Is there a question more stressful at 5:30PM on a Monday night

What’s for dinner? Is there a question more stressful at 5:30PM on a Monday night?

Here is the formula I use everyday for figuring out, “what’s for dinner?”;
Protein + Vegetables + Extras
Proteins

My dinners focus on healthy sources of protein; meat, lamb, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, or dairy. I prepare meals based on what I find fresh at the markets and what I have stocked in my kitchen. I am not advocating a high protein diet – make sure to include plenty of healthy fats in all your meals.

    Keep a well stocked kitchen. This is what I routinely store based on what my family prefers;
        Freezer: ground beef, London broil and other cuts of meat, marrow bones, chicken breast, whole chicken, chicken bones, chicken liver, lamb chops (special treat), sausages (nitrate-free), wild salmon and other fish fillets.
        Refrigerator: fresh fish, herrings, gravlax (store-bought or homemade), eggs, yogurt, cheese, cream, butter, ghee, deli-meat (nitrate-free).
        Pantry: canned tuna, salmon, and sardines, jarred anchovies, coconut milk, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil.

    Take a few minutes when cleaning up dinner to prepare for the next night.  Place freezer items in the refrigerator to defrost, wash or chop vegetables, soak grains, nuts or seeds, marinate meats, etc…

    Stock easy to defrost options for hectic days. Chicken breasts, turkey cutlets, and ground meat all defrost in an hour or two in a cold water bath.

    Keep a list of meals that your family enjoys divided by categories. These are meals I repeat at my house divided by categories;
        Meat: meatballs, hamburgers, seared london broil, grilled lamb chops, pasta bolognese, tacos, and stir-fries.
        Poultry: rotisserie chicken, chicken soup, curried chicken salad, and oven-roasted turkey breast.
        Fish: pan-fried, steamed, roasted, or seared with butter/coconut oil and herbs or with special sauces (time permitting), ceviche, and sushi.
        Dairy: risotto, homemade sourdough pizza, quiches, and lasagna (made with rice pasta).

    Try new recipes, ingredients, and techniques but save more complex ones for the weekends when you are not so rushed or stressed to get dinner on the table.

    Organize recipes in a binder or a recipe management computer program to keep track of recipes you want to try and those that were successful.

Vegetables

    Choose fresh, local, seasonal, and organic produce when you can.

    Serve vegetables with healthy fats for maximum nutrient absorption.

    Prepare a mix of raw, cooked, and fermented vegetables. Most nights I serve a salad, raw cut up veggies, and a cooked vegetable side dish.

    Prepare what your family likes but expose them often to new vegetables.

    Vegetable options;
        Raw: lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery, avocado, cucumbers, red/green peppers, fennel, and red onions.
        Cooked: grilled, steamed, pan-fried, or roasted broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, asparagus, spinach, chard, kale, zucchini, squash, sweet potato fries, and cauliflower rice.
        Fermented: pickles, sauerkraut, fermented beets or other vegetables.
        Dressings: Caesar salad, ginger-cumin dressing, or a simple dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

    Stock onions, garlic, ginger, lemons, limes, olives, capers, fresh herbs, and spices to flavor your dishes.

    Stock frozen vegetables for days you are low on fresh produce.

Extras

My “extras” are dishes and sauces that enhance the meal, but can be skipped if pressed for time. Though some dinners the sides may be an integral part of the meal, like spaghetti (gluten-free) and meatballs, often they distract from more nutritious offerings. Sauces can enhance the meal’s nutrition by providing healthy fats. Elaborate desserts are reserved for weekends and holidays, but I do offer low-sugar options a few times a week.

    Side dishes: oven-baked rice, roasted potatoes, buckwheat noodles, lentils, risotto, rice pasta and quinoa.

    Sauces and condiments can be prepared in advance and in large quantities for multiple meals: mayonnaise, chimichurri, pesto, butter sauces, and yogurt sauces.

    Stock pantry items like mustard, naturally fermented soy sauces, capers, tomato paste, and anchovies to create dressings, marinades, and sauces.

    Desserts: fresh fruit, homemade frozen yogurt, homemade coconut milk or raw cream ice cream, berries with fresh whipped cream, or homemade almond flour cookies or muffins.

Have a Backup Plan

Life happens, have backup plans – “dinner in five minutes” types of plan – like when the President is in town and your 20 minute ride home takes two hours, or your child’s friend sleeping over wants another dinner at 10PM.

