixture for 15–30 minutes
  3. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  4. Sauté carrot and capsicum
  5. Add chicken with marinade and sauté until cooked through
  6. Stir in cherry tomatoes and sauté until heated through
  7. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Beef Bolognese

  • 50–75gm lean minced beef (or turkey)
  • 1–2 mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ cup diced tomatoes
  • Dried onion, garlic granules and pepper
  • Parsley and basil
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Sauté beef with dried onion, garlic granules and pepper
  3. Add mushrooms and sauté
  4. Add diced tomatoes with parsley and basil and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally
  5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
  6. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Beef Stroganoff

  • 50–75gm lean minced beef (or turkey)
  • 1–2 mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tsp. tomato paste
  • ½ tsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. natural yoghurt
  • Parsley
  • Garlic granules, dried onion, paprika and pepper
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Sauté beef with garlic granules, dried onion, paprika and pepper
  3. Add mushrooms and sauté
  4. Add ¼ cup boiling water with tomato paste, soy sauce and parsley
  5. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally
  6. Remove from heat and stir in yoghurt
  7. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Beef Goulash

  • 50–75gm lean minced beef (or turkey)
  • ¼ cup red capsicum, chopped
  • ¼ cup diced tomatoes
  • ½ tsp. soy sauce
  • ½ tsp. sweet paprika
  • Dried onion, oregano, parsley and garlic granules
  • ½ tbsp. natural yoghurt
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes or 1–2 tbsp. instant mashed potatoes, reconstituted (optional)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Add capsicum with onion, garlic and paprika and sauté
  3. Add beef and sauté until browned
  4. Add diced tomatoes with soy sauce and herbs
  5. Simmer for 15 minutes, adding a little water if necessary
  6. Remove from heat and stir in yoghurt
  7. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Beef Curry

  • 50–75gm lean minced beef (or turkey)
  • ½ cup chopped red capsicum and carrot
  • 2 tsp. tomato paste
  • ½ tsp. soy sauce
  • Dried onion, garlic granules, chilli and mild curry powder
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes, 1–2 tbsp instant couscous or instant mashed potatoes (optional – see above)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Sauté beef with spices
  3. Add capsicum and carrot and sauté
  4. Add ¼ cup boiling water with tomato paste and soy sauce
  5. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally
  6. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)

 

Mini Beef Chow Mein

  • 50–75gm lean minced beef (or turkey)
  • ½ cup coleslaw mix
  • ½ tsp. soy sauce
  • Dried onion, garlic granules, mild curry powder and ginger
  • ½ tsp. chicken stock powder
  • Olive or canola oil spray
  • 1–2 rice cakes or 1–2 tbsp. instant mashed potatoes, reconstituted (optional)

 

  1. Spray a small saucepan with a little oil
  2. Add beef with onion, garlic and spices and sauté until browned
  3. Add coleslaw mix and sauté until heated through
  4. Add ¼ cup boiling water with chicken stock and soy sauce and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally
  5. Serve on rice cakes, couscous or mashed potatoes (optional)
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