Favorite Healthy Dinners

[mommy2b0805]

Im having a hard time coming up with healthy dinners for my family. i decided to start cooking daily but cant come up with good healthy dinners. Im a ok on the bfasts and lunches. Its mostly fruits and yogurts for me and Ayvah. Please and TY!

[minneapolismama]

veggie spaghetti right now because everything is fresh:

1 lb spaghetti, cooked al dente

1 jar your favorite organic sauce (or homemade!)

1 eggplant, peeled and diced pretty small

1 zucchini, cut in half moons 

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 bell pepper, chopped 

1/4 cup green, black or kalamata olives, sliced

heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large deep skillet and add all of the veggies with a little salt. saute for about 5-10 minutes. add the sauce, cover and simmer for about an hour (or more!) until the eggplant kind of becomes part of the sauce and the other veggies are super tender. add water, wine or chicken stock if more liquid is needed. toss the spaghetti in there at the end and serve with fresh parmesan and basil. *this can work with any veggies you love, i have done shredded carrots, yellow squash, broccoli... olives are optional but add wonderful flavor.

fajitas- super easy and healthy

1 1/2 lbs chicken

marinade: 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp liquid smoke, 2 cloves garlic crushed, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp cumin- mix together with chicken and marinate at least 2 hours

1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper and 1 onion, sliced

heat some oil in a large skillet and cook the peppers and onion together, i add a bit of salt and chili powder (or organic taco seasoning, just a TINY sprinkle), saute until tender crisp and getting browned. remove from the skillet, at the chicken (i pound it a little to make it even thickness before marinating) and saute until cooked through then slice into strips.

i serve with cilantro lime rice (2 cups rice cooked with a bay leaf then tossed with 1/3 cup cilantro, juice from 1 lime and a little sea salt) and homemade reried beans. guacamole, salsa, lettuce, tomato and sour cream makes a mexican feast (i made this all tonight for a friend's birthday) and makes for good leftovers for burrito bowls, served over lettuce as salad, etc.

stir fry- chicken or just veggies 

taco salad

 

[natural.mama]

I tend to rotate the same things that I know are healthy that we like to eat. You can eat almost anything that you used to make, just substitute unhealthy ingredients for healthier ones. Instead of ground beef, use ground turkey. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are always a winner. Swap unhealthy fats for healthy ones- olive oil is a goody. Use lowfat or skim milk. Etc, etc. For example, I make spaghetti heart healthy by using wheat pasta, and ground turkey. To make it even healthier you can add in fresh spinach to your red sauce just before serving.To make the sauce- heat about 1/4 c. virgin olive oil over medium heat, add 3-4 garlic cloves and cook till golden careful not to cook to long- don't let the garlic turn brown cause it will taste bitter. Add a large can of sicilian tomatoes- break them up with a spoon. Let it simmer for about a half an hour- add whatever herbs you like. Season to taste. If you use a premade sauce then check the labels and find the one with the least amount of sugar.