By Janet Luhrs, www.simpleliving.com
We have all been there; it’s a weeknight after work and the very last thing you want to do is swing by the local market for inspiration and ingredients to start dinner. And when you do this, you and your hungry stomach too often make less than healthy choices. But wait! I have a much, much easier, better plan!
Take 15 minutes and do a google search for simple, healthy dinner recipes. There are loads of them, and if you stick to simple recipes, you’ll find that they use just a few basic ingredients. What’s next? Go to the grocery store and buy those staples. Keeping them on hand will give you more options than you realize, and viola! You’ll have a plan and the basics to give you easy dinner options.
I’ve included some ridiculously easy recipes to get you started. Each one of them will need a few more ingredients than the basic 10 noted here, but having these on hand will cover you for the following recipes and many more!
- Chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken (or in a real pinch, canned chicken)
- Organic chicken stock or bouillon
- Rice pasta, quinoa, or whole grain pasta
- Onions
- Canned diced, seasoned tomatoes
- Veggies of choice: broccoli, carrots, spinach, kale…
- Canned black beans
- Peppers
- Cheese
- Fresh basil
This 12 minute chicken and broccoli recipe will be a winner for everyone in your household. Serve it with rice or quinoa.
If you keep salmon fillets in your freezer, or in a pinch, canned salmon, the Quinoa Pilaf with Salmon, Spinach and Mushrooms is jam-packed with nutrients and Omega-3’s.
A robust Mediterranean flavor accompanies this healthful Greek Chicken Pasta recipe. Plenty of fiber and protein will put it to the top of your go-to meal list for the week.
Served with beef or chicken, this Piquant Spaghetti with Peppers and Tomatoes brings Italy to your week. Capers are just about the only ingredient you need to grab that is not on the basic list.
These Oven Fajitas are unbelievably easy to prep if you don’t have a grill and you can get not only a great dinner out of the recipe, but some yummy lunches to take to the office.
This Tomato Basil Chicken recipe takes only15 minutes to prep and is high in protein. Make it even simpler with canned, diced tomatoes if you don’t have fresh ones on hand.
Packed with protein and served over rice makes the Chicken over Black Bean recipe a yummy Mexican option in your repertoire.
Hopefully the ingredient list will simplify your quest for healthful and yummy diners as well as add some new options to your week. Please share with us your go-to recipes and ingredients that you keep on hand.
Featured photo source: Pixabay.com.
