*Since this was late to post Friday (Blogger down) leaving it up to be sure you have chance to read.
Many of us start the day out strong but then our eating suffers by sundown. I asked our Market Melissa to share some of the information from her “Taming Takeout” Market Foodtraining tours to help us solve the dinner dilemma. Thanks M.
Many of us start the day out strong but then our eating suffers by sundown. I asked our Market Melissa to share some of the information from her “Taming Takeout” Market Foodtraining tours to help us solve the dinner dilemma. Thanks M.
I know how it goes. It’s 7pm and you walk in the door. You are tired, hungry and cranky. What’s for dinner? That’ll be takeout (again). My clients have been there; I ‘ve been there. It’s a pattern we can all fall into and it isn’t a good one. While I don’t expect anyone to start dicing, slicing and following a 20-ingredient recipe, making dinner can be quick AND healthy. My 3 “supper secrets” are:
- Make a menu plan-menu sounds complicated but know what you’ll eat each night of the week and shop for missing ingredients.
- Be your own sous chef- chop vegetables on Sunday, do as much advance prep as possible.
- Make extra, I always try and make extra servings when I am cooking so I have leftovers nights during the week when I know I will be working late.
So put away your takeout menu collection and try some of our favorite easy dinners:
- Fajita Omelet – we love breakfast for dinner. Sauté peppers and onions in 1 tsp. olive oil. Add in 1-2 omega 3 eggs and top with salsa and/or avocado.
- Multipurpose Marinade– this is a great marinade from Clean Eating magazine. I let chicken breasts, cut into strips, marinate over night for more flavor and it’s ready for a grill pan as soon as I walk in the door. 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, salt and pepper for (4) 4 oz. chicken breasts. Trader Joe’s pre-cooked brown rice is always in my pantry- heat and top with chicken.
- Roasted Shrimp Cocktail – I love this simple and quick Ina Garten recipe for roasted shrimp. Serve over dinosaur kale or pre-washed salad greens.
- Easy Oven Roasted Cod from Rosaberry. Preheat the oven to 400º. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Season 1.5 pounds cod fillets with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon zest (1 tsp). Place the fillets on the parchment paper. In a bowl mix a pint grape tomatoes, ¼ cup pitted calamata olives, 2 tsp oregano, and 1 Tbs olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the tomato mixture over the cod. Roast 12-15 minutes. Squeeze lemon wedge over cooked fish.
- Trader Joe’s Organic Baked Tofu (teriyaki or savory flavor). This is always in my refrigerator to throw over a salad or quinoa for an instant dinner. Quinoa is a staple on my weekly menu. It is one of the quickest cooking whole grains out there, done in 10 minutes.
- Poached chicken – Simmer organic chicken in low sodium broth for 20 minutes or until cooked through. I like to make several servings to have as leftovers. Enjoy with roasted vegetables or wrap it up in a whole wheat or corn tortilla.
- Burger Night – I love anything Applegate Farms especially their organic turkey burgers . For a Vegetarian option, my go to veggie burger is Sunshine Burgers (I like the falafel flavor) Both can be kept in the freezer and pulled out right before cooking. They are great on their own, topped with avocado, hummus or salsa or with a side of Alexia sweet potato fries.
- Organic Bistro meals – I am not a huge proponent of frozen meals, but they are good to have in a pinch. This line is the best one out there in terms of sodium content and the lack of preservatives. All ingredients are “real food.” My kind of ingredient list. The Wild Alaskan Salmon is a favorite.
- Pasta – I like using brown rice or quinoa pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions. Sauté your veggie of choice in garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes (optional). Zucchini, asparagus & tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli or kale are some of my favorites. Top pasta with veggies and fresh herbs (flat leaf parsley or basil work for any dish). Think more veggies and less pasta. Total time is less than 20 minutes.
- Portobello Pizza – Lauren told me about this one from the Swanky Dietitian and it has been in my rotation ever since. Super easy and helps satisfy my ever-present pizza cravings. Are you a victim of the take out monster on weekdays? What are your go-to easy dinners? And what are your time-saving tips? To learn more about Melissa’s Market Foodtraining tours click here.
Great ideas. I travel frequently for work, but stay at Residence Inn, which has a stove and microwave at a min. I'll be trying some of these out. Thanks.
