13 Easy tips for healthy cooking (made for beginners!)

Stick to your diet without ordering in or eating out! Putting balanced meals on the table is easier than you think.

13 Easy tips for healthy cooking (made for beginners!)

Do you want to learn how to cook healthy, delicious meals for yourself and your family? Perhaps you’re sick of all those lunch box diets, or you want to do more than just get your vegan favourites delivered. The good news is that healthy cooking, even for beginners, is easier than you think!

And if you think that “healthy” cooking is limited to vegetarian and vegan fare or food that lacks flavour, you might be surprised with what you can create with healthy, nutritious options.

So get your chopping boards, wooden spoons, and taste buds ready; here are the top tips for beginner-friendly healthy cooking!

1. Stock your pantry with whole foods  

What makes food “whole”? Simple: the less processed it is, and the closer it is to its “natural” form, the better. That means more fruits and veggies, less packaged goods, more brown rice/bread instead of their refined counterparts, and as few unpronounceable ingredients as possible. Ditch the hot dogs, bacon, and salami – not only are they full of preservatives, but they’re also full of saturated fat, too.

asparagus
Source: Louis Hansel via Unsplash

2. Shop local and seasonal 

Whether you’re simply shopping for your household’s daily veggie content, or exploring vegan cooking for beginners, it always pays to shop local and seasonal. Why? Because seasonal, locally-farmed fruits and veggies don’t need to travel far, the crops are harvested in peak condition, and you get more nutrients out of them. Plus, you get to support your local farmers!

3. Ditch the generic vegetable oil 

Oil isn’t all bad – just make sure you cook with heart-healthy ones, like avocado, coconut, and olive oil. Avocado oil, in particular, is flavour-neutral, making it great for just about any recipe.

4. Explore seasoning and spices 

Generally, it’s perfectly fine to add a dash or so of salt to your meals (nutritionists recommend less than one teaspoon per day). But if you’re really conscious of your sodium intake, you can always experiment on all sorts of seasoning to get the same burst of flavour without going overboard on salt.

Stock your pantry with spices like garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and fresh or dried herbs such as basil and oregano. You can also ditch your regular soy sauce and use coconut aminos instead as an alternative.

5. Cut down on sugar  

That goes for table sugar (white and brown)! The same goes for maple syrup, which adds a whopping 12 grams of added sugar in a single tablespoon – easily half the recommended 25 grams of the maximum daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization. Instead of slathering your banana pancakes in syrup, why not add a side of fresh fruits instead?

And as a temporary fix, the American Heart Association also recommends non-nutritive sweeteners (like Stevia, monk fruit extracts, and coconut sugar) over refined sugars.

whole foods
Source: Louis Hansel via Unsplash

6. Make healthy swaps 

It doesn’t have to be drastic! You can do the following simple hacks:

  • Substitute poultry or seafood in your favourite pork or beef-based recipe.
  • If you’re really craving a delicious, meaty stew, make sure to opt for leaner cuts like top round steak or pork tenderloin.
  • Ready to take it to the next level? Instead of dairy milk, try soy, almond, or oat milk.
  • Make roast veggie chips instead of bingeing on a bag of crisps.
  • Sub cauliflower for rice, or spinach for meat.
  • If you love pasta, try spiralised zucchini (aka zoodles)!
  • And even beginners can cook with tofu and use it as a sub in meat-based dishes.

7. Don’t limit yourself to steaming or poaching

While these are tried-and-tested healthy cooking methods, you can also venture into other methods such as roasting, baking, grilling, or broiling. These are a great way to cook entire meals (roast chicken with a side of roast veggies, anyone?), and they keep you from getting bored with what’s on the menu.

What you should avoid are recipes that involve deep-frying or sautéing in animal fat. When you do need to sauté or fry your food, use a non-stick pan so that you use as little oil as possible.

8. Know your portions 

Harvard’s “Healthy Eating Plate” consists of ¼ whole grains, ¼ proteins, and the other half filled with fruits and veggies. That means you should have more of those leafy greens, crunchy root veggies, and juicy tomatoes on the menu! This doesn’t just go for vegetarian or vegan cooking for beginners – everyone should have more fresh produce on their plate!

9. Incorporate more fruits and veggies into your meals  

This could be as easy as adding a side of your favourite veggies to each meal, slipping some spinach into your fruit smoothie, having fruit as a dessert instead of chocolate cake, or making a tofu and vegetable stir-fry.

