Between work and family obligations, it can be difficult to prepare and serve healthy dinner meals most nights of the week. The more restaurant meals you eat, the fewer vegetables and grains you get and the more calories and fat you consume, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Learn ways to shave time off your meal preparation and increase the nutritional value of your dinner meals.
Think Nutrition First
Whether you take two hours or 30 minutes to prepare your dinner meals, focusing on your family's nutritional needs is vital. Plan your meals in advance to save time. Analyze how many servings of vegetables, fruits, meats and beans, dairy, healthy fats and grains you serve each day. If you frequently have fruit for breakfast and lunch, you may not need fruit with dinner. Prechopped vegetables and fruit, washed Italian salads, quick-cook frozen vegetables and whole-wheat bread may make preparing side dishes and salad faster and less work.
Slow Cooker Meals
Slow cooker meals are easy to assemble and cook while you are busy at home or away for the day. Make soups from leftover chicken or lean beef. Add root vegetables such as potatoes or carrots, onions, vegetable or chicken broth and cook for several hours. Whole or pieces of chicken become moist and tender when covered with barbecue sauce, reduced fat cream of chicken soup or cooking wine and water. Bean dishes are simple in the slow cooker and full of fiber. Place rinsed beans in the pot and cover with water. Add onions, garlic or herbs and cook for eight hours on low.
30-Minute Meals
If you have 30 minutes in the evening, make a healthy meal. Mix ground turkey with an egg, bread crumbs, skim milk and minced onion, and roll into meatballs. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Serve with a large green salad, whole-grain rolls and fruit. Fish, such as salmon or cod, takes only a few minutes to cook. Season the fish with pepper and lemon juice. While the fish is cooking, steam broccoli, warm up a loaf of French bread and wash a handful of baby carrots. Use bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh or breast to make healthy chicken nuggets. Roll the raw chicken in cornflakes mixed with paprika and Italian seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes.
Family Favorites Made Faster
Make your family's favorite foods healthier by examining your favorite recipes for ways to save time and eliminate unhealthy fats or high-calorie ingredients. While you boil whole-grain spaghetti, add vegetarian crumbles to low-sodium spaghetti sauce. Add your own chopped tomatoes, broccoli and shredded carrots to a bag of salad. Reduce the calories in Mexican or Asian dishes by using vegetables or tofu in place of meat. Stir-fry vegetables in chicken or vegetable stock for three to five minutes and serve over quick-cooking rice or noodles. Make chicken or potato salad healthier by substituting plain, fat-free Greek yogurt for regular mayonnaise.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service: The Impact of Food Away From Home on Adult Diet Quality; Jessica E. Todd, et al.; February 2010
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
- University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources: Fast, Easy and Healthy Crock Pot Meals; Anna Martin; February 2006
- United States Department of Agriculture: Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals; 2000
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart Health Recipes
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