Quick Meal Ideas

Nowadays, due to our hectic and busy lifestyles, most of us don't get time to cook. After a long working, day preparing a healthy meal for the entire family can be exhausting and tiring as well. Especially, if you are a working mom, maintaining a balance between professional and personal life becomes extremely difficult. I am sure most of the working women must have spent lots of time and money searching for quick healthy meal ideas to prepare a healthy and nutritious dinner for their family. Well, now they need not worry, as this article gives some easy and quick meal ideas for dinner that will help in cooking healthy dinner without wasting much time in the kitchen.

Quick Meal Dinner Ideas

Here are some amazing meal/dinner ideas for tonight that one can take into consideration to sail smoothly out of those tough and tiring situations.

• Planning the menu list for the entire week a day before the week starts will save considerable amount of time, as you would be knowing what you have to cook on each day of the week beforehand. Although it's essential to follow the weekly dinner menu strictly, you can make some variations in it on those days when you have time or you return home early.
• Doing some dinner preparations in the morning will make cooking in the evening more comfortable and easy. For example, mashing boiled potatoes or peeling off some vegetables before leaving for office will save sufficient time of yours in the evening.
• Cooking healthy and fast recipes that won't require much of time, and can be enjoyed by everyone is another great quick meal idea. For instance pasta treats, bread rolls with cheese, turkey and ham, pork spring rolls, meatballs and taco soups, etc., are some quick meal recipe ideas that will not only easy to prepare but will also satiate everyone's buds.
• Employing modern kitchen equipment like crock pot, casserole, etc., will surely make cooking easier for you. You can also try crock pot cooking as all you have to do is to add all the ingredients to the crock pot in the morning itself, set it on low heat to cook and by the dinner time the food will be ready to eat.
• Finally, if you have a supportive family, don't hesitate to take their help as this will not only speed up the work but you will also enjoy the process of cooking with them.

Quick Healthy Meal Recipes

Black Bean - Smothered Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in different places and microwave on high until tender all the way to the center. Take a microwave proof bowl and mix beans, tomato, oil, cumin, coriander and salt; microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Now slash each sweet potato lengthwise, press open to make a hole in the center and stuff the bean mixture into the hole. Finally, top each with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle of cilantro and serve hot.

Curried Squash & Chicken Soup
Ingredients

• 1 (10 oz) package frozen pureed winter squash
• 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• ½ cup lite coconut milk
• ½ cup water
• ½ -1 tsp Thai red curry paste
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp brown sugar

Directions

In a skillet, heat squash, coconut milk and water over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes or until the squash defrosts. Add chicken and simmer at medium heat for 3-4 minutes; stir occasionally. Stir in spinach, lime juice, sugar, curry paste to taste and salt, cook until the chicken is cooked through and serve hot.

Marsala-Poached Figs over Ricotta
Ingredients

• ½ cup quartered dried figs
• ¼ cup Marsala or port
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup part-skim ricotta
• 2 tsp honey
• tbsp toasted slivered almonds
• 1 tsp sugar

Directions

In a small saucepan, put figs, Marsala (or port) and honey and let it simmer at medium heat until the figs soften and the wine is syrupy. Add ricotta, sugar and vanilla to it and stir well. Pour the mixture in a serving bowl and top with the fig mixture and almonds.

I am sure the aforementioned quick meal ideas and recipes will not only save your time preparing meals, but will also enable you to spend quality and quantity time with your family at the dinner table every night.