What you need
Serves 4

• ​1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 (6oz) salmon steaks

Instructions

1. ​In a large re-sealable plastic bag combine the first six ingredients; mix well.
2. Set aside 1/2 cup of marinade and refrigerate.
3. Add salmon to remaining marinade, cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours, turning once. Drain and discard marinade.
4. Place the salmon on a broiler pan. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 5 minutes. Brush with reserved marinade; turn and broil for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Brush with remaining marinade.

Nutrition
One serving equals 392 calories, 19g fat, 2g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 38g protein.

This is a tough one for most of us. Life, work and family are hectic and time consuming, so the concept of eating a healthy, simply prepared dinner may seem completely out of reach.

I believe that we overcomplicate the idea of a healthy dinner. This is because we are so used to eating out at restaurants where entrees are accompanied by sides, sauces and garnishes.

Here are 7 truly healthy dinners that are quick and simple to make…

1. Roasted Broccoli & Poached Eggs

Toss chopped broccoli with a little olive oil, sea salt and minced garlic and roast on a baking sheet at 425F for 25 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice and serve with poached eggs.

2. Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs & Sautéed Kale

Brown 8 beef short ribs in a skillet with coconut oil. Place in a slow cooker with ½ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce), 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon crushed garlic, 1 Tablespoon crushed ginger and ½ teaspoon ground red pepper. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Serve with sautéed kale.

3. Super Greens Salad & Roasted Chicken

Combine a mixture of super greens in a large bowl: baby spinach, beet leaves, arugula and kale. Top with sliced, grilled chicken and drizzle with balsamic vinegar glaze.

4. Baked Catfish & Shredded Cabbage

Grease a casserole dish with olive oil and scatter 1 cup of chopped cilantro over the bottom of the dish. Wash and pat dry 4 catfish fillets. Rub the fillets with curry powder, sea salt and sweet paprika. Lay the fillets evenly in the dish, over the cilantro. Drizzle the fillets with lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped garlic. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Serve with shredded cabbage.

5. Stir Fried Chicken & Veggies on Cauliflower Rice

Sauté chicken breast, sliced onions and sliced bell peppers in a skillet with olive oil. Season with sea salt, black pepper and fajita seasoning. Set aside. Cut a head of cauliflower into small pieces and run through a food processor with the shredding attachment. Sauté the shredded cauliflower for 5 minutes in a skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil. Serve the chicken and veggies on top of the cauliflower rice with a side of coconut aminos or soy sauce.

6. Smoked Salmon Omelet & Sliced Tomatoes

Whisk together 3 eggs with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. Cook in a heated skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil. Line the egg with smoked salmon and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Fold the egg over the salmon and cheese, and serve with sliced tomatoes.

7. One Pot Chicken & Veggies

In a large skillet, brown a pound of chicken tenders in olive oil. Season with sea salt, black pepper, dried basil, crushed rosemary, sweet paprika, dried thyme, dried parsley and cumin. Add 4 cups of chopped veggies (zucchini, onion, tomatoes) and 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until tender and fully cooked.

You see, healthy dinners can be quite simple to prepare. Don’t get too hung up on the exact measurements of ingredients and instead focus on combining a handful of quality ingredients together in a delicious way. There’s no such thing as a dinner that’s too simple when nutritious, wholesome ingredients are used.

Don’t forget that a consistent, challenging exercise program is the key to getting and staying fit and lean. If you’ve been dragging your feet about joining one of my programs then today is the day.

It’s hard to find a dinner recipe that’s as healthy as this one: white fish and veggies, steamed in a parchment parcel with fresh herbs, lemon and white wine. You’d also be hard pressed to find a white fish recipe that is this easy to make and tastes this darn good!

Cooking “En Papillote” (with Parchment Packets!) 

En Papillote is a fancy French way of saying “cooked in paper” 🙂 So we are going to be French and fancy today while making this super-quick-n-awesome recipe!

This recipe cooks in a packet made with parchment paper, which is one of the reasons that it’s so quick and healthy.  Parchment paper packets use steam to quickly and healthfully cook the contents. It also makes clean up a breeze – crumpling up some paper and throwing it in the trash is my kind of KP! Parchment paper is grease and moisture resistant paper that has been specially treated for oven use. It won’t burn in the oven on bake, however don’t put it under the broiler – it will burn there! There is no right or wrong side of parchment paper – either side can be used.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need

• ½ cup red onion, cut into think matchsticks
• 1 zucchini, cut into matchstick
• 1 carrots, cut into matchstick
• 4 (6 oz.) halibut fillets, or other white fish
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced into half moons
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• ¼ cup white wine

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl toss the thinly sliced onion, zucchini and carrot with the olive oil and minced garlic.
3. Cut four 12-by-16-inch pieces of parchment paper and fold each in half. Open the parchment paper and arrange each fillet in the center of the top half of each parchment. Generously season with salt and pepper. Top each fillet with one quarter of the veggies, 2 slices of lemon, two sprigs of thyme and 1 Tablespoon of white wine.
4. Fold the bottom half of the parchment paper over the fish. Start folding and crimping the parchment paper ends together from one end all the way around the fish to the other end, creating a sealed envelope. Fold the end under the fish. The fish and veggies should be fully encased, with no breaks in the parchment paper for steam to escape – we need that steam as part of the cooking process! Place the packets on a pan.
5. Bake the fish packets for 12 to 18 minutes and remove from the oven. Serve the packets on plates, tearing them open just before serving. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

231 calories, 4g fat, 8g carbohydrate, 3g sugar, 166mg sodium, 2g fiber, and 36g protein.

Who said that fish tacos had to be fried? This refreshing recipe uses baked Cod and fresh coleslaw for that fish taco taste that is hard to beat. Need to fix dinner in a hurry? This recipe only takes 20 minutes.

Servings: 2

Here’s what you need…

• 1 pound Fresh Skinless Cod
• 1 Tablespoon Coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon Garlic powder
• ½ cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 3 cups Shredded Cabbage Mix
• 4 Whole Wheat Tortillas
• Lime or Lemon to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse fish and past dry with paper towels. Cut fish crosswise into ¾ inch slices. Place fish in single layer in greased shallow baking pan. Combine coconut oil, cumin, and garlic powder. Brush over fish. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 4 to 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
2. Combine the yogurt, vinegar and honey. Place the cabbage in a medium sized bowl. Combine the yogurt mixture with the cabbage until well blended.
3. Spoon some of the coleslaw mixture into each tortilla; add fish slices. Squeeze fresh lime or lemon to taste. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 327 calories, 5g fat, 40g carbohydrate, and 26g protein.

Open-faced sandwiches are great for cutting out extra calories while trying to lose weight. This recipe calls for sprouted grain bread, which is flourless bread that is densely packed with nutrients. Store your sprouted grain bread in the freezer, since it is made without preservatives or chemicals to promote shelf life.

Servings: 2

Here’s what you need…

– 1 sprouted grain bun
– 2 Tablespoons hummus
– ½ cup arugula
– Half of an avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
– 6 oz smoked salmon
– 2 thin slices of onion
– 4 slices of heirloom tomato
– Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Spread each piece of the bun with 1 Tablespoon of hummus. Top each with half the arugula, avocado, salmon, onions, and tomato.
2. Season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 267 calories, 9g fat, 25g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 22g protein.