Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Simple, Easy, Nutritious Dinner Ideas
Dinner is a great time to gather as a family and enjoy a great tasting meal together as you review the activities of the day. Often times, the preparations are over whelming and we tend to just slap something fast together to get the job done.
One of the best ways to have a great successful, healthy dinner is to plan ahead. Make a schedule for the week, then plan accordingly and meal preparations will come together more easily. A simple plan will help you to prepare anything ahead of time that will save you initial preparation prior to the meal. Here are some simple ideas that are good for you too.
Dinner:
1) Layered Taco Salad - each one can layer on plate: corn chips, cooked pinto beans, diced avacado, chopped red bell pepper, green onion, chopped lettuce, sliced black olives, salsa or red pepper sauce, guacamole (see lunch ideas below), sour cream, and whatever else you like.
2) Bean Burritos - mashed and seasoned pinto beans in a whole wheat tortilla wrap with alfalfa sprout, guacamole, salsa or red pepper sauce - with cut veggies on the side.
3) Baked potatoes and a big green salad (as described in lunch ideas below)
4) Layered Chinese Salad - each one can layer on plate: Chinese noodles, cooked brown rice (see cooking instructions in Nutritious Whole Grains below) creamy or chicken gravy, chopped celery, chopped bell pepper, chopped green onion, pineapple chunks, sliced almonds, and shredded coconut.
5) Pasta Salad Supreme - to cooked veggie whole grain pasta spirals add: diced red bell pepper, black olives, broccoli florretts, diced tofu, finely diced purple onion, and stir in Creamy Italian Dressing (see recipe below) .
6) Crockpot Cooked Beans (see recipe below), cornbread or bread, fresh cut veggies
7) One Pot Dinner - in a large skillet, place 1 qt. water, add bouillon or broth seasoning, then add quartered potatoes, carrot pieces, quartered onions, cloves of garlic, plus anything else that you have or like, such as quartered zucchini or yellow squash, asparagus, green beans, etc. Simmer for 20 minutes, and serve with a green salad.
CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING
(recipe found in Enjoy Nature's Harvest cookbook - see Books at right)
½ C. cold pressed oil
¼ C. water
¼ C. Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ C. lemon juice
1 Tbs. honey (slightly rounded)
2 tsp. liquid lecithin
¾-1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Dry Bell Pepper Flakes
Place all ingredients in blender bowl. Blend until well blended and sweet pepper flakes are chopped well. Store in a dressing jar in refrigerator. Makes approx. 1½ cups.
CROCKPOT COOKED BEANS
(fantastic, quick, easy meal)
I find it best to cook most beans over a 24 hour period. Start them one evening, to be ready to eat the following evening for dinner. Place 2-4 cups dry beans (pinto, black, navy, kidney, anasazi, etc.) in crockpot and add 3 times the water (example: 3 cup beans to 9 cups water). Cook on high throughout the night; add more water if needed in the morning, then cook on low throughout the day and they should be perfect for dinner (crockpots do vary, so you may need to adjust cooking time and temperature). If desired, last hour of cooking, add chopped onion, minced garlic, and other seasonings to taste, or just season to taste before serving.
Keep it simple! Keep it healthy!
One of the best ways to have a great successful, healthy dinner is to plan ahead. Make a schedule for the week, then plan accordingly and meal preparations will come together more easily. A simple plan will help you to prepare anything ahead of time that will save you initial preparation prior to the meal. Here are some simple ideas that are good for you too.
Dinner:
1) Layered Taco Salad - each one can layer on plate: corn chips, cooked pinto beans, diced avacado, chopped red bell pepper, green onion, chopped lettuce, sliced black olives, salsa or red pepper sauce, guacamole (see lunch ideas below), sour cream, and whatever else you like.
2) Bean Burritos - mashed and seasoned pinto beans in a whole wheat tortilla wrap with alfalfa sprout, guacamole, salsa or red pepper sauce - with cut veggies on the side.
3) Baked potatoes and a big green salad (as described in lunch ideas below)
4) Layered Chinese Salad - each one can layer on plate: Chinese noodles, cooked brown rice (see cooking instructions in Nutritious Whole Grains below) creamy or chicken gravy, chopped celery, chopped bell pepper, chopped green onion, pineapple chunks, sliced almonds, and shredded coconut.
5) Pasta Salad Supreme - to cooked veggie whole grain pasta spirals add: diced red bell pepper, black olives, broccoli florretts, diced tofu, finely diced purple onion, and stir in Creamy Italian Dressing (see recipe below) .
6) Crockpot Cooked Beans (see recipe below), cornbread or bread, fresh cut veggies
7) One Pot Dinner - in a large skillet, place 1 qt. water, add bouillon or broth seasoning, then add quartered potatoes, carrot pieces, quartered onions, cloves of garlic, plus anything else that you have or like, such as quartered zucchini or yellow squash, asparagus, green beans, etc. Simmer for 20 minutes, and serve with a green salad.
CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING
(recipe found in Enjoy Nature's Harvest cookbook - see Books at right)
½ C. cold pressed oil
¼ C. water
¼ C. Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ C. lemon juice
1 Tbs. honey (slightly rounded)
2 tsp. liquid lecithin
¾-1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Dry Bell Pepper Flakes
Place all ingredients in blender bowl. Blend until well blended and sweet pepper flakes are chopped well. Store in a dressing jar in refrigerator. Makes approx. 1½ cups.
CROCKPOT COOKED BEANS
(fantastic, quick, easy meal)
I find it best to cook most beans over a 24 hour period. Start them one evening, to be ready to eat the following evening for dinner. Place 2-4 cups dry beans (pinto, black, navy, kidney, anasazi, etc.) in crockpot and add 3 times the water (example: 3 cup beans to 9 cups water). Cook on high throughout the night; add more water if needed in the morning, then cook on low throughout the day and they should be perfect for dinner (crockpots do vary, so you may need to adjust cooking time and temperature). If desired, last hour of cooking, add chopped onion, minced garlic, and other seasonings to taste, or just season to taste before serving.
Keep it simple! Keep it healthy!
