Everyone strives to eat healthy, but cooking can be a bit of a boring chore. This NutriNeat post comes to your aid by giving you some easy to make recipes for a healthy and wholesome dinner.
The following healthy dinner recipes won’t take too long to make, and will still help you lay out a healthy dinner for your family.
Healthy Dinner Recipes
Chicken and Pasta Mediterranean Style
Ingredients
- 1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
- One 7-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
- ¼ cup pitted olives
- 3 cups of hot cooked campanile or penne pasta
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Method of Preparation
Drain the artichoke hearts, preserve the marinade, and chop them. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and add chicken and garlic. Cook the chicken till it turns brown. Now, add the preserved artichoke marinade, broth, wine, and dried oregano. Heat till it boils, then reduce the heat. Cover the chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chopped artichokes, roasted peppers, and olives to the chicken. When serving, spoon the chicken mixture over the pasta. You can even sprinkle it with feta cheese.
Nutrition facts per serving: 347 calories, 26g protein, 38g carbohydrate, 9g fat (1g saturated), 3g fiber.
Healthy Garden Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Salt and pepper
- 4 pitas
- 4 teaspoons reduced-calorie Italian salad dressing
- ¾ cup shredded Swiss cheese
Method of Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the vegetables on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes, or until tender. Season the roasted vegetables with salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables on pitas, drizzle with dressing, and top it with cheese. Place the pitas on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from heat for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
Nutrition facts per serving: 269 calories, 12g protein, 38g carbohydrate, 7g fat (4g saturated), 1g fiber.
Number of Servings: 4
Preparation time: 48 minutes.
Stir-Fry Sesame Tofu
Ingredients
- One 12-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into ½ inch cubes
- Cornstarch
- ¼ cup finely chopped peanuts
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- One 16-ounce bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed
- 2/3 cup bottled stir-fry sauce
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
Method of Preparation
Use cornstarch to lightly cover the tofu. Combine 1 tablespoon of the peanuts, the sesame seeds, ginger, and red pepper in a bowl. Add tofu to the bowl and toss gently. Over high flame, heat oil in a large skillet. Add tofu mixture to skillet and cook briefly, stirring gently, until sesame seeds are toasted and tofu begins to brown. The tofu should now be removed from the skillet. Add vegetables to the skillet and cook. Stir the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until heated through. Add stir-fry sauce, cook and stir gently until mixture becomes bubbly. Add the tofu and keep heating. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts and the scallions. Serve with rice.
Nutrition facts per serving: 386 calories, 19g protein, 45g carbohydrate, 14g fat (2g saturated), 6g fiber
Number of Servings: 4 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Mustard-Caper Sauce and Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves (about 2 pounds total)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can chicken broth
- ¼ cup drained capers
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4½ cups cooked hot couscous
Method of Preparation
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat. Use salt and pepper to season both the sides of chicken breasts. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook each side for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it remain warm. To the skillet, add broth, capers, rosemary, and thyme and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the mustard and honey. The chicken should be covered with the sauce prepared. Serve with couscous.
Nutrition facts per serving: 314 calories, 40g protein, 31g carbohydrate, 2g fat (1g saturated), 2g fiber.
Number of servings: 6
Preparation Time: 22 minutes.
Try these healthy dinner ideas and treat your family to health and taste. Bon appetite!