Make a Plan

 

Okay, be honest. Do you know what you’re having for dinner tonight? If you’re like three out of four people who report not knowing at 4 pm what they’re going to eat for dinner, then you’re not alone! Of course this explains why so many people end up at drive-thrus, ordering pizza, or going out for dinner. In fact, Americans eat out four meals a week and consume about a third of their calories dining out. And this means consuming about twice as many calories, fat, and sodium and half as many vegetables.

 

If you’ve never tried this, I’m going to challenge you to plan a week’s worth of lunches and dinners in advance. The first step involves writing down your menu before you go grocery shopping for the week. Consider cooking extra on some nights to use for lunch or dinner the next day. Now, use your plan to make your grocery list. Click here for my Healthy Foods Shopping List.  Put your plan on the fridge or somewhere you look at often.

 

Allow 10 minutes at night or in the morning to make a lunch. Remember to plan for healthy snacks at work or for munching while making dinner (yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese, fruit, veggies, small handful of nuts, etc).

 

Cook at Home More Often

 

The most common reason I hear for not cooking at home, is “I just don’t have time.” But every-night cooking doesn’t have to be fancy or take an hour to prepare. A simple meal of a salad (it’s okay to use the bagged lettuces), steamed asparagus, brown rice (you can get precooked brown rice at Trader Joe’s that’s ready in 90 seconds!), and broiled fish takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Or consider batch cooking on the weekend: make a few dishes that you can eat throughout the week and/or freeze for later. Here are some resources for quick easy healthy meals:

 

• Theresa Albert’s guide for batch cooking: Cook Once a Week, Eat Well Every Day: Make-Ahead Meals that Transform Your Suppertime Circus into Relaxing Family Time
• Cooking Light 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook
• Cooking Light Superfast Suppers: Speedy Solutions for Dinner Dilemmas
• The Eating Well Rush Hour Cookbook: Healthy Meals for Busy Cooks
• Robin Miller’s Food Network show emphasizing quick meals: http://www.foodnetwork.com/quick-fix-meals-with-robin-miller/index.html.
• Ellie Krieger’s food network show for healthy easy meals: http://www.foodnetwork.com/ellie-kriegers-healthy-recipes/package/index.html 

 

If you’d like help creating a healthy meal plan, please click here to contact me.

 

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

 

 

Try this delicious chicken recipe from Ellie Krieger. It takes only 5 minutes prep time and 13 minutes cooking time!
4 servings

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked (recipe below)

Directions

 

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes.
Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/balsamic-chicken-with-baby-spinach-recipe/index.html

 

How to cook couscous:

 

1 1/2 cups water or low sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if using water)
1 cup whole wheat couscous

 

Put the water and salt (or broth) in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, stir in the couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Let it rest, covered, until the couscous absorbs the liquid, 15-20 minutes. Fluff it with a fork before serving.