When cooking vegetables, do not overcook them or use too much water when boiling, since this will cause the crunchy, fresh produce to lose important nutrients. Also, if you can keep the peel on your fruits or veggies, do so since these contain a lot of nutrients! Just make sure to scrub well before taking a bite out of that juicy apple.

10. Go for low (fat) 

While fat is an essential part of any diet, that doesn’t mean your food should be swimming around in it all the time. Try to cook with low-fat dairy alternatives or veggie-based sauces instead of those heavy cream-based ones. And when it comes to salad dressings, try to stick to oils and vinaigrettes rather than opting for Caesar, blue cheese, or ranch.

11. Get more fibre in your system 

Fibre is great for helping things move along in your digestive system. You can add to your fibre intake by having more fruits, veggies, healthy grains like oatmeal, as well as beans and lentils.

healthy salad bowl
Source: Jez Timms via Unsplash

12. Explore international cuisines 

When trying your hand at healthy cooking for beginners, you might feel overwhelmed with all the recipes you could try. So here’s a tip: try to pick dishes from those healthier cuisines of the world.

Greek food is big on olive oil, fruits, veggies, tomatoes, nuts, and feta, a low-fat cheese. Japanese cuisine also has tons of fresh seafood and veggies – just make sure you avoid oily, fried recipes like tempura. Beginner vegetarian cooks can look to Indian cuisine, which is famous for its flavourful dishes. Lastly, Italian cuisine can be healthy, too! It’s not the carb overload that’s been popularised – rather, it’s a tradition of fresh fish, grains, olive oil, and veggies.

13. Do meal prep  

Make time to plan your menu for the week, shop for healthy ingredients, chop everything up, and try out those recipes on your “healthy cooking” Pinterest board! (It’s about time you actually tried those out, right?).

What’s great about meal prep is that you can portion the food into individual containers so that all you need to do during the week is grab one, pop it in the microwave, and enjoy. No excuse to hit up your favourite takeaway place now! We recommend pairing your meal prep with fitness activities and learning how to set up your very own home gym.

meal prep
Source: Ella Olsson via Unsplash

If you’re on a tight schedule, or you’re not sure how to get started, you could always get a nearby meal prep expert to help you out.  

Need a helping hand to get your healthy cooking adventure started? You can book cooking lessons and have them right in your own kitchen! Just request a Tasker to get started.

Top Midnight Food Delivery in Sydney

Home late or weren't hungry at dinner time? Here's where to get a late night meal in Sydney.

Top Midnight Food Delivery in Sydney

Got a feeling of emptiness in your stomach around the time the clock strikes 12 in the morning? Well, it sounds like you’ve got a case of the ‘midnight munchies’.

Although your local Dominos and Thai restaurant might be closed, there are still plenty of places busy cooking delicious food that an Airtasker can deliver right to your door. To help, we’ve compiled a list of the top midnight food delivery options in Sydney.

Chat Thai

If you’re hankering for a northern Thai feast in the middle of the night, then Chat Thai is your place. Its Thaitown Haymarket branch is open for supper serving an extensive menu till 2am. Whether its old favourites such as chicken satay skewers ($2 each), chicken chilli basil ($14) or pad thai ($9.90); a delivery of a delicious Chat Thai meal is always welcome.

Golden Century

Where do Sydney chefs head for dinner after they close their kitchens, rumour has it Golden Century is the spot. It’s popular for its salt and pepper squid and crisp-skinned chicken, but for $44 per person, the banquet will give you a taste of everything.

Open until 4am, it suits hungry late night revellers and busy Airtaskers delivering midnight munchies!

Yumcha at Golden Century

Wondering what other types of food delivery alternatives are popular on Airtasker? Check out our Top 5 Airtasker Foods Delivered list.

Mamak

It’s another inner city staple, which if you haven’t been to yet, is an absolute must. Mamak has introduced Sydney-siders to the wonders of Malaysian food with their moreish puffy roti bread along with their curries jam-packed with flavour.

With lines of hungry people often queued around the block, have an Airtasker wait in the line for you while you enjoy your night. Mamak is open till 2am on Friday and Saturdays.

Harry’s Café de Wheels

A Sydney institution, Harry’s Café de Wheels has over 70 years experience of supplying pies to the locals of Woolloomooloo.

harrys-cafe-de-wheels-sydney
Source: Cookies and Tomatoes blog

These scrumptious pies are arguably the best pies in Sydney with a signature Harry’s Tiger beef pie topped with mushy peas, mash and gravy (image above). But if pies aren’t your cup of tea, they also have other favourites such as pasties, sausage rolls and hot dogs.

