Colorful Lunchtime Meals - Excellent Nutritional Choices for Spring

Spring meals are associated with lightness on the plate, and it's all thanks to the abundance of seasonal vegetables. The first of these, known as fresh fruits, start appearing in March. This group includes tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, or young carrots. These vegetables are characterized by low calorie content, so meals prepared based on them are easy to digest. The beginning of the new season is definitely a good opportunity to enrich the diet with a variety of vegetables, which are not only attractive in appearance but also very healthy. Seasonal vegetables provide a lot of vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper functioning of the body. Therefore, it is worth using them in preparing a spring meal, especially fresh fruits and other colorful vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, bell pepper, or spinach. When creating a healthy meal, it is important to ensure a proper balance of nutrients, especially carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Vegetables mainly provide carbohydrates, but cereal products such as pasta, groats, or rice are also an excellent source of carbohydrates. It is also worth paying attention to providing the body with an adequate amount of protein, which is found in meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products. On the other hand, plant oils, nuts, or seeds are a good source of fats.

Preparation time: 45 minutes Ingredients (per 1 serving): Brown rice - 5 tablespoons (50 g), vegetable broth - glass (240 g), chicken fillet - portion (100 g), smoked onion - patch (20 g), young carrots - piece (45 g), zucchini - 1/2 piece (150 g), olive oil - spoon (5 g), parsley root - teaspoon (6 g), pumpkin seeds - teaspoon (5 g), salt - 2 pinches (0, 4 g), pepper - 2 pinches (0, 4 g). Preparation: 1. In a pot, heat olive oil. 2. Fry finely chopped onion. 3. Wash chicken fillet, season with salt and pepper and cut into cubes. Add to the onion. 4. Peel carrots and zucchini and cut into slices. Add to the pot and fry for 5 minutes. 5. After the time, add rice, salt, and pepper and pour in broth. Cook until the liquid is absorbed. 6. Place the finished risotto on a plate, serve with chopped parsley and pumpkin seeds. Nutritional value (per 1 serving): Energy: 370 kcal, Protein: 30.2 g, Fat: 4.9 g, Carbohydrates: 55.1 g.

Preparation time: 25 minutes Ingredients (per serving): box of couscous 5 teaspoons (50 g), chicken breast fillet 100 g, salad 3 leaves (15 g), tomato 1 piece (120 g), cucumber 1 piece (50 g), olive oil 2 tablespoons (10 g), parsley 6 g, pumpkin seeds 1 teaspoon (5 g), salt a pinch (0, 2 g), pepper a pinch (0, 2 g). Preparation: 1. Couscous should be cooked according to the instructions on the package. 2. Chicken breast fillet should be washed, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cut into strips. 3. Olive oil should be heated in a frying pan and used to fry the chicken breast fillet. 4. Couscous should be mixed with salad that has been torn into small pieces. 5. Tomatoes should be cut into cubes and cucumbers into slices and added to the salad. 6. The fried chicken breast fillet should be added to the salad. 7. Parsley should be chopped and used to decorate the dish. Finally, the dish should be sprinkled with pumpkin seeds. Nutritional value (per serving): – energy: 436 kcal, – protein: 31, 2 g, – fat: 14, 1 g, – carbohydrates: 45, 7 g.

Preparation time: 30 minutes. Ingredients (per serving): carrots - 2 pieces (90 g), pickle - 1⁄2 pieces (150 g), vegetable broth - 1 1⁄2 cups (120 g), coconut milk - 5 tablespoons (50 g), pumpkin scales - plaster (20 g), rye onion - slice (35 g), olive oil - spoon (5 g), cheese sauce - spoon (6 g), chicken broth - (0.2 g), curry spice - (0, 2 g), salt - (0 g), pepper - (0, 2g) and butter (0.1 g). Preparation: 1. Cut the onion into cubes. 2. Peel and slice the carrots and pickles. 3. Heat the olive oil in a pot and sauté the onion. 4. Add the vegetable broth, carrots, and pickles and cook for 15 minutes. 5. After the cooking time, blend the soup until smooth. 6. Season the soup with coconut milk, pumpkin, and chicken broth and blend again. 7. Cut the onion slice into cubes and roast in a dry pan. 8. Pour the soup into bowls and serve with green pumpkin seeds and butter. Nutritional values (per serving): energy: 310 kcal, protein: 6.6 g, fat: 18.0 g, carbohydrates: 36.5 g.

Preparation time: 30 minutes Ingredients (per serving): - pasta - one cup (70 g), - asparagus - 5 pieces (150 g), - zucchini - 1/2 piece (150 g), - natural yogurt - 4 tablespoons (100 g), - feta cheese - 2 pieces (40 g), - red onion - one piece (20 g), - olive oil - one spoon (5 g), - parsley - one spoon (6 g), - salt - one pinch (0,2 g), - pepper - one pinch (0,2 g). Preparation: 1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. 2. Grate the zucchini on a grater with medium-sized holes. 3. Remove the inedible parts of the asparagus. 4. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the asparagus for 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Add the diced onion and grated zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes. 6. Remove from heat and add the yogurt. Mix well. 7. Serve on a plate and sprinkle with feta cheese and chopped parsley. Nutritional value (per serving): - energy: 496 kcal, - protein: 26.7 g, - fat: 14.8 g, - carbohydrates: 65.9 g.