While many of us are becoming more mindful of our food choices on a daily basis, it can be a bit time-consuming to prepare healthy meals after a long and tiring day, and it is often easier to resort to takeout or frozen meals. The good news is that eating at home can be made significantly easier by meal prepping. Prepping beforehand can cut down on the stress of cooking while also being healthier and more economical!
Here are some quick and easy dinner ideas.
Oven-Roasted Vegetables
This is a quick side dish that is good for the gut and fills you up with essential nutrients. It can be paired with a protein and starch of your choosing, such as chicken and potatoes, or tofu and potatoes. You can cut a variety of vegetables in any way that you prefer, drizzle a high-heat oil, and sprinkle with spices or herbs like chili powder, basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, garlic, and so on. Then bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit.
Sheet-Pan Dinners
All you need for this dinner is some protein and vegetables. The idea behind the “one-sheet” dinner concept is that you bake everything together on a tray. This is an efficient way to cut down on clean-up time and make some leftovers for lunch the next day. For example, you can bake seasoned chicken breast, sweet potato cubes, and broccoli. Here are some more ideas:
Quinoa Veggie Bowls
For this idea, you can prepare any grain of your liking (rice, quinoa, couscous) and pick out several of your favorite vegetables. Next, chop up the vegetables, toss them in with the grains, and add a healthy dressing like olive oil and vinegar. You can also stir-fry some shrimp or make scrambled eggs to add protein. For individuals that are vegan or vegetarian, you can add baked tofu or legumes like chickpeas or kidney beans.
If you suspect that you’re allergic to common allergens in foods like gluten or dairy, but aren’t sure, simply avoid them for a week or two. After the two weeks, decide if you feel better throughout the day. If yes, then you might have an allergy. Taking probiotics, digestive enzymes, or a supplement like Wise Women’s Herbals‘ GI Tract may give the digestive system a boost, but it never hurts to try and eliminate any suspected allergens first.
