Quick and Healthy Dinner

I know, I know. I've been there. It's been a long day--you are tired, busy, poor, a bad cook...any combination of these things. Yet when you deny yourself wholesome, healthy dinners, you are even more tired and less motivated. Here's the healthiest dinner I can whip up in 10 minutes.


1. I buy frozen salmon individually wrapped. Alaskan salmon. A package of them is around $10--it's cheaper than 6 quarter pounders...just remember that. When I get home from the gym I take one out of the freezer and throw it in a pan of cold water so it can defrost. Then I put it in the George Foreman grill for 3-3.5 minutes. Olive oil, pepper, sometimes montreal steak seasoning.


2. 1 handful (about a cup) of frozen veggies in the microwave for 1 minute. Being only one person, it's hard to buy/process/eat fresh produce before it goes bad. I know frozen veggies are not best practice but they are better than no veggies and they are less processed and have less sodium than canned. Again, buy a big bag and just use a handful or two--it's cheaper than buying the "serving size" packages. I like Trader Joe's Organic Foresome...delicious AND funny.


3. Brown rice. On this day I have Minute Rice that I found in my cupboard so it only took a minute. For it to take you just a minute, whip up a batch of it and keep it in the fridge. It will reheat ok. Again, this is just pennies a serving.


4. Low-fat milk. I have recently made the switch from skim to low-fat. I blame a few things for this. A few months ago I offered milk to a friend who said, "as long as it isn't skim. Skim milk is blue." Ever since then, I have noticed it too (isn't the power of suggestion a bugger sometimes?). Then I read about what they do to skim milk to make it "appear more white," along with articles like this, so now I'm drinking 1%. Who knows what is really best for you...anyway. Milk has vitamins and is filling--drink it with dinner.

Sometimes I switch this up with a skinless chicken breast. I can also get these for a good price at my local wholesale club. Would I rather have a cheeseburger and a shake? Of course! But sometimes you have to do healthy and easy. And this is probably cheaper.