7 Healthy Dinners Even Busy Women Have Time to Make
These easy meal ideas are proof that you can whip up something healthy -- even when you're in a hurry
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We've all been there: You get home from a long day of work or chasing around the kids (or both), and you feel as though you can barely muster the energy to scan your Seamless app, let alone turn on the oven.
Thankfully, these seven healthy dinner ideas are a cinch to throw together -- even after the longest, most exhausting days. Plus, they offer plenty of health benefits, like nutrient-rich veggies and filling proteins. Keep reading, and before you know it, you'll have a weeks-worth of dinners planned.
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Foil-Wrapped Fish
Fish is one of those fancy-sounding main courses that seems best left to master chefs -- until you discover foil-wrapped salmon. Place salmon on a piece of foil, along with veggies, like asparagus, herbs (dill's a good bet), olive oil and seasoning (think: lemon, salt, pepper, garlic). Wrap it all up in a little pouch and throw it in the oven for about 20 minutes. When you open that baby up, the steam-cooked fish and veggies are ready to devour.
Sure, you may have had pasta in your meal repertoire since your college days, but we bet you haven't ever tried a recipe that's produced so few dirty dishes.
In your stock pot, sauté about 6 to 8 cups of kale in olive oil for two minutes. Then, add 4-1/2 cups of water, a pint of cherry tomatoes, a package of pasta, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil before simmering until the pasta is cooked through. Once you strain the mixture, top it off with some feta cheese, and enjoy.
Sometimes it's the side dish that's the star of the meal -- which will totally be the case when you cook up Birds Eye Southwest Blend. A serving of this corn, black bean, poblano pepper , red pepper and onion blend packs a hearty 4 grams of protein per serving, for less than 80 calories.
Best of all, even the least kitchen-savvy of us can whip it up in what feels like no time at all. Pair it with chicken or salmon, mix it with steamed kale for a nutrient-loaded veggie dish or use it as an alternative add it to your turkey tacos. Or simply enjoy it all by itself.
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Pita Pizzas
Before you even think about dialing your neighborhood pizza joint, check out this healthier alternative to that cheese- and grease- soaked ring of dough you're about to order. Instead, top whole-wheat pita bread rounds with sauce, mozzarella and your veggies of choice, such as peppers, tomatoes and onions -- it's the perfect way to clear out your fridge. Then, pop it in the toaster oven or under the broiler until cheese melts. We bet you'll be chowing down before the delivery guy would have even had time to arrive.
