What's your favorite fast, healthy meal?

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Khovde07
Khovde07 Posts: 508 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm looking for ideas for fast healthy meals. By "fast" I mean, prepared and eaten within an hour. Preferably not salads (long story, but I'm allergic to lettuce and don't particularly like it anyway).

Meal planning and pre-preparing meals is always an option, but what do you guys do for those "oh crap, I need to make lunch (or dinner) and I have no time!" moments?

Replies

  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,382 Member
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    Eggs. Scrambled, boiled, etc. Make them egg salad and eat on a sandwich, sunny-side up over oatmeal, scrambled, omlettes, eggs eggs eggs.

    Or I grill chicken and microwave one of those packets of premade side vegetables. Easy to keep those things in the freezer, and grilled chicken takes no time in my George Foreman grill.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    eggs.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    -Canned vegetable or vegetable lentil soup with crackers
    -Microwavable veggie burger with vegetable steamer bags
    -Pre-packaged miso soup bowls (just add boiling water or add water and microwave)
    -Hard boiled eggs, mayo, on toast with a fruit cup
  • mggary
    mggary Posts: 3 Member
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    Alton Brown's tuna dressing with lettuce. I skip the capers but it's 1 can/pouch of tuna, 1 tbsp mayo, cracked pepper & 2-3 dashes of red wine vinegar. Mix it all together then serve over your favorite fresh salad greens with some cherry tomatoes or whatever you like with salad. I have also substituted 4-5 pickled jalapeños with 2 tsp of its juice for the vinegar and loved it!
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
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    Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burger with a slice of sharp cheddar; top with an over easy egg and I am a happy girl. Bonus: I am eating in less than 10 minutes.
  • hittrain
    hittrain Posts: 38 Member
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    We often have fresh meat on hand so for a "meal" meal, I'll grill a piece of chicken or steak and throw it on a wheat tortilla with some homemade ranch and/or veggies.

    I also like making a quick smoothie out of greek yogurt, homemade peanut butter, oats, ice, and bananas. Smoothies make a great quick snack and are helpful for getting rid of fruit that may be ending its life cycle.

    Quick eats are some of the hardest things to plan for. I often make a batch of chicken salad to have on hand for a quick meal or two, if needed. Worst case scenario, I use it for lunches or lose a small batch of it if I don't eat it.

    'Train
  • healthybodyhealthylife
    healthybodyhealthylife Posts: 189 Member
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    A quick stirfry with 1 cal spray, chopped veggies and shrimp or chicken. Having chopped up veggies on hand really helps keep me on track.
  • absentmindedhousewife
    absentmindedhousewife Posts: 68 Member
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    1 cup hot boiled macaroni
    1/2 cup heated canned black beans
    put this over
    2 tbs whipped cream cheese (thin with a little water if necessary.)
    seasoned with taco seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper if you want it.
    Add chopped veggies. I like tomatoes and peppers

    Enjoy. round 400-500 calories and filling. Probably lots of sodium.
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
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    I have frozen salmon fillets in my freezer at all times. When i need a quick meal, I pull one out, throw it in a frying pan with a little bit of butter, lemon juice and pepper. While that's cooking, I throw some frozen veggies in the microwave and voila! less than 10 minutes later I'm eating. If I have a bit more time, or am extra hungry, I'll cook up some uncle bens flavored rice....Adds an extra 5 minutes to my prep time...
  • amw1919
    amw1919 Posts: 74 Member
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    Boil chicken breasts, shred, toss with hot sauce or bbq sauce, and throw on a bun.

    Pour a jar of salsa over chicken breasts or fish fillets, sprinkle with cheese, and bake.
  • Khovde07
    Khovde07 Posts: 508 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I just did a kind of tuna pasta with peas over lunch that was super yummy and surprisingly fast.

    Hubby and I both work during the day and co-teach a class 2 nights a week. Fast meals are a necessity in our house!
  • khaleesikhaleesi
    khaleesikhaleesi Posts: 213 Member
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    AngryViking1970 wrote: »
    Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burger with a slice of sharp cheddar; top with an over easy egg and I am a happy girl. Bonus: I am eating in less than 10 minutes.

    I second this.
  • beamer0821
    beamer0821 Posts: 488 Member
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    well it depends on what i have on hand.
    my quick weeknight meal is tacos.
    ground turkey or chicken with a seasoning packet.
    hard or soft shells. i like hard.
    top with your favorite ingredients and add in some healthy items like tomatoes and avocado. i only use sour cream or cheese, not both.
    and i do a veggie side. frozen corn or a veg medley for something quick.

    this dinner honestly takes 15-20 min to make.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    Meat and veggies. Thaw the meat in a microwave, if necessary, and then grill.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Place frozen fruit (berries are best) into bowl. Place bowl in microwave. Thaw for 4-6 minutes. Pour granola over thawed fruit. Pour yogurt over granola.

    Boom. 5-7 minutes and you've got a healthy, yummy, filling meal.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    An hour? anything!

    Dinner: Sliced onions, chicken, broccoli, dried tomatoes, pan seared with hosin sauce, a little curry paste, dash of salt, pepper and creme and added a diced granny smith apple at at the end. 20 minutes tops.

    Dessert: Apple and berries, a little crème fraiche. Blend, serve in 5 min

    Clean up 5 min tops.

    30 minutes.

  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
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    veggie burgers
    instant brown rice with roasted broccoli , corn ,some kind of bean and then a homemade dressing on top or salsa
    big bowl oatmeal with apples and cinnamon
    a plate of hummus with crackers and baby carrots
    wraps with refried beans,rice,veggies,serving vegan cheese
  • dogsarebears
    dogsarebears Posts: 85 Member
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    Eggs or veggie burgers for sure. I also second keeping frozen salmon always on hand. Stir fried veggies with baked tofu is another good one.

    But the most common super fast "I don't even have time/energy to think about this" meal that i make is: boil pasta (sometimes whole wheat or veggie pasta), add frozen broccoli to the pot about 1min before it's done cooking, when it reaches a boil again you can drain it, add low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta and prego chunky vegetable sauce. You can adjust the quantities of each ingredient to fit your macro goals if you choose.
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
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    A multigrain English muffin split and topped with smooshed avocado and tuna. Carbs, beneficial fats, protein in less than 5 minutes.

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