My "go-to" quick dinner ideas (what are yours?)

Do you often feel like you're bored with cooking the same meals week after week? Would you like some fresh ideas of things you can cook?

Do you have lots of cookbooks, cooking magazines, and recipes but still feel like you want new ideas of things to prepare. Cookbooks are often overwhelming with so many recipes to choose from, and the recipes are often complicated and time-consuming.

When I feel like I need new ideas, I ask friends and family what they cooked this week. Or if I'm at someone's house for dinner and enjoyed what they made, I will ask for the recipe. To me, this is more helpful than flipping through a cookbook.

I am going to share with you 3 of my quick and healthy "go-to" dinner ideas.

In exchange for sharing my ideas with you, I invite you to share just one of your favorite dinner ideas. Think of something you made this past week of two that you enjoyed, was healthy, and were able to make quickly and easily. I am looking forward to all the wonderful ideas we're going to have!

To share your recipe, simply post it as a comment to this blog post.



And here are my dinner ideas....


Recipe #1: Chicken with Broccoli, Bok Choy and Brown Rice

Ingredients:
1 lb of chicken tenders
1 bunch of broccoli
1 head of bok choy
2 chopped onions
1 cup of uncooked brown rice
1 TBS Sesame Oil
Toasted Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce

Cooking Instructions:
1. Put brown rice and 1 ¾ cup water in a pot and bring to a boil. Then cover the pot and simmer for 45 minutes. Don’t forget to set a timer. (See the note below for a time saving tip.)
2. Heat sesame oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and add onions.
3. While onions are cooking, chop the broccoli, bok choy and chicken.
4. Add chicken to the pan with the onions and cook for 10 minutes.
5. While chicken is cooking, add broccoli to a separate pan with ¼ cup of water and cover the pan to let the broccoli steam/water sauté. After 5 minutes, add the bok choy to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Add additional water if necessary.
6. Add broccoli and bok choy to the chicken and onions and add soy sauce and toasted sesame oil to taste.
7. Serve over brown rice.

Note: To save time, cook your brown rice the day before - while you’re eating, watching tv, or reading. There’s no need to watch the rice cook, simply set a timer!


Recipe #2: Black Beans and Brown Rice with Salsa and Chard

Ingredients:
1 cup dry brown rice
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
Jar of Salsa
1-2 bunches chard, rinsed and chopped
Sesame oil

Instructions:
1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add brown rice, lower heat, and simmer for 35-45 minutes.
2. Heat sesame oil over medium heat. Saute chard for 5 minutes. Add black beans and salsa. Once the rice is done cooking, add it to the beans and chard.

Notes:
- For a super fast version of this recipe, cook the rice the night before.
- Feel free to add in other greens or veggies such as mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers.


Recipe #3: Garlic Shrimp, Peppers, and Brown Rice Pasta

Ingredients:
Bag of frozen, shelled and deveined shrimp
4 bell peppers, sliced (any colors) - may be frozen
Package of brown rice pasta
6 cloves Garlic
Olive oil
Sea salt

Cooking Instructions:
1. Start cooking the brown rice pasta (or other whole grain pasta) following the directions on the package. This usually takes about 20 minutes.
2. Cook shrimp following directions on the package. I find boiling to be quick and easy.
3. Saute garlic and bell peppers in 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and pasta to the pan and toss with sea salt and olive oil to taste.

Notes:
- For extra flavor, toss with pesto (store bought is fine).
- For extra nutrition, add spinach and saute with the peppers and garlic.



Now it's your turn to share one of your favorite dinner ideas. To share your recipe, simply post it as a comment to this blog post. You may post a comment by clicking here.