Quick, Easy, Healthy Meal Ideas

These meal ideas I am sharing today are really quick, really easy, but only somewhat healthy. However, they are a lot healthier than what comes from a box or a fast food bag, although some of them do. These meals are also my go to meals when we need to be somewhere on a particular evening or when we have had a busy day. Most of these meals take less than 30 minutes. Some could even become travel food, if needed. If you have any meal ideas, please leave a comment and share them with me.

Main Course

• Tomato soup (we use Campbells) w/ grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese or crackers, or cheese quesdillas, or choose your family's favorite soup.
• Hot dogs (grilled or baked) w/ chili & slaw or slice the hot dogs the long way place cheese slices in the cut bake in oven until cheese melts serve as is or w/ chili, (our favorite in Oscar Meyer Beef Bun Length Hot Dogs).
• Cheese quesdillas, (either fried in a pan or made in the microwave), add some green chilies if your family likes a little spice.
• Homemade deli sandwiches, use a variety of meats & cheeses, tomato slices, lettuce or spinach, slice pickles, choice of condiments.
• Sandwich wraps, use flour tortillas, use a variety of meats & cheeses, cut up grape tomatoes, lettuce or spinach, chopped onions/peppers/canned mushrooms, choice of condiments, a pickle spear on the side.
• Digiorno pizzas - They have a wide variety and are done in about 20 minutes. They were voted the best frozen pizza by America's Test Kitchen.
• Hamburgers (grilled, baked, or pan fried), serve on toasted buns, add cheese for a cheeseburger, with tomato/lettuce/pickles, or chili/onions/slaw.
• Tacos - There are a variety of taco meal kits out there with hard or soft shells. Our favorite is Old El Paso Stand & Stuff. You can make beef or chicken. Serve with tomato, lettuce or spinach.
• Frozen Popcorn Chicken (our favorite is the Great Value Brand from Walmart), read the ingredients to make sure you are getting chicken made with real chicken not processed pieces, serve with favorite dipping sauces.

  

The sides can range from very healthy to relatively healthy. Most require a little prep but nothing that can't be done while other things are cooking. 

Sides

• Fresh fruit of all kinds - in the spring there are strawberries/blueberries, in the summer watermelon/cantaloupe/peaches/blackberries, in the fall apples/pears/cranberries, in the winter grapes/apples/oranges/pineapples/bananas. Serve with some sort of dip, peanut butter, or plain is just fine. 
• Veggies - cut up broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots or use baby carrots, grape tomatoes. Serve with your family's favorite dip.
• Popcorn, multi-grain tortilla chips with salsa or cheese dip, chips w/ dip, crackers w/ cheese. 
• French fries - I have found that the shoestring fries are the easiest to fix and only take about 5 to 7 minutes to bake. 
• Salads are a quickly prepared side that goes with almost anything. Best of all it can be easily tailored to your family's taste. 

Fix a quick and easy meal that is somewhat healthy is simple to do. Next time you are in the search for something quick to fix, rethink things before you grab something in a box or bag laden with preservatives and chemicals. 

 

Living a simple life and forever looking for ways to make it simpler!