Super Simple & Healthy Dinner

These days I’m looking for dinners that I can make in very little time and with few ingredients.  I usually want to spend no more than 15 minutes prepping dinner.  One of my favorite proteins to cook with is chicken sausage – it’s fully seasoned, very flavorful, healthy and easy to cook with!  This past week I made a simple saute of chicken sausage with peppers and onions.  I served it with an ear of corn and some roasted broccoli.

This dinner came together in a matter of minutes.

For the chicken sausage with peppers and onions all I did was saute the onions in a little olive oil, once soft I added the bell peppers.  Then I added in the chicken sausages and cooked until heated through.

For the corn on the cob I simply husked the ear of corn, wrapped it in a damp paper towel and microwaved it for 3 minutes.  When corn is fresh you don’t need to add a thing, it’s so flavorful!

For the roasted broccoli, I just coated it with cooking spray, salt and pepper and roasted it in a 450 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

As you  can see – the only prep work was cutting onions, peppers and broccoli and husking the corn!  In 20 minutes I had a very nutritious meal that provided protein (chicken sausage) carbs (corn) and fat (olive oil) and lots of vitamins and minerals from all the vegetables (onions, peppers, broccoli and corn!).

Make Things Easy!

When you have a baby your life literally gets turned upside down.  If you were an organized person who liked to plan a lot (like me!) suddenly you can’t do that anymore!  You have to go with the flow.  Right now I’m having a hard time finding time to do anything because Hannah refuses to nap 🙂

Even though life is crazy and being organized is not really happening, it’s not an excuse to lead an unhealthy lifestyle.  So what do I recommend?  You must make things easy on yourself!  Here are some recommendations:

1. Get groceries delivered!  I’ve spoken about Fresh Direct before, but now I’m even a greater advocate.  Having your groceries delivered is definitely the way to go.  At night once Hannah goes to sleep I can try to think about what I need in the apartment for some simple meals and snacks and place an order.  It’s so simple!
2. Buy prepped food.  You will pay extra, but if it actually makes you use the food then it’s worth it!  Buy the pre-chopped fruits and vegetables.  Spring for the thin cut chicken cutlets.  Choose the lettuce in the bag (even though you should still wash it before eating).
3. Treat yourself!  You may not have the time to make a salad – all the chopping and prepping can take a lot of time.  So treat yourself to a salad out – this way you know you’re getting in a healthy meal, and not spending all the time making it yourself!
4. Keep frozen meals on hand.  Eating fresh is the way to go, but sometimes it is just not possible!  Keep frozen meals around so you can have a quick meal in a pinch.  My favorites are Kashi and Amy’s.  Bulk them up with frozen vegetables, you can microwave them all together.   And it’s healthier than takeout!
5. Buy pre-made food from your local health food store.  If you have a Whole Foods near by or something similar shop from their prepared food section.  There will be lots of healthy choices and all you have to do is warm it up!  At Whole Foods you can buy pre-made salmon or chicken, lots of wonderful veggies and delicious whole grains.  Just be careful that the things you choose aren’t swimming in oil – just because it comes from a health food store does not mean it’s healthy!

How do you make things easier on yourself?

Quick & Healthy Lunch

The baby is sleeping…so I can squeeze in a quick post.

I wanted to show you what I ate for lunch today, it took less than 5 minutes to prepare and it was delicious and healthy!

I made a turkey sandwich which consisted of:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• Applegate Farms turkey breast
• 1 Light Laughing Cow wedge
• Dijon mustard
• Romaine lettuce
• Roasted red peppers

On the side I had cole slaw that I made for dinner last night using this recipe – I highly recommend it!  I made a few changes – I omitted the onions and peppers (didn’t have any) and used less oil and sugar.  I also enjoyed an organic peach from my CSA.  Actually a lot of the food was from my CSA: romaine lettuce, cabbage and the peach!

I love this meal because it’s high in fiber (whole wheat bread, lettuce, peppers, cabbage, and the peach) and high in protein (turkey).  It’s full of color which means it contains a wide variety of nutrients and will keep me full do the combination of protein and fiber!  Add in deliciousness and it’s a winning combo!

If I can make a healthy lunch in minutes with a screaming baby in my arm – you can too!

Here’s a recent photo of us from the July 4th weekend: