Meal Of The Day

Seasoned Chicken, Red Potato Wedges, Mixed Vegetables.

By no means am I an accomplished chef. The concept my parents have of cooking is to just bung something in the microwave! So naturally I’ve grown up with a rather limited knowledge of what a real, nutritious meal should taste like. Now I am discrediting my parents a bit here - they did the best job of raising me and my poor dad even sacrificed most of his garage space so I could have a place to put all of my home gym equipment! But as my mum’s favourite magnet says on our home fridge / freezer which is packed full of ready-meals, “If it fits in a toaster, I can cook it!”

I think this is relevant to a lot of people who want to get in better shape - there’s this preconceived idea that you’ve got to be some celebrity cook or at least have a book which Waterstones recommends in their food and drink section, if you are to have any chance of living more healthily. The truth is that you don’t have to be Jamie Oliver’s protégé in order to cook a decent meal. In fact all you need to know is where the fresh food sections are in your supermarket of choice, and which dial in your kitchen works the oven.

One of my favourite lunches I make for myself at home, which takes five minutes to prepare and 20-25 minutes to cook, is chicken, roasted red potatoes, and a cup to two cups of any couple of vegetables of your choice. Personally I love onions and peppers together with this meal. It may not sound like something as exciting as you’d find on the menu at Barbecoa, but actually, it only takes a few more seconds to season your chicken and potatoes with some sea salt, pepper and a few spices and herbs, to disguise it as something not too dissimilar to a Jamie Oliver dish.

Firstly you preheat your oven to about 200°, or gas mark 6, and then oil a baking tray or use some non-stick foil. Chop a 5 ounce red potato up into wedge-like chunks, and then finely chop your vegetables. Put it all on the baking tray with your chicken, and season with whatever you fancy. Personally I have a taste for spicy food so I add a dash of paprika as well as sea salt and pepper. In the oven it goes and in 20-25 minutes you couldn’t have made a healthy meal any simpler. Optionally, if you have more time to spare, you can always pan fry your vegetables so you have more control over the temperature and cooking time, but either way the result will be downright tasty!