    Cook extra when possible and use leftovers creatively for a second meal but freeze them before they go bad (make sure to label with date and description).

    Keep a list of last minute dinner options and try to always have the ingredients stocked.

    My backup plans (when I don’t have leftovers): crispy pizza (on gluten-free tortillas I always keep in the freezer), tuna/salmon salad (canned fish are always in my pantry), grilled cheese sandwiches, yogurt/raw milk with nutty granola, and other breakfast for dinner choices.

    Have a running shopping list in your kitchen and as soon as you are running low on something add it to the list so you’re never out of kitchen staples. A well-stocked kitchen makes last minute dinners feasible.

Weekly and Monthly Menu Planning

“There are only two things required for good cooking: great ingredients and just enough technique to tweak them into a tasty meal.”  Amelia Saltzman, author of The Santa Monica Farmer’s Market Cookbook.

Some families strive on structured menu planning. It’s also helpful for beginner cooks, those starting special diets, or those wanting extra guidance to prepare healthy meals without having to figure it all out on their own.

If weekly or monthly menu planning is what you are looking for, I recommend the following;

    Jenny at Nourished Kitchen offers Simple Dinners/Healthy Meal Plans. The plan comes with three full dinner menus per week, plus a soup, dessert, and ferment of the week. (Suitable for gluten-grain free and dairy free diets).

    Cara at Health Home and Happiness provides Grain Free Meal Plans, especially helpful for those on special diets. Her plan includes menus for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, plus snacks with shopping lists.

If you’re at home after school

It’s a scene that plays out daily in homes everywhere. Kids come in from school and head straight to the kitchen looking for something to eat. How can you make sure your child gets nourished but still has room for a healthy dinner? Read on.

Though kids need less frequent snacks as they get older, it’s not surprising that most are hungry after school. Many kids eat lunch early — 11:30 or even before — and then have an afternoon of classes and maybe even an after-school activity before their next chance to eat. It’s no wonder the snack food vending machine looks so appealing at the end of the day.
 
Figure Out the Timing

Depending on your child’s age and after-school routine, you may not always be able to control what he or she eats in the late afternoon. But don’t throw in the towel just yet. Take these steps to guide your child to good after-school snacks that will be satisfying and still leave room for a nutritious dinner.Put yourself in your kids’ shoes and consider their eating schedules on a normal weekday. Some younger kids may have a mid-morning snack, but most older school-age kids won’t. Get the answers to these questions: When is lunchtime? What and how much do they eat at lunch? Do they ever skip lunch? Does the after-school program serve snacks? This will help you figure out how hungry kids will be when they get home.

You’ll also want to think about what time you normally serve dinner. A child who gets home famished at 3 and eats a large snack probably won’t be hungry if dinner is at 5:30. Likewise, it may not reasonable to expect a child whose parents work late to go until 7:30 with nothing to eat since lunch. Think about your kids’ schedules and plan accordingly.

Create a List of Healthy Options

Next, talk about which snacks kids would like to have at snack time. Come up with a list of healthy options together and be sure to include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. While a slice of cake or some potato chips shouldn’t be forbidden foods, such low-nutrient snacks shouldn’t be on the everyday after-school menu.

If you can, take your kids along to the grocery store and spend some time reading the nutrition facts labels and comparing products. Pay attention to the amounts of protein, fiber, calcium, and other important nutrients, and don’t miss the chance to talk about portion sizes. Together, choose snacks that are low in sugar, fat, and salt. Being involved in the process makes it more likely that kids will learn to make healthy food choices.
Make Healthy Snacks an Easy Choice

Don’t expect kids — even teens — to cut up their own veggie sticks. It’s just too much bother, especially when they’re hungry. Kids are more inclined to eat what’s handy. That’s where you come in. Make healthy snacks easily available by packing them in their lunchboxes or backpacks or by having them visible and ready-to-eat at home.

If you’re at home after school, your youngster might enjoy helping you make a creative snack like ants on a log (celery topped with peanut butter and raisin “ants”), egg boats (hard-boiled egg wedges topped with a cheese sail), or fruit kabobs. Older kids may enjoy a fruit smoothie, mini-pitas with hummus dip, or whole-grain crackers topped with cheese and pear slices.

