University of Florida

No-cook Recipes

No Time to Cook? No Problem!


With these quick-fix meals, you can be eating healthy in a snap at any time of day!

Pumpkin Breakfast Pudding

Combine one box of vanilla instant pudding mix, one cup milk, one cup canned or fresh pumpkin, one teaspoon cinnamon, and one teaspoon vanilla. Stir in a cup of dry granola-type cereal and refrigerate overnight.

Be sure to buy pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling!

Fresh Fruit Salad

Cut up a few different types of fresh or canned fruit--such as apples, grapes, pineapples, peaches, melons, berries, or bananas. Mix the fruit with low-fat vanilla yogurt, and top with walnuts or pecans. Serve with a whole-grain English muffin or bread.

Southwestern Bean Salad

Drain and combine one cup of canned black beans and one cup of corn kernels. Mix with half a cup of salsa or diced tomatoes. Spoon the mixture onto salad greens and top with ¼ cup low-fat shredded cheese. Garnish with a dollop of low-fat sour cream if desired. Serve with whole grain crackers.

Tortilla Wraps

On a tortilla, add layers of sliced deli meat, cheese, onions, tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, and chunky salsa. Fold one end of the tortilla over the filling, turn in the sides, roll up, and enjoy!

Bean and Veggie Sandwich

Drain, rinse, and mash a can of white beans. Mix with low-fat plain yogurt. Add spices--such as mustard, dill, parsley, garlic, onion, or pepper--as desired. Spread on multi-grain bread and top with Romaine lettuce, sliced cucumber, and tomato slices.

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Mix canned shredded chicken with low-fat mayonnaise. Add chopped celery, chopped green or red peppers, and curry powder to taste. Serve on whole-grain bread with sliced tomato and spinach leaves or Romaine lettuce.

If you have leftover cooked chicken in your refrigerator, use it instead of canned chicken. If you don't like chicken, substitute canned tuna!

Adapted and excerpted from:

J. Hillan, Healthy Eating for Elders: No-Cook Recipes (FCS8693-Eng), Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences (rev. 05/2011).

fruit salad

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