While some people may find eating healthy on busy weeknights easier with fast food and drive-thru meals, it's also important to have a variety of nutritious options available at home.
New York Times best-selling cookbook author Danielle Walker has some tips on how to create healthy meals that are convenient and stress-free. Follow her five simple steps and you'll be eating healthy without any extra hassle!
1. Plan Ahead
Planning ahead for the weeknight dinners can be a challenge, but with some planning and preparation, you can save time in the kitchen and still create a healthy meal that everyone will love.
The first step is to create a meal plan with recipes that fit your family's tastes and schedule. Then go grocery shopping based on your menu to avoid impulse buying or double-buying items you already have in the pantry.
Another important tip is to make big batches of soups, stews, beans or casseroles that can be stored in your refrigerator or freezer for a quick and easy meal at the end of the week. Freezing individual portions of these dishes will also save you time on busy night when you need something fast to cook, but don't have the time or energy to make a full batch of a new recipe.
If you're a fan of Pinterest, set up a board with recipe ideas to help you brainstorm what to make for the next few weeks. You might even want to keep a separate board for breakfast, lunch and dinner to have more options in case you get stuck at work with nothing to eat or you're running late.
For example, try out a pasta salad in the microwave if you're stuck at the office late or a grain bowl made from a combination of brown rice, quinoa and lentils for a light and healthy mid-week dinner.
Having the right tools and equipment in the kitchen can make all the difference in speedy cooking and clean up. For example, a non-stick skillet or sheet pan is a good choice for frying up your favorite quick dinners or making a large batch of soup that can be reheated later.
The best part is that once you've done your meal planning, prep and grocery shopping for the week you can simply pop a few of these ingredients in the oven and you'll have a tasty and filling dinner in no time. Plus, you'll save a bundle on your grocery bill.
2. Make Ahead Dishes
Whether you're an action-packed weeknight chef or a weekend warrior with too many things on the to-do list, making your own meals is a great way to save time and money. Make-ahead cooking strategies include techniques such as freezing carefully to preserve freshness, creating refrigerator casseroles, and using a slow cooker in the morning for dinner that night.
If you're new to the concept of meal prepping, it can be overwhelming to decide what to make. But if you keep a few basic ingredients on hand, such as quinoa, hemp seeds, chicken breast, and berries, it's easy to find recipes that use these in multiple dishes throughout the week.
Start by making a list of meals that your family loves. These should be simple and tried-and-true, so you'll know what to make next time you're stumped in the kitchen.
Then, create a meal plan for each day of the week. This will allow you to plan out which nights of the week have more or less prep time and which are best for leftovers.
Another great tip to help you stay organized is to set a theme for each of your dinners. This might be something like a "Pasta Night" or "Taco Tuesday" or a "Mexican Night."
Once you have a menu plan, it's time to choose recipes. Look for dishes that will give you plenty of leftovers and are easy to prepare and cook up in one pan, such as the Spicy Honey Garlic Salmon recipe below.
A final tip for success with make-ahead recipes is to shop smartly and only buy ingredients that you need for the entire week. This will help you to avoid the common trap of buying too much, which often ends up with a mountain of extra items that you don't need or use.
Then, spend a few hours on a Sunday cooking up a few batches of meals that you can store in the freezer or refrigerate until you're ready to serve them. This will allow you to have a variety of healthy options available when you're short on time and need to cook up some quick and delicious meals.
3. Make Ahead Sauces
Many of the meals on this list can be made a day or two in advance and then simply warmed up before you eat them. This can save you so much time on a hectic evening and give you a healthier, more satisfying meal.
If you are looking for a new healthy dinner idea, look no further than these crowdsourced recipes. These are simple to prepare, nutritious and packed with flavor. They are also easy to customize for your family's needs and preferences.
Whether you are trying to lose weight or just keep up with your family's busy schedule, making healthy recipes that are easy and fast is key to keeping the whole family happy. These weeknight meals are the perfect way to stay on track and ensure that you are eating a balanced and healthy diet.
Some of these dishes are so simple they can be prepared in under an hour, while others are large-batch recipes that can be frozen and ready to reheat when you need them. Either way, these meals are delicious and a perfect choice for your busy weeknights.
Sauces are another important component of any healthy meal that can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer for future use. For example, you can make a triple batch of your favorite tomato sauce so that you have it on hand for pasta nights or when you are making homemade lasagna.
These sauces can be used to top roasted vegetables, in a stir-fry or for a quick and easy soup or chili recipe. They can also be mixed with a variety of other ingredients to create a new dish every night.
Danielle Walker, the author of Healthy in a Hurry and creator of her own line of seasoning blends, says that preparing foods in advance is an excellent way to keep the kitchen stocked with healthy items. It allows you to plan out your weekly menu and ensure that you have all the necessary ingredients on hand at the store.
Best diet plan for weight loss
4. Make Ahead Vegetables
Having a variety of healthy food recipes for busy weeknights helps you avoid grabbing takeout and other processed foods. Having these meal options ready for you can help your family stay healthy, save money and get more vegetables into their diet.
Start by preparing all of your ingredients at the beginning of the week. This can include pre-cooking chicken, fish, pork or beef, marinating meats and slicing and cutting veggies. This can make your dinners come together much faster and eliminate the need to run to the store to grab something last minute.
Another important tip to remember when planning meals is to create at least three different recipes, ideally ones that you can mix and match in various configurations. This will allow you to make use of some of your leftovers and turn them into a second meal.
One of the best ways to do this is by making a batch of a recipe and then doubling it or tripling it. This will leave you with plenty of leftovers that can be reheated and eaten for lunch the next day or frozen for a later time.
Stock your pantry with staples like whole grain pasta, brown rice, beans, low-sodium broth, and canned tomatoes that you can easily prepare a quick meal from. These shelf-stable ingredients are convenient, nutritious, and the perfect building blocks for healthy dinners.
You can also take a shortcut by buying pre-chopped veggies and microwaveable grains. This is a great option for people who don't enjoy chopping or are too busy to do so.
Try to make sure that your meals are filled with a balanced mix of proteins, vegetables, and whole grains. These are the most important elements to your body's health and well-being, so make sure you're filling half of your plate with vegetables and a quarter with proteins and whole grains.
Whether you're cooking for yourself or your whole family, these tips will ensure that your meals are healthy and delicious every night of the week. They're easy to follow and will have you eating better in no time at all!