Older kids often like making their own snacks, so provide the ingredients and a few simple instructions. If dinner is just around the corner, consider allowing a “first course,” such as a small salad or side vegetable while you finish preparing the family meal.

For those nights when dinner is hours away, you could opt for a more substantial snack such as half a sandwich or a quesadilla made with a whole-wheat tortilla, low-fat cheese, and salsa warmed in the microwave. Nothing too complicated, though. A good snack should take more time to eat than it does to prepare!

If your child goes to an after-school program or to a caregiver’s house, find out if snacks are served. If so, what’s typically offered? If you don’t like what you hear, suggest alternatives or just pack an extra snack your child can eat after school. Easy-to-pack snack options include trail mix, nuts, low-sugar whole grain cereal, whole-grain pretzels or crackers, fresh or dried fruit, and cut-up vegetables.

What if your child comes home to an empty house? Again, the best strategy is to leave something healthy front and center on the kitchen counter or in the refrigerator. A hungry child, like a hungry adult, is likely to take the path of least resistance.

Extra fat should be used completely Overall health.

Nutritious morning meal dishes goody and desert dishes can be a help the appropriate way but not should you choose it merely once every seven days, You might have seen persons say.. take your morning meal, it’s the most important dinner through the day. Well, these are suitable, Breakfast time supplies your entire body with vigor just after an eight or ten hours car insurance companies of going on a fast. As you never use up quite a few physical exercise energy when you rest, your entire body still functions lots of vigor bad credit loans it’s metabolic functions.

Not eating morning meal is like losing to set gasoline in the vehicle once the measure reads vacant. Even though you might not discontinue to function you may sense horrible and haven’t much pep. If you enjoy healthy and balanced morning meal dishes goody and desert dishes, it offers you the time to nibble on those time generate vigor medications and sophisticated glucose.

Some meals a day is common in the united states, nevertheless quite a few health professionals consider this is not the ultimate way to take. They observe that some meals a day give persons most of their vigor in some jolts. Concerning these jolts persons shortage vigor to pay for experience drained, someone may consume a candy or some cookies among dinners, as web hosting reviews offers an vigor enhance but also raises kinds energy and older time kinds bodyweight.

These health professionals propose we turn into grazers as opposed to ingesting some huge dinners everyday, use up small amounts throughout the day. This may not be feasible during the university calendar year, but middle of morning hours and just after university snack food items are not always a bad idea. Make the vigor from those healthy and balanced morning meal dishes goody and desert dishes continue by averting easy sugar and also the hey-hey consequence.

The Yo-Yo Effect.

Basic glucose are simply in highly processed foodstuff, just like light flour or brown carbohydrates, plus in fructose the carbohydrates located in some fruits and darling. Additionally, they present vigor. Eating a lot of easy glucose, nevertheless, may cause main difficulties within the body. They start a quick boost in our blood-carbohydrates stages, which energizes distinctive skin cells from the pancreatic to discharge considerable amounts of insulin shots, which can be enable the system to make use of blood sugar successfully.

Devoid of healthy and balanced morning meal dishes goody and desert dishes.. an excessive amount of insulin shots is released which then causes a rapid autumn in blood glucose levels. This could lead to loosing pep and energy and even faintness. By eating a candy to grant yourself extra pep, your blood sugar levels all over again increases exponentially, your pancreatic leg techinques out extra insulin shots, your blood sugar levels comes, and, in a while you lock up all over again. This hey-hey consequence is incredibly popular in kids these days with the degree of easy glucose they use up in Unhealthy food and soft drinks.

Excellent healthy and balanced morning meal dishes goody and desert dishes and fatty acids are necessary to our eating habits. They are needed for the creation of quite a few hormones inside our body, and to digest body fat soluble vitamin products and make neurological tissues. For the reason that fatty acids contain double the energy every gram as glucose, or meats weight loss plans full of body fat may cause moderate difficulties. Right now People in the usa get about 35 % of the everyday fat laden calories. Most health professionals consider this is certainly an excessive amount of and kids are not exempt out of this body fat craze.. Unhealthy food is rich in it.

There are many tips for healthy eating for children

An infant is supplied the necessary nutrients mainly by the mother’s milk or the suggested baby food. An small child is also under continuous vigilance of the parents, therefore he is provided with all the possible nutritions in the food course given to him.

