Top 10 Quick Meal Tips

Quick Meal Tips: Top 10 Short Cuts to Fast Nutritious Meals

Whether your goal is to lose weight, or to eat healthfully, chances are you can use some hints on how to throw together a quick meal.

These fast meal tips will help you put a nutritious meal on the table in no time flat! As a dietitian, I can't possibly leave the notion of nutritious out of a meal, no matter how little time there is!

Tip #1

Marinate and grill an entire package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts once a week. Chop into cubes and/or strips and keep in the refrigerator to create healthy quick meals, like...

a) chicken salad with lowfat mayo, b) with salad ingredients to create a nutritious and balanced main entrée, or c) toss over whole-wheat pasta or brown rice and top with marinara sauce or salsa.

Tip #2

Buy "no-cut veggies": Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and snap peas are easy additions to salad greens. Don't forget low sodium jarred or canned veggies too: roasted red bell pepper (my personal favorite), hearts of palm, water chestnuts, baby corn and even mushrooms!

Tip #3

This quick meal tip is one that leaves my clients exclaiming, "What a great idea!"

Ever find yourself at 5:00pm wondering what you should serve for dinner? Take the decision work out and plan your meals according to "themes:"

• Monday = Mexican night (bean burritos, chicken tacos)
• Tuesday = Greek night (Greek salad, hummus sandwiches)
• Wednesday = pizza night (make your own nutritious version)
• Thursday = "burger" night (veggie burgers, salmon burgers, turkey burgers, tuna burgers)
• Friday = kids' choice (but limit the choices to healthy ones)
• Saturday = Italian night (lowfat lasagna or pasta with turkey meatballs)
• Sunday = Soup and Salad night (prepare soup in large quantity and freeze extra for lunch during the week)

Tip #4

"Recycle" at least one item from your dinner for the following day’s dinner.

Example: Use leftover brown rice from Monday in a rice, bean and vegetable burrito on Tuesday.

Tip #5

Hard boil a dozen eggs (or more) and use during the week in salads or as snacks (remove the yolk and fill with hummus for one of my favorite snacks!)

Tip #6

Prepare 1-2 pounds of "taco meat" (use ground turkey breast and/or ground round or sirloin). Leave in the refrigerator for the week and use for:

• Burritos
• Tacos
• Nachos
• Taco Salad

Garden of Eatin are my favorite baked or baked taco shells and baked tortilla chips.)

Tip #7

This quick meal tip is one that I partake of every week!

Prepare a large quantity of brown rice to have on hand for side dishes, stir fries, or even cold rice salads (brown rice with tomatoes and feta cheese; drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar...yummy!).

Tip #8

Prepare a large quantity of whole wheat pasta and keep in the refrigerator to use during the week as side dishes or salads (cold pasta salad with canned tuna and kidney beans; drizzle with low calorie poppyseed dressing).

Tip #9

Bake a few sweet potatoes at a time and keep on hand for side dishes, additions to soups (dice and add to butternut squash soup) or as snacks (one of my favorites: top with cottage cheese and cinnamon).

Tip #10

Quick meal tip: Precooked rotisserie chicken = multiple meals

• Day #1: Remove the skin and pair with a salad and brown rice or sweet potato.
• Day #2: Shred leftover chicken with a fork and mix with a little BBQ sauce ( Annie's Natural Brand BBQ Sauce is my personal favorite). Serve as you would serve "pulled pork."
• Day #3: Add leftover "pulled chicken" to bagged salad and wrap up in a whole wheat tortilla to make a "salad wrap" for lunch or dinner.

Bon Appetit!

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