10 Easy & Healthy Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights
It is possible to prepare those healthy meals for dinner in a short time and with ease. Some of the meals that can be prepared are sweet potato stuffed, grain bowls, and sheet pan meals.
Perhaps, you are still of the opinion that it is a rather difficult task to cook tasty and nutritious dinner at home, but let me assure you, it is not.
I do like food and I do like cooking but when it comes to meals I don’t like things to be complicated. This implies that one should select meals that come with clear instructions and few preparations and cooking steps.
Below are ten of my favourite easy dinner meals that you can prepare in no time to ensure you get your daily required nutrients.
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Nadine Greeff/Stocksy United
- Stuffed sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes contain number of nutrients such as beta carotene, Vitamin C, potassium and fiber which are beneficial for the body (1).
Trusted Source).
Also, they are tasty, and one can take them with almost everything they want to eat. This makes them very ideal to form a base upon which other ingredients can be added to form a meal.
Stuffed sweet potatoes are made at my home at least once a week. First, I bake a whole sweet potato and then I fill it with such things as sautéed vegetables, beans, chicken, and cheese.
This meal is very flexible and you can decide to use whichever flavor that you desire. Here are some easy recipes for you to make or you can just add whatever you want on the roasted sweet potato and it will be delicious.
Stuffing Chicken Pesto into Sweet Potatoes
Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Vegetarian Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Grain bowls
Grain bowls are quite popular in our household and so I thought of sharing my recipe with you. My husband and I really enjoy the concept of grain bowls and make this dinner fairly often when we need something tasty that doesn’t require a lot of effort.
That is why I am a member of the celiac society and I avoid gluten in my diet, so we use grains like quinoa and brown rice. But for grain bowls you can use any grain of your choice such as farro, millet or barley.
Grains are a good source of fiber and several other nutrients including magnesium. Several researches have indicated that grains are associated with reduced chances of developing some diseases such as colon cancer, heart diseases, and type 2 diabetes (2Trusted Source).
A grain bowl is a simple dish made by placing a serving of cooked grains with cooked or raw vegetables and a protein element in the form of chicken, fried or hard boiled eggs, grilled shrimps or salmon.
Finally, one can pour the store bought dressing or make a dressing at home, or it can be simply garnished with oil and lemon juice.
For instance, there is the Green Goddess Buddha Bowl that features brown rice, roasted broccoli, sugar snap peas, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, toasted pumpkin seeds and a dressing made from Greek yogurt.
Here are a few more grain bowl recipes that make a perfect dinner option for nights when you’re short on time:Here are a few more grain bowl recipes that make a perfect dinner option for nights when you’re short on time:
Thai Chicken Buddha Bowls
The recipe you will find below is for the salmon grain bowls with lemon tahini sauce.
Sweet Potato and Chickpea Buddha Bowl.
- Veggie loaded frittatas
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As you may know, I keep chickens and, therefore, eggs finds its way into other meals than breakfast. We often have eggs for a quick and delicious meal and often prepare frittatas.
Eggs are rich in healthy fats and protein so you just have to add any vegetables you prefer to get your fiber.
My preferred vegetables to incorporate in frittatas include asparagus, spinach, sweet potatoes, zucchinis, onions, broccoli florets, mushrooms and tomatoes. It is also possible to add such items as cheese, herbs, spices or pesto to the frittata to enhance the taste.
You can also add in any kind of meat such as salmon, shredded chicken and even potatoes into your frittata.
I usually have frittata with sliced avocado or fresh fruits on the side. This is a rather filling meal that one can take anytime of the day or even in the night. Frittatas are very easy to prepare and take not more than one hour to prepare.
Here are a few tasty and easy frittata recipes:Here are a few tasty and easy frittata recipes:
Spring Vegetable Frittata
The delicious Cheesy Chicken Pepper Broccoli Frittata
This recipe for wild mushroom frittata with cheddar, green onions and peas is perfect for any meal of the day.
- Dinner salad
Salad is one of my most favorite foods and when I am not in the mood to cook I put a lot of things into my salad to make it a complete dinner.
The only challenge with most salads is that they are not properly arranged and you find yourself still hungry a few minutes after eating the salad. In order to make a complete dinner salad that will be satisfying and filling, you have to make sure that you include protein, fat and fiber in it.
Begin with the base of your choice of green; spinach, mixed greens, arugula, kale or romaine. You can also make your greens more fibrous by adding some more veggies such as peppers, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli or red onions.
Then choose a protein source such as grilled chicken, shrimps, salmon or boiled eggs. Including the fiber filled carbohydrate like beans or roasted sweet potatoes into the diet will further enhance the satiety levels.
Sprinkle your creation with roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds and finish it off with a heathy dressing because nothing beats olive oil and balsamic vinegar or try Homemade Green Goddess Dressing.
Here are a few more dinner salad ideas:Here are a few more dinner salad ideas:
Chicken Shawarma Salad with Tahini Dressing – it is a perfect dinner or lunch option for all the healthy eaters.