Pancakes on the Rocks

It’s open 24 hours a day, every day. Yes, that means if you ever have a pancake craving, you are in luck to tuck into a banana pancake stack regardless of the time at Pancakes on the Rocks.

A favourite amongst tourists and teenagers post school formal, Pancakes on the Rocks has both sweet and savoury menu options. For people with a serious sweet tooth, you can’t go past a Devils Delight ($14.95), which is a stack of chocolate pancakes topped with strawberries and ice cream – enough to satisfy any midnight craving!

pancakes on the rocks sydney airtasker delivery
Source: feedmygrumbles blog

We suggest that every member of your party choose something different so that you can swap and taste a variety of pancakes.

What’s your spot for a late night feed? Let us know in the comments below.

Top 5 Airtasker Foods Delivered

Let’s face it, we’ve all made ourselves the promise to cook more homemade meals. And while our intentions are sound, "Top 5 Airtasker Foods Delivered"

Top 5 Airtasker Foods Delivered

Let’s face it, we’ve all made ourselves the promise to cook more homemade meals. And while our intentions are sound, the reality is we are often too busy to shop, decide, prepare and cook a hearty meal every day. Often the temptation to grab a quick bite from the local takeaway is all too tempting.

Hey, it’s ok to ‘break the rules’ from time to time and indulge in your favourite dish at home in front of the TV watching re-runs of Big Bang Theory (or is that just me…). But what if the restaurant you want to order from doesn’t deliver? Well that’s no longer a problem as Airtasker makes it simple for you to hire a Runner and get your takeaway food delivered to your door.

With plenty of food delivery tasks on Airtasker, we thought we’d share the top 5 to get those taste buds salivating.

1. McDonald’s
The Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets and Frozen Cokes are some all-time favourites from the world’s most popular fast food chain. But without a delivery option, you need to go in-store to satisfy your Maccas craving.

McDonalds delivery on Airtasker

Regardless if you’re glued to the couch after too many vinos or perhaps the kids are sleeping, a McDonald’s delivery is the perfect solution when you can’t leave the house.

It will only cost you around $10 for Macca’s to get delivered to you which is on par if you consider to cost of petrol and your time to buy it yourself.

Here is one of our favourite McDonald’s delivery tasks posted by Will, who was lining up at the Apple Store to get his hands on the latest iPad and needed some breakfast.

2. Pho
Pho is the new ‘must-eat’ food of the moment, so it’s of no surprise that people are searching high and low for the best Vietnamese noodle soup they can find.

In Sydney, the majority of the best places are located in Sydney’s West, meaning it’s harder for people not living in the area to get to. Lucky Krisan was stuck at Milsons Point but found Airtasker Yuqi, who picked up four Pho soups from Pho An in Bankstown and delivered the soups right to her door for $30.

3. Mr Crackles
Founded in Darlinghurst, Sydney these guys do a seriously mean pork roll and lucky for most partygoers, open to the wee hours of the morning.

However it also attracts a queue…

Mr Crackles Sydney Queue

For an office lunchtime meal, Luke put a food delivery task up on Airtasker for seven rolls and got them delivered across the city by David for just $20.

Perhaps you should give it a go and get your own Mr Crackles delivery.

4. KFC
It may come as a surprise, but KFC is the most popular fast-food takeaway delivery request on Airtasker. Although buckets of the Original Recipe Chicken may not be for everyone, people can’t get seem to get enough of the Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices.

Josh posted the most impressive KFC delivery task to date with a variety of Popcorn chicken, Crispy Strips and more for a $10 delivery rate to the Airtasker.

Hmm i’m feeling like a KFC delivery of my own right about now!

5. Messina
This list would not be complete without a mention of the popular ice-creamery in Sydney and now also in Melbourne, Gelato Messina. Priding themselves on lip-smacking flavour combinations of gelato, their ice-cream cakes is what puts them above the rest.

There’s just one big issue, you’ll notice as a pick up and care instruction they recommended safe travel time is around 35 minutes. So you can understand why we’ve seen a few Messina delivery tasks on Airtasker, even here at Airtasker HQ for me.

Messina ice cream delivery Sydney with Airtasker

What food would you get delivered to you by an Airtasker? Let us know in the comments below!

Or test it out yourself and get some great food delivered to your door!