But when the child grows elder, It is not possible always to take a check on the food he is eating as he is now free to move, aware of the variety of eatables and also selective according to his tastes and likes \ dislikes. Even though a child has developed his own choices, likes \ dislikes and taste but still he needs parental direction about his food in order to develope good eating habits.

A complete food is very essential for a growing child as a growing body needs more energy and vital elements. Neglecting proper eating habits can lead to many deseases and physical deficiencies in future. Eating healthy food is the best way to maintain perfect weight and acquiring all the vital nutritions that are necessary for a healthy body and mind. Parents must start eating healthy food themselves in the home and that will surely help the child to develope a taste for that sort of vegetables and dishes since very childhood.

There are many tips for healthy eating for children. Children are attracted towards the fast- food mostly so the food we wish to feed our children should be rich in nutrition, taste along with proper designing and asthetics as a mean to catch their eye –

1. IN BREAKFAST : keep changing the menu. Fix one or more healthy dishes for each day of the week and ask your child for his preferences amongst the options. Refrain him from tea, coffee and do give him one glass of milk. If he shows reluctance for milk, you can add flavours to it or change it to home-made milk shakes with various fruits. Always use fresh vegetables in abundance while making sandwiches .To feed him sprouts, you can mix it with finely cut fruits and make a sprouts- fruit salad.
2.  
3. IN LUNCH : Always take salad atleast half an hour before the lunch and use fresh and seasonal vegetables and fruits in it. Compulsory members of a healthy eating plan are Pulses, rice, one seasonal vegetable, curd and any other nutritious dish that is easily available.
4.  
5. IN DINNER : Dinner may be the same as the lunch but there is one thing to remember always : take breakfast heaviest, lunch lighter and the dinner lightest and couple of hours before sleeping.

Chicken recipes for dinner - chicken kabobs

 These dishes, which are perfect as appetizers or main course, come with a superb taste and good nutrition. Anyone will delight on the savory aroma that will definitely make you go for seconds or thirds. The spicy, salty or sweet taste of the dishes definitely appeals to anyone with a passion for good food. You will not only love how each chicken recipe offer a superb flavor; you will also find the dishes nutritious because of the fruits and vegetables that make up the ingredients of each dish. With the right combination of seasonings and other ingredients in every recipe, you will consider these dishes as fabulous and prefect for your family and friends.

The chicken recipes in this article are very easy to prepare; as long as you have all the ingredients and the necessary tools to make the dish, you can cook it in a matter of minutes. These recipes for chicken certainly let you create gourmet meals that come with an appealing taste and aroma.
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

5.0 stars based on 10 reviews Prepare Time: 15 Minutes (P0H15M) Cook time: 25 Minutes (P0H25M)
Soup is an ideal starter or appetizer prior serving the main course. The delightful aroma, fabulous taste and warmth that soup brings set the mood for a pleasurable dining experience. You can serve several kinds of soup for appetizer; but one of the most common soups is chicken noodle soup. The great thing about chicken soup is that it is rich in protein yet low in fats. Moreover, you can include a variety of vegetables and seasonings to make the soup very tasty and aromatic. The healthy choice of ingredients adds to the wonders that this soup can do to you. For instance, you can add carrots, potatoes, slices of cabbage and green onion to the soup. These vegetables contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that ward off diseases caused by virus or bacteria. Hence, you will not only enjoy the fabulous taste of the soup, but also the health benefits.

Ingredients:
• 50 g. of noodles
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• 150 g. of chicken, shredded
• ½ cup of mushroom, chopped into small pieces
• 1 medium sized carrot, cut into small strips
• ½ cup of sweet corn
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of corn flour
• 1 teaspoon of corn oil
• 1 spring onion, chopped into half-inch strips
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. In a stockpot, boil the chicken until tender. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and sauté the carrots, mushrooms and sweet corn.
3. Boil noodles in salt and water. Then, heat the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.
4. Once the stock comes to a boil, add the sautéed vegetables and the cooked noodles. Cook for 5 minutes before adding the spring onions, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper.
5. Mean while, mix the corn flour with 4 tablespoons of lukewarm water. This mixture will produce a thick, rich paste. Add this to the soup while stirring continuously.
6. You may opt to add enough water to keep the soup thick in texture.
7. Boil for a couple of minutes before turning off heat.
8. Serve in soup bowls, and add croutons.