The 7 pm what's for dinner thing never happens to me. Ha! All of your easy dinner ideas sound great, especially the oven roasted cod and the fajita omelette. Agree with all your "Supper Secrets" too!
i work late alot – or, i work semi-late and get home from the gym late – alot. And, because I am a little picky, not a fan of pre-packaged foods or take-out. What works for me – I buy a big piece of codfish or when in season, wild Alaskan sockeye salmon. I have them cut the filets into x # of pieces. Each piece gets frozen separately. During the week, I grab fish out of the freezer, put on a piece of aluminum foil with lemon, rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil. Saffron is nice change Sometimes, if i have the energy I throw in some chopped onion, celery and carrots. Wrap. Bake or broil. As the fish heats, it creates a really great sauce by mixing with the olive oil and seasonings. Add a little more water if you want a really light fish soup.
Great dinner tips!
Life is so much easier when I plan meals! And cleaning and chopping everything up on Sunday is also so helpful. Love the list of easy go-to dinners.
Thanks so much Melissa!! Those Portobello Pizzas look amazing. TJ brown rice is a staple for me too. I always mix it in with steamed spinach and a soy sauce as an easy side and a means to get some greens in my boyfriend!
Thanks for the shout out!
I definitely have weeks where if I don't prep on Sundays, my week of eating isn't all that great.
I always do so much better when I prep and plan.
Great ideas!
i definitely need to make a Fajita Omelet, SOON! <3 mmmmm
great and useful post
this is not a revolutionary idea, but i make a lot of food when i have time (usually sunday afternoon) and then can just reheat it during the week when i'm pressed for time. on the menu this week: baked chicken, roasted brussels sprouts with shallots, roasted shrimp with zucchini, tomato, and basil. and trader joe's precooked brown rice is awesome.
Great post — the portobello pizza looks amazing. We are definitely going to make it very soon. I love planning our menu for the week. I have some great new cookbooks that help keep it fun. These recipes are really easy too. We have not tried the brown rice yet from TJ, but now we will.
Thanks Julie, check back and let us know what new recipes you find. Enjoy the "pizza".
This has been the secret to my success (with foodtrainers guidance), love planning for the week ahead. Work is a waste land of junk food and I love bringing my left overs. Looking forward to summer and cold soups. Love making a big thing of gazpacho and adding different things to it…grilled shrimp, avocado.
Love all these ideas, right in time for spring/summer. Time to add some new recipes to my week. Love the fajita omelette idea..breakfast for dinner is so much fun.
Thanks for all the great ideas.
I love this post! I just posted about Meal Planning last week. It's such an important aspect of living a healthy lifestyle. One of my favourite easy meals is a Free-From Roasted Chicken with a salad – it's the best for Monday nights when you don't want to cook, and it gets your week off to a healthy start.
I feel I'm more likely to go out on weekends, for lack of wanting to cook! Like yesterday evening I SO badly just wanted to run to Chipotle but when we finally got motiated to just go grocery shopping, I was glad that I came home and made my own dinner! GReat suggestions! It's all about being prepared!
Erin, I think you bring up a good point. It's a double barrier if we feel we have to go shopping then do the cooking. If the shopping is done then just one thing to do. Also, makes me feel better that you also sometimes are tempted to take the easy way out. I guess we all are.
Great tips. It helps having vegetables and fruits washed in the frig. I usually make a roasted chicken too with sweet potato on the side. Leftovers make another meal. 🙂
So happy to see so many people are menu planning for the week. Shopping over the weekend definitely helps so that you have everything you need to cook during the week. I made a big batch of sauteed veggies last night to throw over brown rice, have a side dish or snack on while I am cooking. If they are cooked and in my refrigerator there are no excuses.
oh what great ideas! i tend to think ahead and when i am pressed for time i whip up eggs or tuna…..
Great post Lauren! My favorite tip that you mentioned is to "Be your own sous chef." Preparing meals ahead of time does make life a little easier 🙂
I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner because despite my best intentions, I never, ever find time to make a meal plan. Eggs are always in the fridge though, even if it's completely empty otherwise.
Is it really that easy to make cod? Great idea! I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks for all the suggestions!
Thanks for the tips! I love prepping what I can on Sunday.
fabulous tips! I work some crazy hours so meal planning and prep are a must. Sundays are my massive prep days. I tend to eat the same things during the week out of convience. So I'll pick something and just make lots. Lately its been zucchini noodles salads with lentils. So I make a huge pot of lentils and keep it in the fridge. Then I spiralize my zucchini in a huge batch. And in the fridge it goes..etc..etc..Ive been able to find single servings of almond butter which helps me for a healthy snack in a snap. If Im in a super crunch I'll grab tuna, a bag of spinach and some balsamic vinegar for an easy salad. So just a few time savers that have worked for me. Thanks for the great ideas!
Chrysta, I love your staples too. Still contemplating a spiralizer, do you use it a lot? We love Barney butter almond butter, try that if you see it.
do you prefer an omelet to a frittata?