What Is Your Favorite Healthy Dinner Recipe?

I make dinner salads. I put everything into them. My goal is that no bite tastes like the bite before. Leftover meat gets sliced up, hard-boiled eggs, leftover veggies get added to the typical romaine, tomato, cucumber, mushroom, radishes, avocado, etc. salad. I also add nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, cheese, mandarins, apple chunks, (drained) pineapple, whatever looks good. I assemble each person's plate separately and everyone chooses their dressing. It's different every time and better than it sounds.

I'm making Chicken Tortilla Soup as we speak. Pretty healthy in my book. I use my own bone broth and fresh chicken breasts. Add tomatoes and seasonings, and whatever veggies work for your family. You can make as spicy or not spicy as you like, and in as little as 30 minutes or throw it all in the crock pot and let it cook all day. I also throw in 1/2 can of refried beans for the extra bit of fiber, protein, and iron. No one will ever even know it is in there! I've also thrown other beans in the blender and added to soups to thicken and no one is the wiser. Same with cauliflower - blend and throw in a soup for thickener and voila! more veggies in the pot.

I top the dish with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream, but again, whatever works for your family.

You need some tasty sauces.
Try some curry - there are many which are sweet and varying degrees of spiciness.
I've tried several and so far I've never met a curry I didn't like.

I've found that for me fewer carbs and more healthy fat in the diet makes me feel pretty good.
Using real butter or olive oil seems to satisfy hunger better than any carbs that raise your blood sugar.

we eat lots of soups, and more than ever in winter. our go-to is a salad with a bowl of soup, which is generally chicken or veggie broth packed full with whatever else i've cooked recently. at the moment that's chicken, but we did a ham phase after christmas. i saute onions and garlic in olive oil and a little butter until they're caramelized, add the broth, and start tossing in whatever i've got that sounds good. a little pasta, rice or potatoes to give it some bottom, and a ton of good veggies and some lean meat.

we've quit having bread with it- i just serve it with some crackers.

khairete
S.

You could try vegetarian chili. You can be versatile with it regarding what beans or veggies you put in it. Also turkey tacos are good. Just make up the meat with ground turkey and season how you like. You can have the usual toppings that you do with regular tacos. Don't discount fish just yet! You can be creative with seasoning to make it appetizing and delicious. One idea is to use any white fish to make fish almondine. Just bake the fish with some brushed on butter, lemon, sea salt, pepper, even a dash of paprika or garlic if you like. Toast some slivered almonds and put on top. You can serve with brown rice or a healthy cooked grain and a spinach salad. Also, there are many recipes online for pan roasted vegetables that can be yummy as well. You can cook with healthy oils and season with whatever spices you like. Crispy crunchy asparagus from the oven is one good example.

We/I make a lot of bean or bean-plus-grain stews, served with rice or bread. The stews have a variety of veggies in them; lentil soup is a great example, with onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes or leafy greens (kale, etc). I often slice up some fresh veggies to go on the side--cucumbers, baby carrots, multicolored bell peppers--just to add something else.

I tried a new baked pork chop recipe this weekend and it got good reviews from my kids. And it was simple:
Mix together 1/2C brown sugar and 1T minced garlic in a bowl. Put the pork chops in a baking dish. Cover the pork chops with the brown sugar/garlic mixture. Bake 25 min at 375. That's it. The garlic and brown sugar turn into a nice glaze and keep the pork moist. You could do any vegetable along side. I roasted some potatoes at the same time that the pork was cooking (start the potatoes in the oven first, they needed about 10 min longer than the pork). Roasted califlower or brussel sprouts would be good too I think, although I didn't try it.

Dinner tonight was designed for the same purpose. Cod poached in water and a pat of butter in a covered fry pan, dressed with olive oil and capers at the end. Add a salad and I'm in Heaven!

I make a turkey taco soup.. ground turkey breast, can of veggie broth( you can use other stock but I prefer the low sodium veggie broth) can of pinto, black bean, kidney , corn, tomatoes, jalapeño, add whatever spice you want . Top with cheese, avocado, sour cream ( I substitute sour cream with 0% fat plain Greek yogurt for pretty much everything.)

Pasta primavera is good, use can of tomatoes( I always do low sodium) , add whatever veggies you want, cook with a little olive oil and toss with some whole wheat spaghetti. ( I always use fresh oregano, garlic, and basil)

Taco boats- ground turkey breast, add packet of low sodium taco seasoning, add tomato sauce( small low sodium can) , add spices. Cut up a spaghetti squash in half, scoop out seeds, cook in oven ( brush on some oilive oil and salt/pepper) for 45 minutes, add the meat and then any toppings you want!

Those are my go to healthy meals. Easy and quick to make.

Seared salmon with garlic rice and broccoli.
Roasted red pepper and jalapeno quinoa with grilled chicken and Green beans
Parmesan crusted chicken with mashed potatoes and carrots.
Marinated grilled pork chops with sweet potato cubes (sauteed) and corn on the cob
Then there's the regular dishes that are healthy but not as healthy, like chicken parmesan, chicken alfredo, lasagna with ground turkey, chicken tacos, pizza, and hand breaded chicken nuggets with home cut French fries

We do a lot of enchiladas - basically wraps that you heat. We use refried beans in a wide stripe down the center of the tortilla (we use the large size), whatever assorted beans we want (black, pinto, red, white), a small amount of lean ground beef (cooked) or leftover chicken, a little cheddar or 4-cheese Mexican cheese, chopped onion, some frozen corn & peas (don't even defrost), and whatever diced peppers we have to use up (good place for the wrinkly soft ones that aren't crunchy enough for salads). Fold up the 2 sides and secure with a toothpick. Top with sauce - I use plain tomato sauce or puree and stir in spices of choice (cumin and coriander are good, as are cayenne or chili pepper if you like spicy - and you can grind up beans or peppers to put in the sauce if you have reluctant eaters) and a little more cheese. I make extra sauce and put some of it in a pot of brown rice instead of some of the water - it flavors it. I start the rice, and then spend about 20 minutes doing an assembly line of tortillas, line them up on a baking sheet, top with sauce and cheese, and bake for about 20-25 minutes - they'll be done at the same time as the rice you start 45 minutes earlier. There's no real recipe - you can put anything you want in there in any quantities, and you can leave out something in an enchilada or 2 if someone has an allergy or aversion. They reheat well the next day too.

Stir fry veggies and firm tofu cubes (marinated in a little soy sauce & ginger, then drained, and save the liquid). Fry up in coconut oil or a regular oil with a dash of sesame oil, turning gently to fry all sides, remove. Stir fry veggies of choice starting with longer cooking ones and just adding as you go along. You can use chicken or beef too. Add tofu at the end just to heat through and put in something for crunch that doesn't need cooking, like sliced water chestnuts or cashews. Again, you can put in whatever you want so it's a good use for leftovers. For fun, add store-bought fortune cookies for dessert.

For game day or movie night, I bake up a bunch of russet potatoes, halve, and scoop out the insides leaving a slight lining of the skin. I brush the insides and edges with butter and broil about 15 minutes to brown up. Meantime I mash the potato pulp with butter and milk or soy milk and some herbs, salt & pepper, and use for a topping for shepherd's pie (another great way to use up a mix of vegetables in any quantity). I load the potato skins with broccoli, diced peppers, onion or scallion, and cheese and a little bacon (if I'm not pushing the health thing too much!!!) and broil until the cheese is melted. Top with parsley and a little of the green onion and serve.

Taco bar - put all kinds of good things in little bowls and have everyone make their own while you talk about your day. And make your own pizza is fun. We put garlic and frozen spinach and some seasonings in tomato puree - much cheaper than jarred sauce. You can throw sauce and some frozen broccoli in the food processor if you have reluctant eaters. They won't see it once the toppings are on! Then top with veggies of choice. You can use a little pepperoni, hamburger, sliced frozen meatballs, sausage for fun/flavor, and concentrate on pepper strips, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, onion rings, and so on. You can use a purchased pizza dough from the bread section, a soft dough from the refrigerated section (roll it out yourself), or put it on toasted English muffin halves (I wait for those to be buy-one-get-two-free!).

Kabobs are easy - you can use a variety of veggies and a few chunks of chicken or shrimp if you want. Try pineapple and brush with coconut oil for a tropical flavor, throw on some sesame seeds for garnish at serving time.

Have fun!

FOR THE MOMS WHO HAVE ANSWERED:

Love the recipes moms!

I love the enchiladas idea - had no idea how to make those. Going to try.

This soup MM - I have tried it from a friend who makes one - now, if I'm not up for making my own stock to begin with, what kind of stock is best to buy at the store? Is there a secret????

I've been trying to make the regular meals our family likes but giving them a healthier twist. This week, so far, we had:
Monday: We had a taco bake. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, topped with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, crushed taco shells and cheese. I served a smaller portion and placed it on a bed of bagged coleslaw mix. I figure cabbage has more nutrients than iceberg lettuce. I topped it with more salsa and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream).
Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs. I made the meatballs using ground turkey. Our daughter had whole wheat noodles with hers, but my husband and I had mixes veggies instead. I just put the sauce and meatballs right on top of the veggies and it was really good.