3 Healthy Ideas for Quick Dinners

Is it possible to eat healthily and also deliciously after a long day at work? The answer is yes. And it doesn't need to take long.

Whether the reason is being tired or being in a hurry, it’s clear that there is a tendency to eat quick dinners that are both not very nutritious and high in calories. To help remedy this situation, in this article we are going to share 3 healthy ideas for quick, satisfying dinners that give you your essential nutrients.

3 healthy ideas for quick dinners

Express chicken and vegetable stir-fry

This is a quick, light and cheap recipe, so it’s one of the best healthy ideas for quick dinners. We use chicken, but this stir-fry could be made with any meat and vegetables of your choice.

You can also prepare a vegetarian version, with pieces of tofu for example. Additionally, you could add sunflower and sesame seeds to contribute more nutrients and an attractive, crunchy texture.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 1 cup of brown rice (200 g)
• 1 cup of chicken breast (250 g)
• 2 carrots (cut into thin strips)
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce (60 g)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (30 g)
• 1 yellow pepper (cut into strips)
• 1 red pepper (cut into strips)
• Broccoli (or cauliflower) florets, as much as you like
• Sunflower and sesame seeds, as much as you like.

Preparation

• In a wide pan (or wok), place the olive oil and allow it to heat up.
• Then, add the garlic, spring onions and peppers, and let them fry gently for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken and allow it to “seal” (until it has a white layer).
• Then, add the broccoli, the carrots and the soy sauce. Leave it to cook on a medium heat for a few minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• In another pan, cook the brown rice with a little olive oil and sufficient water.

The way of serving this dish depends on your taste. You can mix the cooked rice with the stir-fry and serve with the seeds on top. However, you can also serve them separately, with the rice as a side dish.

Whole wheat pasta with pesto and cherry tomatoes

Currently, pasta has received a certain bad reputation in weight loss diets because it’s a carbohydrate. While it’s true that we should moderate our daily intake of flours and starches, there’s no need to exaggerate.

However, carbohydrates are essential energy sources for our body. In this recipe, we use whole wheat pasta to contribute fiber and support the digestion.

Ingredients

• 75 g of wholewheat pasta per person
• Cherry tomatoes, as many as you like (you can also use normal tomatoes or dried tomatoes)
• For the pesto sauce:
  • Walnuts or almonds (5 – 7 nuts)
  • Fresh basil (10 to 15 leaves)
  • Lemon juice (1 teaspoon)
  • Olive oil (4 tablespoons)
  • Garlic (1/2 clove)
  • Salt to taste.

Method of preparation

We choose to make our own homemade pesto sauce, but it is also possible to buy it ready-made. Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and mix them with a hand-blender. Put to one side.

Heat the water for the pasta in a pan, and add the wholewheat pasta. Then, wash the cherry tomatoes well (or whatever kind of tomatoes you have chosen) and leave them to dry.

When the pasta is nearly cooked, quickly sauté the tomatoes with the olive oil on a high heat in a pan or frying pan.

Then, strain the pasta, add it to the pan of tomatoes for a moment, and finally add the pesto sauce. Turn off the heat immediately (to avoid burning the sauce) and serve with grated cheese on top.

Salmon fillets scented with lemon

This is one of the most tasty, practical and attractively-presented healthy ideas for quick dinners. It is ideal when you have a guest or if you just want to give yourself a treat.

Ingredients

• Lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 or 2 salmon fillets per person
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon (per salmon fillet)
• Side dish of your choosing (mash potato or pumpkin, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, salad, etc.)

Method of preparation

• First, check that the salmon fillets don’t have bones. 
• Then, separate a rectangle of aluminium foil for each fillet.
• Take a baking tray, cover it with the foil and position the fillets on top.
• To season the salmon, add salt and pepper to taste. Then, squeeze 1/2 a lemon over each fillet.
• Put it in the oven at 180ºC until the salmon is well cooked.
• In the meantime, prepare the side dishes that you’ve chosen.
• Before serving, add a touch of lemon zest on each fillet to scent the dish.