It’s just so easy to pick up take-out on the way home from work when you know there’s no way you have the time or energy to cook dinner. That little voice may be nagging you about healthier eating, but when the entire family arrives home late in the afternoon, it takes some effort to coordinate tasty and good-for-you meals. However, with just a little preparation, preparing healthy meals can be a snap.
Wrap Meals
Whole wheat and vegetable wraps provide the basis for healthy meals that family members can custom make to their personal preferences. Simply set out all the ingredients and let everyone roll his own. The idea is to make sure each wrap contains a protein and a vegetable. World Village suggests such choices such as the Veggie Wrap with its ranch dressing with grated cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded lettuce and sprouts or the Ham and Cheese Wrap, made with mayonnaise, thin slices of ham and cheese and sliced tomatoes. You can serve these with sliced fresh fruit.
Slow Cooker Meals
Just a few minutes of assembly in the morning can result in a hot meal ready to go when you come home from work. Crock-Pot suggests, among many dinner possibilities, such recipes as Apple Chicken Curry, Apricot Mustard Chicken along with Bean and Corn Chili. If you accompany these meals with a loaf of crusty whole-wheat bread and a tossed salad from a bag of pre-washed greens, you’ll have a complete and nutritious meal in a jiffy.
Homemade Pizza
Ready-made pizza crusts available from your local supermarket form the basis for a quick, healthy meal. Simply set out the crusts, canned pizza sauce, shredded Mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms, chopped olives, sliced peppers and canned pineapple. If your family likes meat on pizza, brown and season some turkey hamburger. Assign everyone half of a pizza to garnish personally. When you put the pizzas in the oven to bake, stick in a pan of cored apples sitting in a little water and topped with some cinnamon sugar. By the time you’re done eating the pizza, the apples will be nicely baked; you might want to serve these with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt.
Breakfast as Dinner Meals
Taking advantage of eggs and cheese for protein along with whole grains and a variety of fruits, you can offer breakfast as dinner for a healthy alternative from the meat and potatoes routine. Kids can participate in mixing up and cooking pancakes and waffles, which they can eat hot off the griddle. Scrambled eggs with a little cheese and chopped vegetables tossed in can cook in a jiffy. Kitchen Daily suggests such choices as whole-wheat pancakes, banana orange smoothies and a French toast casserole that can be prepared the previous evening.
