Post your two "go-to" healthy low prep meals/recipes

Mine:

1. I always have a large bag of frozen salmon fillets. I usually take one one in the morning so it's thawed by the time I get home. I simply sear it with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper. In the same pan, I wilt one large bunch of greens with some spices and maybe garlic or ginger - whatever I have on hand - spinach, kale, etc. And while all this is happening I usually have a sweet potato boiling. I mash it up, and either sprinkle olive oil or slice a half avocado on it.

This meal hits the spot on so many way. Hmmm, fat. . . .


2. Extra lean turkey or chicken chili. Brown it, drain it, add seasoning, and then fill up the pot with a variety of different beans - white beans, navy beans, black beans, etc. I usually make a large pot - and when I warm it up to eat later, I top it off with some raw veggies so they cook in a little while they're in the microwave. I don't put the veggies in the first time, because I don't want them to get too mushy.

Replies

  • Boneless skinless chicken breast, I spray a little olive oil spray on it and coat both sides with herbs (oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper), and some hot sauce (Tapatio), then bake at 350F for 45 minutes
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
    I don't have any "go to" healthy meals yet but one that I used to make when I lived on my own was boneless, skinless chicken (very low fat) that I squeezed lemon juice onto. Put it in the oven until done and served with some canned carrots or another type of veggie... hmm, I may need to make this for my family lol!

    Almost every morning I have dippy eggs with 2 pieces of lightly buttered toast. It's easy for me to make and tastes just so yummy! It's such a classic though lol
  • jyogit
    jyogit Posts: 280 Member
    anything stir fried .. just chop it up and throw it in the wok .. chicken and vegetables are always in the fridge and its mainly what i eat every day now.

    Poached eggs and baked beans … quick n easy and so tasty ..
  • roswald78
    roswald78 Posts: 9 Member
    1lb ground turkey browned with no added oil or fat, drain off the juice, add 1 can of rinsed black beans, 1 cup of homemade salsa, 1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning and the called for water. Let it simmer until most of the liquid is gone. 1/2 cup is approx 180 calories. I eat it on salad, tortillas or with mini tortilla chips.

    6-8 oz poached chicken, thinly sliced and made into a sandwich with light wheat bread, lettuce and mustard with green beans as a side. I also like to do this minus the mustard and mixing the chicken in a little salsa instead before making it into a sandwich.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    Jar of salsa, 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, bag of frozen corn, 2 cans of drained/rinsed beans (kidney or black) into the crockpot for 6 hours. Shred chicken, mix back in... eat as is, make a burrito, eat over rice. This makes enough for my family of 4 and then enough leftovers for everyone to have lunch from it too.

    1 pound ground turkey (browned), jar of picante sauce, 2 cans of drained/rinsed beans (kidney or black) - heat through and eat. I also added a little more salsa verde and 4 mini bell peppers to it tonight. Same as above - as is, burrito, or over rice. I had mine as is with a little shredded cheese, a small dollop of sour cream, and some avocado. I put this at 5 servings, but I'm fairly certain it's more like 8 as well for my family.
  • roswald78
    roswald78 Posts: 9 Member
    Jar of salsa, 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, bag of frozen corn, 2 cans of drained/rinsed beans (kidney or black) into the crockpot for 6 hours. Shred chicken, mix back in... eat as is, make a burrito, eat over rice. This makes enough for my family of 4 and then enough leftovers for everyone to have lunch from it too.

    1 pound ground turkey (browned), jar of picante sauce, 2 cans of drained/rinsed beans (kidney or black) - heat through and eat. I also added a little more salsa verde and 4 mini bell peppers to it tonight. Same as above - as is, burrito, or over rice. I had mine as is with a little shredded cheese, a small dollop of sour cream, and some avocado. I put this at 5 servings, but I'm fairly certain it's more like 8 as well for my family.

    oh that first one sounds really really good...might have to steal this! :wink:
  • joannenicole451
    joannenicole451 Posts: 31 Member
    I do a big salad for lunch almost every day. The day after I go grocery shopping, I chop and wash all my lettuce and separate it into meal sized containers in the fridge. Then I wash and chop all my produce. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, etc. all chopped up and put into little containers in the fridge. Once a week, I roast a chicken and de-bone it and put all the pieces of meat into another container. Then I make a week's worth of balsamic vinaigrette. By taking an hour once a week to prep everything, I have a week's worth of super healthy and filling lunches that can be ready in less than 5 minutes.
  • I love Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts and Feta Cheese. It is very easy to make and does not take long to cook.
  • marypresent
    marypresent Posts: 39 Member
    I do a big salad for lunch almost every day. The day after I go grocery shopping, I chop and wash all my lettuce and separate it into meal sized containers in the fridge. Then I wash and chop all my produce. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, etc. all chopped up and put into little containers in the fridge. Once a week, I roast a chicken and de-bone it and put all the pieces of meat into another container. Then I make a week's worth of balsamic vinaigrette. By taking an hour once a week to prep everything, I have a week's worth of super healthy and filling lunches that can be ready in less than 5 minutes.

