As we now find ourselves in the final third of 2019, you may have set yourself a New Year’s resolution back in January. Perhaps you decide to commit yourself to getting fitter over the year, or maybe you had a sudden inclination to change your career path.

These are all great plans to have for realizing a better you in 2019 and beyond. However, if you’re reaching your elder years and are still thinking about what your resolution could be, have you considered eating more healthily? Making meals that will be great for your body and wellbeing doesn’t need to involve you being stuck in the kitchen for hours on end — just follow these recipes set out by Stairlift Flint and you’ll be serving dishes that are delicious and good for you in a flash…

Egyptian egg salad

The recipe of Egyptian egg salad blends together fava beans, egg, and the rich flavours received from cumin, garlic, lemon, and tahini to make this dish much more than just your standard salad.

Time to make the dish

15 minutes (10 minutes to prepare the food and then 5 minutes to cook)

The ingredients you’ll need

• 3 large and finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Little Gem lettuces, cut into wedges
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 fresh lemon (juiced)
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• ½ a teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 400g can of fava beans, with the juice reserved
• A sprinkling of dried chili flakes
• Roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

How to make the meal

1. Start by bringing a pan of water to the boil, before lowering in the two eggs and boiling them for eight minutes.
2. Drain the eggs and run them under a cold tap to cool them slightly, before peeling and halving them.
3. Mix three tablespoons of water, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and the tahini to create the dressing.
4. Heat the rapeseed oil and then fry both the garlic and the onion for five minutes to soften them.
5. Add the ground cumin and seeds into the frying pan, stirring them briefly before adding the beans.
6. Lightly crush some of the beans as they gain heat, then add some of the juice from the can of beans so that you receive a creamy consistency. A few of the beans should be kept whole during this stage.
7. Add lemon juice and a little bit of seasoning to taste.
8. Spoon the beans onto plates along with the lettuce, adding the eggs and tomatoes next, and finally the tahini dressing, chili, and parsley.

Honey lemon ricotta breakfast toast

Let’s begin with a treat perfect at breakfast time which is a lot more than just plain old toast. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you’ll never want to miss it anyway with honey lemon ricotta breakfast toast on your plate!

Time to make the dish

5 minutes

The ingredients you’ll need

• 4 sliced figs
• 2 slices of wholegrain or gluten-free bread
• 2 tablespoons of pistachio pieces
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• ½ fresh lemon (juiced)
• ½ a tablespoon of honey
• ¼ of a cup of low-fat ricotta

How to make the meal

1. Use a toaster to toast the wholegrain or gluten-free bread.
2. Once the bread is toasting, whip together the honey, fresh lemon juice, and low-fat ricotta until the mixture is both smooth and creamy.
3. Once the bread has been toasted, spread the honey, lemon juice and ricotta mixture evenly over the toast.
4. Place the sliced figs on top of the toast.
5. Sprinkle the lemon zest and pistachio pieces onto the toast to finish.

Pina Colada yogurt parfaits

A dish you can enjoy either at breakfast or as a dessert, Pina Colada yogurt parfaits blends together sweet fruits from the tropics with the bitterness of Greek yogurt in magnificent fashion. With this treat, your body also benefits from protein from the yogurt, good digestive enzymes from the pineapple, healthy fats courtesy of the coconut, and so much more.

Time to make the dish

5 minutes

The ingredients you’ll need

• 2 cups of Greek-style yogurt
• 1 cup of fresh pineapple, chopped
• ½ cup of lightly toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons of raw honey
• 4 teaspoons of chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon of raw honey (for drizzling)

How to make the meal

1. Mix the Greek-style yogurt, two tablespoons of the raw honey, and three teaspoons of the chia seeds in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Layer a few tablespoons of the fresh pineapple into two glasses, along with a little amount of the coconut flakes and some of the yogurt mixture.
3. Repeat the process of step two for as many layers as you desire, though making sure to end with the pineapple and coconut on top of the final layer.
4. On top of the parfaits, sprinkle the final teaspoon of chia seeds.
5. Drizzle the teaspoon of raw honey over the top of the mixture to finish.

Spicy chicken & avocado wraps

If you’re looking for a dish that you don’t necessarily need to eat straight after cooking and can instead pack away for lunch, we recommend these spicy chicken and avocado wraps.

Time to make the dish

13 minutes (5 minutes to prepare the food and then 8 minutes to cook)

The ingredients you’ll need

• 2 seeded wraps
• 1 chicken breast, which is approximately 180 grams and thinly sliced at an angle
• 1 chopped garlic clove
• 1 avocado, halved and stoned
• 1 sliced roasted red pepper from a jar
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• ½ a teaspoon of mild chili powder
• Juice squeezed from ½ a lime
• A few chopped sprigs of coriander

How to make the meal

1. Mix the chicken breast with the garlic, chili powder, and lime juice.
2. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan then fry the chicken for a couple of minutes.
3. While the chicken is frying, warm the seeded wraps either by following the pack instructions or by heating them over a flame to slightly char them if you have a gas hob. A tip for the wraps is not to allow them to dry out otherwise they’ll be difficult to roll.
4. Squash half an avocado onto each of the wraps.
5. Add the red peppers to the frying pan to warm them through.
6. Pile the peppers onto the wraps, along with the chicken.
7. Finish by sprinkling the coriander over the wraps, rolling them up, and then cutting them in half.

Ingredients older people should be looking to eat more of

There you have it, four delicious dishes that are healthy, as well as both simple and quick to make. There’re so many more meals we could have included in this guide, of course. Whatever food you have in mind though, aim to eat well by consuming plenty of the following ingredients:

• Fruit & vegetables — eating five or more portions of these on a daily basis can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer. Fruit and veg are packed with minerals, vitamins and fibre too, while being low in fat.
• Starchy foods, such as bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice — these are a great source of B vitamins, energy and fibre and therefore should form the basis of many meals that you prepare. It’s advised to opt for higher-fibre, wholegrain varieties of starchy food, along the lines of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and potatoes with the skins left on. Not only are these low in fat and high in fibre, but they are also excellent sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
• Milk and dairy foods, such as cheese and yoghurt — these are important sources of calcium, needed by the body as a helping hand to build strong bones, as well as vitamin D, which the body requires to help it absorb calcium and thus strengthen bones. If you need to opt for dairy alternatives, choose varieties which are unsweetened and calcium-fortified.
• Beans, lentils, and peas — they all make for excellent alternatives to meat, as a result of them being naturally low in fat and yet also high in protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals.