Meals in Minutes – Quick, Healthy Dinner Options It can be challenging to find quick, healthy dinner options that your family loves – and that you have time to prepare.

Start with a basic balanced plate in mind, with ½ the plate full of fruits and veggies, ¼ full of starches, and ¼ full of meat/bean/dairy. When planning your meal, include each of these meal sections to make your meal complete.

Use the ideas below as pieces of your overall plate to get you started on coming up with fast, nutritious meals for the dinner rush.

For thousands of ideas, search internet for “quick healthy recipes” “healthy crock pot recipes”“healthy one pot recipes” etc.

One-pot Hot MealsBrown 4 chicken breast halves and small chopped onion in 2Tbsp oil ~ 5 minutes each side. Stir in ¼ - ½ cup chicken broth, ¼ cup Italian dressing, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and 2 cups cut broccoli florets. Simmer 3-6 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Pep up some pasta with beans, peas, corn, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, or other veggies and flavored olive oil. Mix them into your pasta, or blend them with your favorite sauce in the blender to make your sauce a super sauce!

Mix cans of chopped tomatoes, frozen or canned veggies, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, other seasonings of choice, leftover chopped chicken or other meat, and cooked rice (instant is fine – try brown and white mixed). Heat through and simmer.

Stir fry lean meat/chicken/shrimp with sliced zucchini, carrots, broccoli, celery, bean sprouts and seasonings. Serve over rice. For a quicker fix, use a bag of mixed frozen veggies.

Cook chopped onions and celery in pot with pasta. Drain and stir in fat free sour cream, tuna (drained), peas/corn, seasoning.

Heat 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 2 ½ cups 1% milk, and 1(+) cup chopped or pureed cooked fresh, frozen or canned veggies. Soups on! Serve with whole wheat toast topped with melted mozzarella cheese.

Toss meat, broth, and seasoning in crock pot – cook on low 6 hours. Stir in diced potatoes, tomatoes, carrots -cook one more hour.

Bowl of lentil or other low-fat, reduced sodium hearty soup with whole grain crackers and sliced fruit.

Brown 1 pound 4% ground beef with 1 bell pepper, ½ onion, and 2 tsp minced garlic. Stir in 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 2 cups water and ¼ cup Italian dressing – bring to boil. Mix in 12 lasagna noodles, broken into 1/4ths, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top with 1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese and serve.

Brown 1 pound 4% ground beef seasoned heavily with garlic, onion, and chili powder. Stir in 3 cups uncooked pasta, 1 can tomatoes, and 3 ½ cups beef broth. Bring to boil, then simmer on low until pasta is tender and broth is absorbed (~15 minutes).

Brown 1 pound 4% ground beef, one each chopped bell pepper and small onion. Stir in garlic, cumin and chili powder to taste, one container fresh green salsa, and one can beans of choice. Simmer about 15 minutes. Serve over rice or pasta or with corn bread.

Wrap It, Top It, Stuff It, Sandwich ItHeat a tortilla with refried beans, black beans, and salsa. Top with tomatoes, lettuce, fat free sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake potatoes in microwave and top with any topping combo: black beans, low fat cheese, salsa, cooked veggies, cottage cheese, onions, fat free sour cream, leftover diced meats, fresh tomatoes, etc. . . .

Tomato stuffed with mixed: rice, tuna, chopped cucumbers and onions, cilantro, olives slices, light ranch dressing, lemon pepper

Pita party! Choose your own stuffing combo: chicken, egg or tuna salad with light mayo and shredded veggies; rice and black beans with salsa; fat free lunch meat and low fat cheese with chopped fresh veggies; chopped fruits and nuts mixed with fat free sour cream or cream cheese and cinnamon or brown sugar; fat free mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, low fat pepperoni, mushrooms and olives – melted; cottage cheese, black beans and salsa; etc . . .

Dice chicken breast & cook with favorite salsa. Fill tortilla with chicken, low fat cheese, shredded cabbage, light sour cream, cilantro

Spread canned refried beans on salad plates with low fat cheese and melt. Top with salsa, crushed baked tortilla chips, and salad.

Mix taco seasoning into fat free sour cream or cream cheese and spread over entire wrap or tortilla. Sprinkle on black beans, Ortega chilies, olives, leftover diced chicken, raw spinach, other as desired. Roll and eat.

Build a sandwich! Variety of breads, lean meats, cheeses, veggies (raw spinach, tomatoes, sprouts, bell peppers, avocados, lettuce), light vinegar dressing, etc.

Top pre-made pizza crust with pizza sauce, fat free mozzarella, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, etc. and bake.

Try leftover chicken breast, veggie burger, or other lean meat on a whole wheat bun with sliced tomato and melted low fat cheese.Shred leftover chicken breast and heat with BBQ sauce and Ortega chilies. Serve on whole wheat buns with lettuce and tomatoes.

Wrap fat free hot dog in wheat bread (w/ toothpick to hold) or refrigerator dough and bake at 375’ for 15 minutes. Serve with ketchup, mustard, and fruit/veggies of choice.

Other Quick FixesMake a green salad with lots of mixed veggies. Add beans, low fat cheese, seeds, chopped chicken, walnuts, dried fruit, etc.

Load skewer with chunks of bell peppers, onion, red potatoes, lean meat/poultry/shrimp. Dunk in marinade and broil, turning.

Dip chicken strips in milk, coat with flour/cornmeal/or crushed cereal and seasonings. Bake or broil and serve with fruit or veggies.

Cut chicken into “nugget chunks”, coat in BBQ sauce, and broil. Serve over rice and cooked veggies of choice.