    I like this idea very much, but just wondering if your lettuce lasts all week. This is the one part of the salad that seems to go bad after a few days.
  • joannenicole451
    joannenicole451 Posts: 31 Member
    I do a big salad for lunch almost every day. The day after I go grocery shopping, I chop and wash all my lettuce and separate it into meal sized containers in the fridge. Then I wash and chop all my produce. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, etc. all chopped up and put into little containers in the fridge. Once a week, I roast a chicken and de-bone it and put all the pieces of meat into another container. Then I make a week's worth of balsamic vinaigrette. By taking an hour once a week to prep everything, I have a week's worth of super healthy and filling lunches that can be ready in less than 5 minutes.

    I like this idea very much, but just wondering if your lettuce lasts all week. This is the one part of the salad that seems to go bad after a few days.

    I find that if the lettuce is washed and thoroughly dried, I don't have a problem. By the end of the week, I might have to pick out a few pieces that got a bit wilty, but the majority is fine.

    Oh, and this is without the dressing. If you put the dressing on the greens, they'll be gross within an hour. I keep everything in separate containers and then just mix it together when I'm ready to eat.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Grilled chicken and more grilled chicken:)
  • Agator82
    Agator82 Posts: 249 Member
    Nothing to share, but some great ideas I will come back to.
  • Nix_Way
    Nix_Way Posts: 201 Member
    Bump for the tasty ideas!

    *drools!*
  • SandyBVTN
    SandyBVTN Posts: 367 Member
    I do a big salad for lunch almost every day. The day after I go grocery shopping, I chop and wash all my lettuce and separate it into meal sized containers in the fridge. Then I wash and chop all my produce. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, etc. all chopped up and put into little containers in the fridge. Once a week, I roast a chicken and de-bone it and put all the pieces of meat into another container. Then I make a week's worth of balsamic vinaigrette. By taking an hour once a week to prep everything, I have a week's worth of super healthy and filling lunches that can be ready in less than 5 minutes.

    I like this idea very much, but just wondering if your lettuce lasts all week. This is the one part of the salad that seems to go bad after a few days.

    I find that if the lettuce is washed and thoroughly dried, I don't have a problem. By the end of the week, I might have to pick out a few pieces that got a bit wilty, but the majority is fine.

    Oh, and this is without the dressing. If you put the dressing on the greens, they'll be gross within an hour. I keep everything in separate containers and then just mix it together when I'm ready to eat.

    I find if I put a paper towel in the lettuce container, it soaks up any remaining moisture and helps keep the lettuce crisp.

    My easiest go-to filling meal is a refried bean and cheddar quesadilla. Even a half ounce of cheddar feels like a lot when it's next to the creamy beans. It's a super easy and pretty filling little lunch or dinner.

    I also like to keep a rich meaty spaghetti sauce portioned in the freezer (I make mine with Italian sausage instead of beef). To balance out those rich meaty calories, I use zucchini zoodles instead of pasta.

    In the 5 minutes it takes to heat the sauce, I was and spiralize the zucchini, then saute it in a touch of olive oil spray, then after a minute or two add a few tablespoons of water and put the lid on the pan. Three minutes later the zucchini is ready for a good strain, then to be topped with sauce and a little fresh grated Parmesan. So simple, and even better with a little glass of red wine.
  • Anxieux
    Anxieux Posts: 275 Member
    Here are the ingredients.

    Rotisserie Chicken
    Wheat Tortilla
    Spinach
    Hummus(favorite flavor)
    Brown Rice
    Avacado
    Sriracha

    Step 1) Spread Hummus on Tortilla
    Step 2) Put Rice on Tortilla
    Step 3) Add Spinach and Avacado
    Step 4) Add Chicken
    Step 5) Add the sauce
    Step 6) Roll it into a wrap
    Step 7) nomnomnomnomnomnom
  • Dang, there are some yummy looking recipes in here. I'm really gonna have to try a few of these.
    In the 5 minutes it takes to heat the sauce, I was and spiralize the zucchini, then saute it in a touch of olive oil spray, then after a minute or two add a few tablespoons of water and put the lid on the pan. Three minutes later the zucchini is ready for a good strain, then to be topped with sauce and a little fresh grated Parmesan. So simple, and even better with a little glass of red wine.

    I'm so gonna have to try this later this week. Zucchini noodles


    One go-to lunch for me is a glorified grilled cheese sammich. Sounds horrible right?

    Ingredients:
    1 Green bell pepper
    1 Yellow bell pepper
    Whole Wheat Bread
    One serving of Pepper Jack Cheese.
    Optional: Thin Cut Ham

    Quarter both peppers. For each sammich you only need a 1/4 of each pepper (assuming they are average size).
    Grill peppers over LOW heat. The idea here is to make them tender, not sear them.
    From there, slap them on a couple pieces of decent bread with some Pepper Jack cheese, and ham at your preference, and grill it all over low heat. You really got to watch for the bread sticking to the pan (unless you use mayo or butter, though that will increase the calorie and fat count by considerable margin.)

    Estimated Calorie Count: 300-ish (mind you, I'm using el-cheapo wheat bread and no mayo/butter). 360-ish if you add the ham.

    It fills me up, tastes pretty good, and smells awesome. I typically eat a piece of fruit with the sammich. Though, I'm still tinkering with the recipe, considering grilling the peppers with some spices next time (cayenne?), and trying to think of something to add that will increase nutrients.

    Most often when I grill one of these up, I'll only use a half serving of cheese. This lowers the fat intake (roughly 80 grams for a single serving of cheese) to 40 grams. If you do add ham, you will significantly increase protein. Also, though obvious it bares to state that the higher quality of bread you use, the better the quality of sammich you will make.