Superfood Salmon Salad
Crunchy Asian Chopped SalaD
- Loaded brown rice pasta
Still, many pasta dishes are not very nutritious, and lack proteins and fibers that are needed to satisfy your hunger (3.
Trusted Source
).
The good news is that with these tips, you will be able to come up with a delicious and healthy pasta dinner within the shortest time possible.
First, choose your pasta. I am a huge fan of Tinkyada brown rice pasta but you can use any pasta of your preference. One can also use the zucchini noodles in place of pasta especially if one is on a low carbohydrate diet.
Then, choose one food item that contains protein. I prefer to use chicken breast or ground chickens or if I want to make it more vegetarian I add chickpeas.
Next, choose your veggies. I prefer using spinach and broccoli but you can use any other vegetable that you wish. Lastly, choose on the sauce that you wish to use such as pesto, marinara, or olive oil.
Here are a few recipes to try out the next time you’re craving a pasta dish:Here are a few recipes to try out the next time you’re craving a pasta dish:
Broccoli Pesto Chicken Pasta
This Salad is a Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Pasta Salad.
Chicken & Spinach Mini Meatballs with Mini Feta and Zucchini Noodles
- One-pot soups
There is no better meal than a hot tasty soup especially during the cold season. Thankfully, soup is not very complicated to prepare and is ideal for meal prep as you can easily cook a lot at once.
This is why I prefer making soups that can be made in one pot because I don’t have to wash many utensils. I prepare my soups on the stovetop, however, you can prepare any of the above recipes in an Instant Pot if you wish to so do.
This soup is a Creamy Yellow Split Pea Soup and the recipe is as follows;
Curry Chicken Soup
Today I present to you a Lentil, Kale, and Quinoa Stew.
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- Curry
Curry is perfect for a quick dinner meal because it can be prepared in many ways and does not take much time to prepare as well as it is suitable for all members of the family. Also, there is a possibility that consuming curry in the regular diet can be beneficial for health since it can also help to decrease cholesterol and increase a level of good cholesterol, regulate blood sugar and triglycerides levels (4).
Trusted Source ,5.
In the winter I enjoy preparing a chickpea and sweet potato curry and eating it with rice or quinoa.
Many curry recipes take 30 minutes or less to prepare, including these simple curry dishes:Many curry recipes take 30 minutes or less to prepare, including these simple curry dishes:
Veggie_and_chickpea_curry_in_a_thai_garden_sauce_–_easy_recipe
One-pan salmon red curry – The easiest ever fish dinner!
30-Minute Thai Chicken Curry
- Burgers: Burgers is one of the most preferred meals for families since they are easy to prepare and are equallypalatable to any person including the children.
However beef burger is quite common, one can make a burger out of any protein source be it chicken, salmon, tuna or lentils.
My Mother cooks a yummy chicken burger which I prefer to eat with salad and sweet potatoes fries.
You can place your burgers in a whole grain bun, you can have it in a lettuce wrap, or you can simply have it as a salad.
Here are a few burger recipes that are super simple to prepare:Here are a few burger recipes that are super simple to prepare:
Chickpea Pizza Burgers
Spinach Feta Salmon Burgers
Great Tasting Sweet Potato Cheddar Barbecue Chicken Burgers – By Far the BestChicken Burgers I’ve Ever Had.
- Whole roasted chicken:
- Cameron Whitman/Stocksy United
Although whole chicken has to be roasted, it is one of the most uncomplicated tasks that anyone can do. Here are steps to follow to roast a perfect chicken, read on to learn more.
When I roast whole chicken I put potatoes, onions and carrots at the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on the vegetables.
After your chicken has been roasted, the next step you should take is removing the chicken from the oven and allowing it to stand for 15 minutes. You can use that time to make a quick salad like the ones listed below:You can use that time to make a quick salad like the ones listed below:
Easy Tomato Avocado Salad
My favorite green salad with apples, cranberries, and pepitas is one salad that I enjoy taking anytime.
Sun-dried Tomato Salad with Olives and Feta is a very delicious dish that is easy to prepare.
- Sheet pan meals
If you do not like washing dishes then this idea is perfect for you.
As you will see, most recipes call for the use of several pots, pans and bowls. However, sheet pan meals let you place all the ingredients on a single sheet pan to cook and therefore save your time in the kitchen.
Check out these mouthwatering sheet pan meals:Check out these mouthwatering sheet pan meals:
Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken with Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes- Easy Weeknight Dinners.
Sheet Pan Lemon Brown Butter Salmon with Parmesan Asparagus.
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Sheet Pan Mediterranean Vegetarian Dinne
The bottom line
A good and healthy dinner doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and prepare numerous and complicated dishes.
All of the recipes mentioned above are not only healthy, but also are relatively easy to prepare.
Use any of the recipes in this article the next time you’re stuck on what to prepare for dinner.
