Fast Healthy Food Ideas

Don't give up healthy eating because you're pressed for time. If you're one of the many people in our fast-paced culture who grabs unhealthy take-out meals, pizza and fast foods because there's no time to cook, you may want to reconsider. There are plenty of good ideas to help you prepare healthy foods at home fast.

Plan Ahead

Don't be overwhelmed by the thought of preparing a meal at the end of a busy day. Keep a stock of ingredients on hand for easy-to-prepare meals. In the pantry, store whole-grain pasta, nuts, dried fruits, sugar-free spaghetti sauce, canned beans, salsa, quick-cooking brown rice, potatoes and onions. Stock your freezer with frozen fruit and vegetables, veggie burgers, chopped onion and green pepper and chicken breasts. Keep plain yogurt, eggs, low-fat sliced and grated cheese, precooked pasta and brown rice, fresh vegetables, and whole-grain bread, tortillas and bagels in the refrigerator. Chop vegetables needed for recipes and salads on the weekend. Investigate crock pot cooking so you can eat as soon as you get home.

Fast, Healthy Breakfasts

Don't skip the day's most important meal or grab a fat- and sugar-filled doughnut because you don't have the time. Make a quick breakfast that doesn't require cooking--have peanut butter and banana on whole-wheat bread, smoked salmon and low-fat cream cheese on a whole-grain bagel, low-fat plain yogurt with nuts and thawed frozen berries or low-fat cheese melted on a whole-grain English muffin. Mix whole-grain cereal, nuts, sunflower seeds and dried fruit, package in individual servings and stash in your car, desk or briefcase. Keep whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese sticks on hand to grab on a rushed morning.

Fast, Healthy Lunches

With a little advance planning, you can grab a healthy lunch on your way out the door. Make extra food when you cook dinner, and pack leftovers in single-serving containers for lunch. Make sandwiches in advance and freeze them for use later with ingredients that freeze well--canned tuna and salmon, peanut butter, diced chicken, and Swiss and cheddar cheeses. They are best if eaten within one to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before you need one, and add veggies when you're ready to eat.

Fast, Healthy Dinner Ideas

Make a healthy meal super fast. Fill a whole-grain tortilla with black beans and shredded low-fat cheese, heat and add a diced tomato and salsa. For a fast and hearty chicken soup, add diced, cooked chicken breast, precooked whole-grain pasta or brown rice, and chopped carrots and celery to chicken broth. Make a healthy main-dish salad with Romaine lettuce, sliced chicken breast, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, sliced grapes and diced hard-boiled egg. Dress the salad with extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar and freshly-ground black pepper. Heat a frozen veggie burger and put it on a whole-wheat bun topped with lettuce, tomatoes and pickle slices and serve with a yam baked in the microwave.