Healthier, cheaper and just as good: 3 recipes to replace food delivery

ARTICLE

01 October 2023

3 min read

When it comes to your health and the health of your bank account, what is delivery food really costing you? We share three recipes for homemade versions of popular takeout meals, which are as easy to prepare as they are delicious.

While food delivery can be convenient, we’re here to make the case for cooking your favourite ‘takeaway’ food at home. Not only is it better for your health to know each ingredient going into your meal, but it’s also better for the environment (due to less single-use plastic waste) and generally a lot more cost effective, too.

Here are three recipes for popular takeaway meals that you can cook at home with minimal effort and maximum flavour.

Healthy chicken nachos

Mexican food has surged in popularity over the last decade¹, and the cuisine is still enjoying its moment in the spotlight. This healthier version of chicken nachos uses several spices and ingredients you may already have at home, and you can reuse any leftovers for burrito bowls or tacos.

Serves: 6

Time: 30 minutes

Cost per serve: $5.50

Ingredients

1 x 230g bag corn tortilla chips

1 cup shredded light tasty cheese

Chicken

3 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp dried oregano

500g skinless chicken breast,

thinly sliced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp tomato paste

¼ cup chicken stock or water

1 tsp maple syrup

Juice of ½ a lime

Salsa

1 small red onion

3 ripe tomatoes

½ cup chopped coriander, plus more to serve

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 jalapeño chilli, chopped

Chunky guacamole

1 large avocado

Juice of ½ a lime

¼ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

To serve

Coriander

Sliced jalapeños

½ cup high-protein plain yoghurt

Lime wedges

Method

1. Prepare the chicken by combining spices in a large mixing bowl with 1-2 tbsp

of the chicken stock to form a smooth paste. Add chicken and toss to coat.

2. Heat oil in a large fry pan to medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 2

minutes on each side. Add remaining chicken stock, tomato paste, maple

syrup, and lime juice, and stir to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the

pan.

3. Simmer for a further 2-3 minutes or until liquid has thickened and reduced.

Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Make the salsa by finely dicing the onion and tomatoes. Toss with chopped

coriander, jalapeño, lime juice, and olive oil. Set aside until ready to serve.

5. Prepare guacamole by mashing together avocado with lime juice, cumin, and

salt. Set aside.

6. To make nachos, preheat an oven to 200°C. Arrange corn chips in a single

layer on a baking tray.

7. Place chicken evenly on top of corn chips and sprinkle over cheese. Place

into a preheated oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has just melted.

8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Top with salsa, guacamole,

Greek yoghurt, coriander, and jalapeños.

All or Something

If you’re relying on takeout for your meals, it can be hard to get into the habit of preparing and making your own food. Thankfully, there are things you can do to remove barriers and make home cooking easier on yourself.

All: Create a meal plan and shopping list for the week so you already have all the ingredients you need on hand.

Something: Plan one big, special Sunday night meal that will give you a few servings of leftovers for the week.

AIA Vitality members can earn up to 1,200 AIA Vitality Points per membership year (300 Points per quarter) for logging your food intake via your Fitbit account.

One pot rigatoni bolognese

Italian food – with its focus on fresh, easy-to-find ingredients – is one of the best cuisines to master when it comes to home cooking. This bolognese recipe is rich and flavourful, with plenty of ‘hidden’ veggies via the soffritto (diced onions, carrots and celery). The best part? It’s on the table in just 30 minutes.

Serves: 5

Time: 30 minutes

Cost per serve: $5.20

Notes

To make gluten free, use gluten free pasta and stock.
To make dairy free, omit the parmesan cheese

Ingredients
1 medium onion

1 carrot

2 celery stalks

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g extra lean beef mince

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp Italian herbs

¼ cup tomato paste

3 cups of beef stock

800g tin crushed tomatoes

350g rigatoni pasta

40g parmesan cheese

1 bunch broccolini

Method

1. Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery. Add the oil to a large saucepan and heat to medium. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the beef mince and break up using the back of a spoon. Cook for 3-5 minutes until browned. Add the garlic, Italian herbs, and tomato paste. Stir well.

2. Add in the beef stock and stir, removing any browned vegetables or meat from the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes and dry pasta to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Ensure the liquid completely covers the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the pasta is al dente. Add an extra cup of water if required during cooking.

4. Meanwhile, steam the broccolini for 2-3 minutes. Serve the pasta with grated parmesan and steamed broccolini on the side.

Pumpkin and lentil curry

If curries are your delivery go-to, this healthy and fragrant homecooked version is packed with nutrients, simple to prepare and incredibly beneficial for your budget. It’s also plant-based and contains no gluten or dairy, so it caters to most dietary needs.

Serves: 4

Time: 35 minutes

Cost per serve: $2.45

Notes

Swap the coconut yoghurt for regular Greek yoghurt if you don’t require this to be vegan or dairy free.

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice

1 brown onion

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp garam masala

400g pumpkin, skin removed

600ml vegetable stock

400g tin crushed tomatoes

¾ cup red lentils

270ml light coconut milk

½ bunch coriander

⅓ cup coconut yoghurt

1 bunch bok choy

Method

1. Cook the basmati rice according to package instructions and set aside.

2. Cut the pumpkin into approximately 2 cm cubes. Finely dice the onion.

3. Heat a large saucepan to medium. Add olive oil and onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add the grated garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the curry powder and garam masala and cook for another minute or until fragrant.

4. Add the cubed pumpkin, stock, and tomatoes to the saucepan. Stir and allow the curry to simmer over medium-low heat for 8 minutes.

5. Rinse the red lentils and add to the curry with coconut milk. Cook for further 10-15 minutes or until lentils are cooked through and the pumpkin is falling apart.

6. Steam the bok choy. Serve the curry with rice and bok choy. Top with coriander leaves and yoghurt.

These three recipes should help you kick the delivery habit for good – and your health and hip pocket will thank you. You can find more healthy recipes in our AIA Vitality Eat Well guide.

Footnotes:
¹ https://www.delicious.com.au/food-files/news-articles/article/new-mexican-restaurants-australia/otg2y0yo

Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

Disclaimer:
Copyright © 2023 AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861 AFSL 230043). This is general information only, without taking into account factors like the objectives, financial situation, needs or personal circumstances of any individual and is not intended to be financial, legal, tax, medical, nutritional, health, fitness or other advice. The source information of the articles is current as at the date of publication and may be subject to change. While the information contained herein is believed to be accurate, AIA Australia expressly disclaims any and all liability for representations or warranties, expressed or implied, contained in, or for omissions from, the information.

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