Healthy, Quick and Tasty Meal Ideas

Goals and Ideas

• Eliminate the carb (potato/rice/bread) in most meals and replace with an extra vegetable, instead.
• Plan meals and shop accordingly to prevent impulse buying and eating.
• Stock up on flavour-boosters like garlic, mustards, chili sauces, salsa, as they are a great way to add flavour without adding calories.
• Use smaller plates for meals. It's a great trick to eat less and not feel deprived (by staring at a half-empty plate).
• When it comes to vegetables, think "roasting". Almost all vegetables can be slow-roasted and they taste so much more interesting that way. Try carrots and parsnips (mixed); tomatoes with olive oil, basil and garlic; zucchini with tomatoes and onion etc.
• Try healthy smoothies in the morning for days when I don't feel like eating (see a smoothie recipe I really love below).

soups and sandwich

Pork, White Bean and Kale Soup (Ellie Krieger Food Network)

Minestrone Siciliano (Mario Batali Food Network)

Fresh Pea Soup (All Recipes)

Catherine's Spicy Chicken Soup (AllRecipes.com)

Spicy Black Bean Soup (Epicurious)

Market Sandwich (Epicurious)

chicken

Balsamic Chicken with Spinach (Ellie Krieger Food Network)

Oven Fried Chicken (Ellie Krieger Food Network)

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Ellie Krieger Food Network)

Chicken with Spiced Apples (Eating Well)

Marmalade Chicken (Eating Well)

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Brown Rice (Eating Well)

Greek Penne and Chicken (AllRecipes.com)

Pasta with Chicken, White Beans and Mushrooms (MayoClinic)

fish and seafood

Tuna Casserole (Food Network)

Tuna Steak au Poivre (Epicurious)

Crab Cakes (Paula Dean Food Network)

Blackened Salmon Sandwich (Eating Well)

Broiled Cajun Catfish (Eating Well)

Mediterranean Fish Fillets (Eating Well)

Mustard Crusted Salmon (Eating Well)

Szechwan Shrimp (Allrecipes.com)

Salmon BLT (Epicurious)

Seared Mahimahi with Edamame Succotash (Cooking Light)

Greek Spiced Baked Shrimp (Epicurious)

vegetables

Succotash of Fresh Corn, Lima Beans, Tomatoes and Onions (Epicurious)

Autumn Farmer's Market Salad (Epicurious)

5-Minute Oil-Free Coleslaw (Epicurious)

sweets

Angel Food Cake (Alton Brown Food Network)

Health Nut Blueberry Muffins (Allrecipes.com)

Sarah's Applesauce (Allrecipes.com)

eggs

Eggs Scrambled with Tomatoes and Herbs (FoodFit)

Spinach and Tomato Omelet (Eating Well)

great start to your day smoothie

Start your day with a Green Smoothie. I had these every morning when I was on holiday in Cancun and it's just like an energy injection. And it's a great way to get greens, fruit and vitamins ...

2 handfuls of fresh, baby spinach
1 stalk of celery, coarsely chopped
fresh squeezed or not-from-concentrate orange juice
1 tsp. sugar (helps to keep the foam down)
2 ice cubes

Place all in a blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy!

(You can adjust the balance of spinach to celery to orange juice to your taste. Just experiment.)