Healthy Recipes: Light And Quick Dinners

We all know weeknights can be stressful, rushed and hectic. You may have every intention of putting a healthy meal on the table, only to be overcome by 'real life'! Don't despair - all is not lost! When your best efforts go awry, and you order pizza or serve another meal that doesn't exactly fit into a healthy diet, you still have many options for making it healthier:

1. Start your meal with a large glass of water.

2. Blot pizza with a napkin or paper towel. This can remove several grams of fat from each slice.

3. Opt for veggie toppings on pizza if possible.

4. Add a bag of salad (but be careful of high-fat dressings and toppings)

5. Try adding dried herbs or other seasonings to your salads to give them a kick without relying solely on the dressing to do this. Eat salad dressings on the side. Use the technique of dipping your fork in the dressing and then adding your salad.

6. Fill half your plate with vegetables, and leave the other half for protein and complex carbs.

7. Sneak vegetables tin wherever you can - in casseroles, pasta sauces, pizzas, sandwiches, soups.

8. Try starting your meal with a glass of vegetable juice or vegetable soup.

9. Cut back on bread where you can. Eat thin pizza crust; avoid garlic or cheese bread; limit servings of bread with italian meals. If you can, opt for whole grains.

10. Eat fresh fruit for dessert, or for an appetizer.

Just like when you fall off your exercise program and the experts tell you to just pick up where you left off, the same can be said for your wish to eat healthier. Make the best of the choices you have, and don't expect to be the perfect eater every day. It's all about making it work with the rest of your life!

Be prepared. Boy scout or not, this is a great motto. Being prepared can often mean the difference between being able to whip up a simple, healthy meal or resorting to fast food or the delivery man. The desire to eat healthy food makes quick preparation a bit more difficult than simply boiling up some macaroni and cheese with hotdogs and frozen peas. But, with a little planning, you can make it much easier to quickly prepare a delicious and nutritious meal.

Here are some of my favorite gadgets for quick and healthy cooking:

1.Small and large nonstick skillets (you'll use nearly every day)
2.Several different sizes of glass measuring cups (for quick and easy measuring)
3.Sharp knives (a godsend!)
4.Blender (great for whipping up sauces, dressings and smoothies)
5.Food processor (also great for shredding, and making sauces, dressings)
6.Steamer basket (super-quick and healthy vegetable preparation)
7.Pasta pot with drainer lid (make pasta with less dishes)
8.More than one cutting board (so you don't have to wash between chopping meat and veggies)
9.Gas or charcoal grill (many healthy grill recipes)
10.Large ziploc bags for marinating (quick prep and quicker cleanup!)

Here's an example of a quick dinner using several of the gadgets listed above. Boil angel hair pasta in your pasta pot. Chop tomatoes and basil on your cutting board with your sharp knives. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet with minced garlic; add tomatoes and basil and heat through. Serve over hot angel hair with shredded fresh parmesan cheese.

If you' have great tools to work with, cooking becomes easier and even fun! So, invest in some quality equipment and the use it to create great healthy dishes in a flash.

Egg whites and nonfat milk take the guilt out of this breakfast favorite. You will be so surprised by the great taste that the fat and sugar of traditional French Toast will not be missed. Enjoy it with sliced strawberries or any seasonal fruit. Servings: 2

Here's what you need...

4 egg whites
2/3 cup nonfat milk
2 slices whole wheat bread
1/2 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
1 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sliced Strawberries (optional)
Thoroughly mix the egg whites, milk, salt and cinnamon. Soak bread in the egg white mixture.
Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Cook the bread until each side it set and bread is light brown. Place French toast on a plate top with ricotta and garnish with sliced strawberries and cinnamon.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals 182 calories, 1.5g fat, 23g carbohydrate, and 18g protein