Whichever type of soup you wish to make, you can make it creamy by thickening the broth. The rich taste of these soups is a pleasant start before you highlight the rest of the chicken recipes for dinner.
chicken recipes for dinner - chicken noodle soup
Sweet and Sour Healthy Chicken Recipe

5.0 stars based on 10 reviews Prepare Time: 15 Minutes (P1H) Cook time: 30 Minutes (P0H30M)
Every mealtime should consist of dishes that are not only delicious but highly nutritious, as well. Chicken is already healthy as it is, because of its high protein content. However, with a selection of nutrient-packed ingredients, you can make the dish a great aid to good nutrition.

If you are after a main course dish that comes with a rich sauce with an interesting taste, you might want to try making sweet and sour chicken. This recipe is a great combination of meat and vegetables for a pleasant gastronomic pleasure. This dish includes bell peppers, pineapple chunks and ginger. These ingredients are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that support healthy body systems. Moreover, it is easy to prepare and cook this dish; in only 40 to 45 minutes, you can already enjoy sinking your teeth in the fabulous goodness of the dish.

Ingredients:
• 1 large size egg, separate the white portion
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 cup of canned pineapple chunks, drained
• ¼ cup of canned pineapple juice
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• ¼ cup of ketchup or tomato sauce
• ¼ cup of white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
• 1 bell pepper (red and yellow), cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound of chicken breast fillet, cut into cubes

Procedure:
1. Mix the cornstarch, egg white and salt in a bowl. Blend well to remove lumps.
2. Wash the chicken with water. Then, coat each piece of chicken with the cornstarch mixture. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Mean while, combine the other ingredients such as the water, brown sugar, pineapple juice and vinegar.
4. Heat oil in a wok and fry the chicken. Allow one minute for each side of the chicken before flipping it.
5. Remove the chicken from the pan, with the middle portion still a bit pinkish.
6. On medium high heat, fry the bell peppers and the ginger for about a minute. Put the pineapple chunks and the pineapple juice mixture.
7. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
8. Add in the chicken and cook thoroughly in medium heat.
9. The recipe makes 4 servings.
chicken recipes for dinner - healthy chicken recipes
Chicken Kabobs

5.0 stars based on 10 reviews Prepare Time: 10 Minutes (P0H10M) Cook time: 20 Minutes (P0H20M)
This delightful recipe is perfect as appetizers or snacks. The good thing about kabobs is that they are very easy to make. You only need to use the right combination of ingredients to make a fabulous marinade for the chicken. If you wish to change the flavor a bit, you could do so by adding a variety of seasonings Hawaiian kabobs consist of pineapple chunks and kiwi, aside from the chicken pieces in the skewers.

Kabobs are truly tasty, as long as you marinate the chicken well. Moreover, the nutritive value of this dish is high; because of the vegetables and fruits in the kabobs, you can benefit from the vitamins and minerals they contain.

Hence, for a dish that is easy to prepare, try making kabobs. You can delight on this recipe during family outings, snack time or as appetizers on parties. This is a much better alternative to the usual finger foods or sandwiches.

Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of sherry
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 8 pieces of cubed chicken breast fillet, skinned
• 1 cup of canned pineapple chunks
• Sliced kiwi fruit

Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients except for the chicken, pineapple and kiwi. These ingredients make up the marinade.
2. Place the chicken in the marinade. Coat each side well and keep it in a tightly closed container.
3. Marinate the chicken for 2 or more hours. This will allow the meat to absorb fully the seasonings.
4. When you are ready to cook the meat, preheat the grill to medium-high setting.
5. Lightly spray the grate with cooking oil.
6. Thread the chicken, kiwi and pineapple chunks in the skewer. Arrange each piece alternately, leaving a small space between each.
7. Grill for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the meat is already tender.
8. Arrange the grilled kabobs in a platter. Serve with ice cold fruit juice.
9. This superb recipe makes 8 servings.
chicken recipes for dinner - chicken kabobs

There you have it, a few of the best chicken recipes for dinner that you will enjoy making for your family and friends. Each recipe offers several health benefits that make them ideal to eat no matter what time of the day. The great recipes featured in this article are definitely something worth trying because they are easy to make, delicious and very nutritious. So what are you waiting for? Start making these chicken recipes for dinner, lunch or any time of the day.