When you’re sick, no one wants to spend hours cooking. But your body must receive the nutrition and vitamins it needs. If you are suffering from a cold or flu, it can be tempting to grab quick meals. There’s nothing wrong with having comfort food when you feel unwell. However, a freshly prepared healthy meal can help you recover.

A few time-saving tips can make it easy to prepare nutritious meals in a matter of minutes. This list contains 12 quick and healthy recipes that can be used for sick days.

Ramen Mason Jars

Long preparations are not recommended for those who feel ill. Although instant ramen is popular for quick and hot meals, it can be very unhealthy. This quick ramen mason-jar recipe from Simple, Sassy, Scrumptious is high in protein and requires no cooking. Pour hot water over the ramen and let it stand for five minutes. Even better, you can eat your soup right out of the jar.

This recipe requires cooked shredded chicken. You could add some edamame beans and chopped tofu to make it vegan.

Frozen Berry and Yogurt Swirls

Ice cream is a great way to soothe a sore throat. These yogurt popsicles are an easy and beautiful way to soothe a sore throat. This combination of fresh berries and clementines is a delicious, swirled effect.

This recipe makes use of disposable cups as popsicle moulds. You don’t even need to have any special equipment. This recipe is great for making healthy treats ready for when you get bitten.

Cream Cheese Mac and Cheese

A hot plate of mac and cheese is the best comfort food when you are sick. Making mac and cheese from scratch is time-consuming. Crunch & Cream’s cream cheese mac & cheese recipe uses cream cheese in place of a roux-based white dish. Cook the pasta and stir it into a casserole with cream cheese, shredded Parmesan, and then bake it.

The oven-baked pasta is great on its own, but you can add chopped vegetables to make it even more nutritious. You can add cooked shredded chicken to the sauce or canned tuna for extra protein.

Green Smoothie

Smoothies are great for those who need nourishment but have a sore throat or a reduced appetite. Downshiftology’s green smoothie recipe includes four portions of fruits, vegetables, and vibrant green spinach.

A healthy smoothie can be made in just minutes by roughly chopping the fruits and vegetables and then blending them with milk. You can also use dairy-free milk alternatives such as almond and soy milk for a plant-based version.

Applesauce

This homemade apple sauce recipe from Spend with Pennies requires just four ingredients: water, apples, sugar, cinnamon, and sugar. This recipe is also quick and simple to make, exactly what you need when your body isn’t feeling well. Add the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Applesauce can be made at home and is easy to eat. You can also spoon it over plain yogurt or cereal to make a substantial meal. Applesauce can be frozen well to have a nutritious and comforting snack for when you are sick.

Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

A slow cooker is an excellent way to make sick-day meals. You can add the ingredients and let it do its thing. You can even make comforting chicken soup with it. This simple Crock-Pot chicken soup recipe by Delish includes protein-rich chicken breasts and nutritious carrots, celery, and pasta.

The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked before adding it to the pot. You can put the chicken breasts in the pot whole and then shred them with 2 forks before serving. The chicken breasts take between 6-8 hours to cook. You can fill your slow cooker with the ingredients in the morning so that you have a hot meal at dinner.