3 Easy Healthy Dinner Recipes

Sometimes when life gets busy, exercise and healthy eating are often the first things to go right out the window. Rather than succumb to another fast food meal on the run, try one of these easy healthy dinner recipes for a quick and nutritious meal.

1. Light Chicken Caesar Wraps with Fruit

Easy healthy dinner recipes

This is a great meal to make when you were ready to eat 5 minutes ago. Grill a couple of chicken breasts (any gas grill or a George Foreman will do this for you pretty quickly), sprinkled with Season All or another low sodium seasoning option.

While the chicken is cooking, combine a bag of pre-washed, pre-cut salad (try mixing the standard romaine with some spinach or a baby spring mix to boost the nutrient value of the meal) with a sliced tomato or some cherry tomatoes. Toss your salad (stop it…) with your favorite light Caesar dressing, and set it on the table with some parmesan cheese.

Chop into cubes a few pieces of seasonal fruit for an impromptu fruit salad. Bananas, pears, and apples are usually easy choices. If they’re in season, add some fresh berries to the mix. They’ll add flavor, color, and antioxidants. Fruit canned in water can also be quickly drained and served if your fresh produce supply is low.

When the chicken is done, cut the breasts into strips, a half inch to one inch thick. (To make the prep work even faster, grill a couple of extra chicken breasts the night before. All you’ll need to do is slice them up!)

Top the tossed salad with your chicken, and let everyone help themselves to the parmesan. Try rolling up servings of chicken Caesar salad in whole grain tortillas or wraps for more energy-rich carbohydrates and some added fiber.

2. Fast Fish Tacos

All frozen foods are not created equal. That said, some frozen options, like chicken or fish can be life savers when the fridge is empty and the family is counting on you to come up with a meal. (Think fresh frozen fillets and whole breasts, rather than breaded sticks or nuggets.) Frozen fish fillets are especially good for a healthy dinner in a hurry, because they’re packed with healthful omega-3 fatty acids, and don’t need to thaw.

Set the oven to preheat and boil water for brown Minute Rice. Cook only the number of servings you’ll actually need, or make a couple of extras to package away for tomorrow’s lunches. (Minute Rice—or any other brand of pre-cooked rice— can be a savior when you’re short on time and trying to cook for a hungry family. I recommend always having some on hand.)

While the water is boiling, chop some fresh tomato and onion. Slice or mash an avocado for a quick taco topping with lots of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (the good kind of fats that your body actually needs).Get out some lettuce or baby spinach leaves (remember: the more colorful your lettuce, the more nutritious it will be), and some salsa. I like to put my taco bar toppings in separate bowls or on a big serving plate, and stick them back in the fridge to be pulled out just when dinner is ready to be served.

When the oven is hot, put in your frozen fish fillets, and set the timer. When the fish is ready (usually in just 15-20 minutes), so is dinner! Serve chunks of fish with corn tortillas or whole wheat wraps, and let everyone top his or her own tacos. You can even use extra lettuce and tomatoes to make an easy side salad.

3. Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is the old standby from mom’s recipe book, with a couple of twists to give it an updated nutrition profile. Start by putting water on to boil for noodles. Use whole wheat noodles (rather than egg noodles or other white options) if you’re going for healthy.

Choose your veggies. My mom usually added frozen peas, but this is a great chance to get creative and pack some extra vitamins and nutrients into this dish. Chopped bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion can be lightly sautéed in olive oil while your pasta is cooking, and will add both color and flavor to the final dish. Frozen broccoli or fresh spinach are other easy ways to add some green to this dinner (although if you choose frozen vegetables larger than peas, you’ll probably want to cook them a bit before dumping them into the casserole).

Once your noodles have been cooked and drained, add a can of low sodium creamy soup (I like cream of mushroom best for this dish), a can (or two) of chunk tuna in water (drained) and your veggies. Add some pre-grated, reduced fat cheese if you’d like, and stir everything together over low heat until the consistency is thick and creamy. Let sit for a couple of minutes, and serve with a side of fresh baby spinach and your favorite light salad dressing.

Hunger doesn’t go away just because you’re busy; and neither does the importance of making healthy food choices for yourself and your family. So the next time you need dinner in a rush, why not skip the drive through and try one of these instead.

What are some of your favorite easy healthy dinner recipes?

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