Sling-Together Lunches & Pantry Power: How to Eat Well When You Don’t Want to Cook

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If you’ve ever bought a bag of quinoa or lentils with the best of intentions — only to let them sit unused in the back of the cupboard — you’re not alone.

What I often hear from clients is this: “I want to eat well, but unless I’m making something properly from scratch, I feel like I’ve failed. So instead, I just eat something quick and unsatisfying, or skip the meal altogether.”

It’s an all-or-nothing mindset. And it’s costing people nourishment, energy, and ease.

So let’s clear something up: you don’t have to cook everything from scratch to eat well.
And you definitely don’t need a recipe.

With just a few store-cupboard or fridge/freezer staples — and a little bit of know-how — you can throw together something genuinely delicious, balanced, and satisfying in five minutes or less.

The Ingredients You Already Have (But Aren’t Using)

There’s a huge range of nourishing, flavourful, ready-to-use foods available that most people either:

• Don’t buy because they don’t know how to use them

• Buy and then avoid because they feel a bit uninspired

Let’s change that.

Here are some of my go-to ingredients that I recommend to clients all the time:

Cupboard or shelf-stable foods:

• Tinned lentils, chickpeas, cannellini beans, black beans

• Jars of artichokes, roasted peppers, sundried tomatoes, olives

• Pouches of pre-cooked quinoa, spelt, brown rice, lentils

• Tinned fish – salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna

• Nuts like walnuts, pistachios, cashews

• Seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower, or sesame

Fridge and freezer favourites:

• Bags of washed greens (rocket, spinach, mixed leaves)

• Prepped veg: cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, cooked beetroot

• Vacuum-packed, pre-cooked beetroot

• Jars of sauerkraut or kimchi

• Avocados

• Frozen soya beans, peas, sweetcorn, spinach

• Frozen fruit for breakfast bowls and smoothies

When you’ve got a few of these on hand, lunch (or dinner) can become something you simply sling together — no stress, no perfectionism required.

The Sling-Together Lunch: A Flexible Formula

Here’s how I explain this to clients in clinic:

“We’re aiming for meals that are satisfying, nutritious, and low-effort. Something you can throw together using what’s already in your kitchen—and that you’ll actually enjoy eating.”

Here’s the basic framework:

1. Start with a base
Green leaves, cooked grains, or beans/lentils.

2. Add colour + crunch
Raw or roasted veg, pickles, or jarred ingredients like artichokes or sundried tomatoes.

3. Include protein
Tinned fish, boiled eggs, falafels, hummus, or a handful of nuts and seeds.

4. Bring it to life with fat + flavour
Avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs, lemon juice or zest, pesto, mustard.

Flavour, Texture, and Beauty

This is the part that turns a quick meal into a truly enjoyable one.

Nuts and seeds— like walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pistachios or cashews — not only add crunch and richness, they also bring flavour and visual appeal. A handful scattered over the top of a sling-together lunch can make the whole thing feel more complete and satisfying.

And don’t underestimate the power of finishing touches: lemon zest, fresh or dried herbs, a drizzle of good olive oil or some dried chilli flakes… these are the small details that turn “just a few ingredients” into something you look forward to eating.

Real Clients, Real Results

One client recently told me she’d been skipping lunch or grabbing whatever she could find—crackers, toast, leftover kids’ pasta—because she thought she didn’t have time to cook something “proper.” Once we reframed lunch as something she could assemble rather than cook, she started keeping a few pouches of lentils, some tinned mackerel, and a bag of spinach in the kitchen.

Now, five minutes gets her a lunch that’s filling, balanced, and genuinely enjoyable—something like:

• A couple of handfuls of rocket

• Half an avocado

• A pouch of lentils (rinsed and ready)

• A few sundried tomatoes and olives

• Tinned mackerel

• Toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds

• Olive oil and lemon juice to finish

That’s a nourishing, protein-rich, fibre-filled meal, pulled together in minutes. And most importantly—it works in her life.

What I Want You to Know

There is no award for struggling through mealtimes in the name of perfection.
And there’s no shame in using convenient ingredients to nourish yourself quickly and well.

Sometimes the difference between reaching for a frozen pizza or skipping the meal entirely is having just enough structure and inspiration to do something different.

These easy, mix-and-match meals aren’t just “good enough”—they’re good. Full stop.

Want More Inspiration?

I regularly share quick meal ideas using cupboard and freezer ingredients—especially chickpeas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and all my favourite short-cut flavour boosters—on Instagram. Have a look if you’re feeling stuck or want a bit of fresh inspiration.

In Summary:

If you’ve got:

• A few tins or pouches in the cupboard

• Some leaves, veg, or frozen bits in the fridge

• A little fat, crunch, and flavour for finishing...

You’ve got everything you need to eat well.
You don’t need a plan. You don’t need a recipe. You don’t need to start again on Monday.

You just need to sling it together.

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