Quick and Healthy Dinners

I’m back from vacation and cannot get motivated to cook dinner.  Anything that takes any more than 10-20 minutes to prepare is agony. I don’t feel like spending much time in the grocery store either, so I have been using ingredients already in my pantry or freezer.  If you can relate, here are a few of my favorite recipes – easy-to-make, delicious, and gourmet-sounding – without a lot of time required!
Roasted organic chicken over mixed baby greens.  You can pick these ingredients up at most grocery stores on your way home from work or errands in 5 minutes.  Simply splash a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices – such as Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute or Penzeys Turkish seasoning – salt and pepper on salad greens, top with sliced chicken, and voilà – dinner is served!  This is exactly what we ate last night for dinner, with some additional cut up raw veggies for the kids!

Ginger fried rice. I hate to admit that I use frozen brown rice, but in a pinch, it’s a great option.  I sauté some ginger and garlic while the rice is heating up in the microwave/on the stovetop and then add the rice, eggs, some frozen mixed vegetables and serve  with tamari sauce.  Once again, this meal can be whipped up in 20 minutes or less.  See below for more specifics.

Baked fish on a bed of steamed veggies.  I make this with wild fish from my freezer (such as salmon, hake, halibut) on top of steamed spinach, baby kale, or any frozen veggies.  You can quickly steam or sauté the organic spinach or kale while the fish is baking in the oven.  Most fish is done within 10 minutes, even from frozen!  You can pair it with frozen, partially cooked, sweet potatoes which are quick to reheat.   (Trader Joe’s has a bag of frozen roasted sweet potatoes, with no additives.)  Drizzle some olive or avocado oil on it with some seasoning, salt and pepper and dinner is ready.  If you don’t like fish, use organic sausages!

Mexican scrambled eggs.  Don’t forget, eggs are a great option for any meal.  Pair some eggs and frozen veggies – like peppers and onions together with a bit of salsa for Mexican flare.  Add some cheese if you can tolerate dairy.  Once again – dinner is ready within minutes.

And remember, if you have time, double the recipe, so you get two meals instead of one!

Freezer staples.  

To ‘whip’ up these quick, healthy options, I stock my freezer with wild fish, organic sausages, organic chicken breasts, wild shrimp (uncooked & peeled), many different types of frozen mixed veggies (organic if possible) and bags of brown rice.

I hope this helps to give you a few quick meals to try when you don’t have time, energy or desire to spend much time in the kitchen or grocery store!

Recipe of the month

Ginger fried rice – as mentioned above.  My kids love this one, so they are always thrilled when I’m making it!  It’s a great way to use leftover brown rice or quinoa!

Lunch and Learn – Sept 23^rd at 12:30 pm at MONDO in Summit, NJ

I am hosting a lunch and learn with fellow Holistic Health Coach, Diana Sabloff, at MONDO in Summit on Tuesday, Sept 23^rd.  The topic is Real Food, Real Health.  We’ll discuss simple steps you can take to improve the health of your family and you.  Click here for more details and to sign up.

Healthy Eating Challenge – Oct 6^th

Many of you have been asking for it, and I’m happy to announce my next guided clean eating program begins on Monday, October 6^th with an optional preparation phase beginning on October 2^nd.  Are you ready to start feeling great?  Why not grab a friend and start taking care of YOU!

Please keep your comments and questions coming.  Why not share your favorite ‘go to’ healthy dinners below in the comments section?