After a tiring day from work, buying take-outs might be the easiest dinner choice for most families. While they can be convenient, they’re not the healthiest and cheapest options for your household. With that, cooking the meal yourself would always be a great way to go.
Cooking your meal will guarantee that every ingredient you put in is healthy and safe. However, some dishes might take extra work, making it not the best option, especially for a busy schedule. You can imagine how tiring it is to cook dinner after a busy day. Moreover, listed below are the easy but healthy dinner ideas:
1. Red Beans And Rice
Red beans are one of the easiest foods you can make while ensuring that your body’s getting a good amount of nutrients and still knowing that every bite is rich in flavor. Red beans are high in iron, potassium, and phosphorus, which could benefit your body well.
Having red beans and rice is easy. If you don’t have any leftover rice in your kitchen, you can begin making one right away. After having rice for you to cook, you can start preparing your pot and add butter, broth, beans, and seasonings. Upon mixing them, you can mix in your rice and have yourself a healthy bowl of red beans and rice. You can search online for various red beans recipes like https://minuterice.com/recipes/red-beans-and-rice/ and see if its flavor matches your preference.
2. Salmon And Asparagus
Salmon is a popular healthy food rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. This means it could help a person have a healthier heart, which is always a good thing. Asparagus, on the other hand, is helpful with improving digestion and lowering blood pressure. With the delicious combination of the two main ingredients, you’ll surely be having a tasty and healthy meal on your plate.
Contrary to what most people think, salmon is easy to cook. All you need to have is a pre-heated oven, foil, and ingredients, and you’re ready to go. You can begin by placing the asparagus and salmon inside a foil. In a separate bowl, you can start making your mix of whichever flavor you want them to share. For a classic taste, you could try using garlic lemon butter sauce. The ingredients are pretty straightforward as you’ll only need to mix them and spread them evenly to your salmon and asparagus. Afterward, you can pop it in the oven, wait for a few minutes, and you’ll have a healthy dinner on your plate.
3. Pesto Pasta
Pesto pasta is an excellent easy-to-make dinner while still achieving a healthy lifestyle. Pesto is packed with antioxidants and calcium; plus, it helps lower blood pressure. Moreover, pasta is a good energy source since it comes from grain. If you’d like to maximize healthiness, you could use soba noodles for a healthier option or create a handmade pasta using four basic ingredients such as flour, salt, egg, and olive oil. You can make plenty of batches and save them for other pasta recipes.
To create pasta, all you need to do is prepare your pasta first. You can boil them in water and wait for them to become al dente and drain. For your pesto sauce, heat oil in a separate pan and add your pesto, onion, salt, and pepper. You can add more ingredients that you’d like, but those four are the primary ingredients your pesto sauce should have. Once your onions are soft, you can toss in your pasta and have yourself a healthy dinner.
4. Shrimp And Broccoli
Broccoli is a vegetable that helps promote good heart health. It’s rich in fibers and fatty acids that could help regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol. To add more flavor to your dinner, tossing in shrimp would be a great idea. Shrimp is high in vitamin B12, choline, selenium, protein, and antioxidants. Moreover, they’re low in calories, fat, and carbs, making them a great ingredient if you’re on a strict diet.
There are two ways to serve shrimp and broccoli: rice or pasta. Whichever choice you’d like to go with, the way you serve shrimp and broccoli is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is sauté onion and broccoli for a few minutes and add shrimp. For an added flavor, you can add a few splashes of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili garlic sauce. You can add various ingredients such as butter or sesame oil. You could even create large batches and reheat them for the following days. Just know that cooked broccoli is still good to eat to avoid cooking large amounts of food.
The Verdict
Making a healthy and nutritious dinner at home isn’t as hard as it sounds. There are plenty of meals you can try which are surprisingly quick and easy. All you need to have are the right ingredients, spend a few minutes in the kitchen, and voila! You got yourself a healthy dinner straight from the oven. You can experiment with flavors to add a unique touch to your meals.