Healthy weeknight dinners...Easier than you think!

The dreaded question I ask myself everyday, while at work during the week: What in the heck am I going to make for dinner? 5 o'clock hits and you still have no idea. It's so easy to stop and grab something on the way home, or throw a frozen pizza in the oven. Fear not health geeks! There's so many quick, healthy dinners you can whip up in no time when you get home, whether your cooking for just you or your whole family.

It's a little easier for me because I cook for myself during the week. I work until 5 o'clock, then I head to the gym for an hour and a half or so. By the time I get home its around 7, so the last thing I want to do is have to cook a meal thats involved and going to take an hour. Here's a couple of tips and quick recipes I've seen to be more than helpful when I have a hard time with dinner. I always have a pack of chicken in the fridge or the freezer. (BJ's is the best!) Sometimes I make one or two breasts at a time, sometimes I make the whole pack. If I make the whole pack, I always find a way to use it that week so it doesn't go to waste, whether it be for lunch or dinner. If you don't make the whole pack just freeze the rest! The freezer is one of my best friends in the kitchen. I love grilled chicken on salads, in wraps, or even a grilled chicken sandwich piled up with veggies and a little dijon or light blue cheese dressing hits the spot. Grilled chicken is a staple in my home. I always have rice, pasta, and potatoes in my cabinet also. Baked potatoes (or any potato for that matter) are my favorite! David's too. 1/2 a cup of wheat or whole grain pasta with a little olive oil mixed with fresh veggies and a piece of chicken is also a delicious, easy meal. The other thing I love to do is use my crockpot! You can put almost anything in the crockpot--let it cook all day--and come home to a yummy meal without having to cook! I like to do soups in mine. You can't go wrong with a home made soup, or turkey chilli and side salad on a chilly winter night.

My other favorite easy weeknight meal- breakfast for dinner! Your probably thinking, "what is she nuts? breakfast is one of the fattiest meals of the day!" Wrong. Whats better than a few slices of whole grain or wheat french toast? Even cinnamon raisin. Or pancakes for that matter? Make them small so your not taking in a million calories. Eat the suggested portion. Don't overeat! Thats where people get into trouble. Portion control is a huge part of staying healthy. It allows you to eat what you want but still control your diet. A drizzle of real maple syrup along with some turkey bacon or a side of fruit or cottage cheese and your good to go. Use cooking spray instead of butter. Oatmeal is a great meal too. Topped with fruit or a few chocolate chips is delicious. And good for you!

I saw this amazing recipe on the foodnetwork last night. It's called Baked Eggs. I can't wait to make it. You could make this for dinner or breakfast, its super easy and you can put almost anything into it to make it your own. It was made on tv with pork sausage, however I will most likely use turkey or chicken sausage because its leaner. Crisp it up (the crumbly kind, not the links. You could use patties, but just break them up with a wooden spoon) in a hot skillet with a little bit of oil. Use a garlic and herb infused sausage, if your using turkey or chicken you can season it however you like. You could also swap the sausage for bacon or turkey bacon. Add some baby portabello mushrooms sliced thinly to the pan and cook until golden brown. Add some fresh herbs like thyme (which goes great with sausage). You could also add some hasbrowns or small cut cooked homefries to this mixture. Spoon mixture into 4-6 individual sized ramiken's. If you don't have ramiken's, you could use a casserole dish. I like the idea of the ramiken's though, because your eating one portion, and not going back for more. Top mixture with one egg. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove ramiken's and top with shredded cheese. The recipe calls for Gruyere which is a type of swiss, but you can always use a reduced fat mozzarella, or any type of cheese you like. Put back in the oven for another 6 minutes to melt the cheese. The egg comes out runny, so if you like an over hard egg just bake for an additional 3-5 minutes. If you don't want the egg yolk because of the extra calories and the cholesterol, just use the white. It would be just as good.

Panini's are also a great easy meal you can make. I love to use wraps with mine. I love veggie panini's with rosemary ham (Trader Joes) and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. I sometimes will even cut up peppers, avocado, cucumber, tomato, black olives, whatever else I have in my fridge and throw it together with a light dressing. Coming home to a nice glass of wine or cocktail after a stressful day is also hard to resist. I find that going to the gym relives that urge to drink, so if your able to exercise or take a walk try that instead of consuming the empty calories. You will feel SO much better mentally and physically. It really helps.  

Hopefully I've given you some ideas and tips to help with dinner during the week. Meals on the weekend can be just as easy, but sometimes its nice to cook a big meal with your loved ones that takes the whole afternoon or a few hours, where you don't have that kind of time during the week.