​Eating plenty of fresh veggies is an excellent, healthy choice. The fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants contained within will do wonders for your energy levels and overall health.Here’s a simple recipe for roasting vegetables that’s a wonderful side dish for dinner. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand, or seek out the full spectrum of colors for a natural vitamin boost.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 6

Here’s what you need

• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½ inch strips
• 2 orange beets, peeled and cubed
• 16 Pattypan squashes
• 6 mini green zucchini
• 1 purple onion, cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions to Make These Veggies

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Arrange the veggies on the prepared pan in the order of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue/Purple. Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until browned and tender.

Nutritional Analysis

One serving equals: 130 calories, 5g fat, 20g carbohydrate, 13g sugar, 189mg sodium, 6g fiber, and 5g protein.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 6

Here’s what you need

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 (12.8 oz) package chicken apple sausage, chopped
• 12 eggs
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chives, minced
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup roasted red bell pepper, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Melt the coconut oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often, until browned. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the drippings in the pan.
3. Whisk the eggs, nutritional yeast, garlic, parsley, chives, sea salt and black pepper in a large bowl until frothy.
4. Pour half of the egg mixture into the skillet. Sprinkle the sausage over the eggs. Cover with the remaining egg mixture. Sprinkle with the red pepper.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and set. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

One serving equals: 326 calories, 16g fat, 15g carbohydrate, 2g sugar, 843mg sodium, 4g fiber, and 31g 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.

This mixture of tender veggies is perfect for packed meals for the week. The savory and tangy flavor element from the vinegar adds the perfect amount of kick to liven up a serving of protein.

One of the reasons that I chose these three particular vegetables (red onions, mushrooms, and asparagus) was because it will last all week in the fridge without getting soft, soggy or otherwise undesirable. In fact, the flavors intensify over a few days and you can continue to enjoy the same batch all week!

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 8

Here’s what you need

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced
• 2 bunches Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
• 4 cups white mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• ¼ cup white wine
• sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 4 minutes.
2. Add the asparagus and sauté for another 4 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and vinegar and continue to sauté for another 4 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper and continue to sauté until the liquid is gone and the veggies are tender and flavorful. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

One serving equals: 43 calories, 2g fat, 5g carbohydrate, 2g sugar, 4mg sodium, 2g fiber, and 3g protein.