5 Healthy "Super-Simple" Dinners

Lack of time is one of the biggest obstacles to getting dinner on the table, but I have a beat-the-clock battleplan that works in my house, and there’s a good chance it will work for you, too.

Here’s what I recommend: build an arsenal of five simple, fast, healthy dinners that you can prepare in 30 minutes or less, and keep all the ingredients for at least two of these meals on hand in your pantry, fridge, or freezer at all times.  Invest a little time learning these recipes upfront, and you’ll earn a huge payoff on the backend. Once you’ve repeated each meal a few times, you’ll be able to whip together dinner in auto-pilot mode, so you can focus your attention on other pressing matters (like homework, bills, missing uniforms, and tomorrow’s carpool schedule!).

I’m sharing five snappy meals that are especially popular with busy families I’ve counseled, but the point is to create your own master list of dishes that your crew enjoys and won’t mind eating on a regular basis. Don’t forget to make the ingredients permanent fixtures on your shopping list so you always have what you need to build one of your staple meals.

#1 Pasta with Turkey Meat Sauce

Brown a package of lean ground turkey in a skillet and dump in a jar of your family’s favorite marinara sauce. Top whole grain pasta with your hearty sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Add a side of steamed broccoli or green beans (microwave frozen vegetables to save even more prep time).

#2 Teriyaki Salmon with Brown Rice

Marinate salmon fillets in bottled reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce for 20 to 30 minutes. Grill or broil the salmon fillets for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with quick-cooking brown rice and steamed snow peas, green beans, or sugar snap peas.

#3 Spinach Turkey Burgers

Thaw and drain a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach (remove as much water as possible). Combine the spinach with a package of lean ground turkey meat and any preferred seasonings (I like a combo of chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper). Shape the meat mixture into patties and cook them in a skillet or grill pan for 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until burgers are cooked through. Serve with “baked” sweet or white potatoes prepared in the microwave (it only takes 15 minutes to cook a batch of four medium spuds) and topped with spicy salsa or nonfat plain Greek yogurt.

#4 Breakfast for Dinner

Whip up some “loaded” scrambled eggs with chopped veggies (mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, or anything else your family enjoys) and shredded reduced-fat cheese. Use one whole egg and 2 to 3 egg whites per person to cut down on the saturated fat and cholesterol found in the yolks. Serve with whole wheat toast and a platter of sliced fresh fruit.

#5 Grilled Cheese with Hearty Soup

Prepare grilled cheese using 100% whole wheat bread and sliced reduced-fat cheese (add tomato slices or baby spinach leaves for extra nutrition), and toast them in a skillet coated with oil spray. Serve with a bowl of hearty, low-sodium canned soup, such as lentil, black bean, or minestrone.

For more information on healthy eating, visit joybauer.com and follow Joy on Facebook and Twitter.

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