Here are some quick ideas for dinner time recipes and meal prep. While I do enjoy a really nice dinner out at a restaurant once in awhile, I have to say that I prefer to cook my own meals at home. When I go out to eat anywhere I always wondering how they are preparing my food, what are they putting in it, what oils are they using, etc. A lot of times restaurants use a lot of oils, creams, salt, etc and while it tastes delicious, I can never really tell how healthy or unhealthy it is for me. When I cook in my home I am in control of every aspect of my food; what ingredients I use, what kind of meat, how it’s prepared, what spices are used, etc. To some this may be a bit neurotic, to me I just prefer to be aware of what is going into my body. Dinner time for me has to be fast! I work a full time job so by the time I get home it’s usually 6 or 6:30PM – I want to have dinner cooked and completed by 7:15 to eat by 7:30PM.
What does a typical dinner look like for me? Quick, healthy high protein dinner option recipes
I am a multi tasking cook; I always have a few pots going at once and sometimes the oven too. I make sure to defrost any meats I am going to cook the same day unless the chicken or ground turkey is already fresh and not frozen. We go through a LOT of chicken so I usually buy a bunch on the weekend and keep out 1-2 packets and freeze the rest to take out each morning. Chicken is my go to meat source usually as its lean, healthy and can be made pretty quickly and easily. I don’t eat red meat often at all and seafood is great, like salmon, but lately we have been on a chicken kick. So I made some grilled chicken and cut it up into small pieces. I marinate it with olive oil and some Mrs. Dash seasonings.
I will cook the chicken on the skillet but then transfer it to a baking pan with some low sodium chicken broth. I also put a bunch of veggies in a pan as well like broccoli and cauliflower and spray them with olive oil and garlic powder and bake in the oven. I love baking vegetables in the oven so they aren’t soggy. I will also usually whip up a healthy salad for dinner as well; usually with some cucumbers, celery, onion, sometimes black olives and sun dried tomatoes. I usually just use some seasonings and some apple cider vinegar as my dressing. I avoid creamy dressings which load on calories and fat.
Since it is winter time I will occasionally make a batch of lean ground turkey or lean ground chicken chili. What I do is make a skillet full of seasonings, onions, peppers, beans (white and red) and let that simmer. Then I slowly add in the ground meat and then cover with a top and let that cook on low while everything else is still cooking as well. Chili is a favorite dish of mine especially during the cold weather season.
Overall my dinner is quick and easy during the week. I make sure it is healthy with some lean meats (chicken or ground turkey) and then always paired with fresh vegetables. I don’t eat a lot of carbs in the evening time, that’s why you won’t usually see rice, potatoes or pasta. I aim to eat most of my carbs by 3pm because I work out in the morning so I eat more of my carbs in the first half of the day.
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