Bathing Suit season--AAK!! Need Recipe Ideas!

I think that it's a great idea. I'm not a vegetarian, but I like to lay off the meat sometimes or use it as a side. It can defint. add more veggies to the diet. These are not complicated and do not have 20 + ingredients. Probably stuff you already have. I think these Vegetarian recipes can help (these recipes kinda speak for themselves):

Tuscan White Bean Soup
http://www.recipezaar.com/Tuscan-White-Bean-Soup-101446

Japanese Vinegared Cucumbers
http://www.recipezaar.com/Japanese-Vinegared-Cucumbers-43101

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad
http://www.recipezaar.com/Watermelon-and-Cucumber-Salad-1...

Vegetarian cookbook that I organized (other ppl recipes)
http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=93878

Good luck!

Fresh Avacado Sandwiches -
Get whole grain buns, slice them open. Slice monterrey jack cheese slices and put them on one side. Sprinkle coriander generously ontop of cheese. Open can of fat free refried beans and spread on top side of bun. Toast in oven on baking sheets until crunchy on outside and soft inside - 350 for about 10-15 min. While baking, slice tomato, white onion and ripe avacados. When the buns are done, put avacado slices ontop of refried beans side and stack tomato and onion ontop of cheese side. Quarter a lime or two and sprinkle fresh lime juice ontop of both sides of sandwich. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese ontop of onion, tomato and cheese and put some light sour cream OR plain, fat free stoneyfield farm yogurt (thicker than other brands - and less calories than sour cream) ontop of refried beans and avacado. Fold shut and enjoy!

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Good luck and good eating!!

Tammi, My best solution has always been to use the Weight Watchers 5 minute meal cookbooks, the meals they recommend are healthy and truly easy to make. What I do is that I try to pick 2 or 3 meals that have somewhat similar ingredients. It always works!

D.

You can do those same packets in the barbecue, right on the coals--no need to step into the kitchen. Hamburgers and veggies taste really good, too. Also make the packets with fruits and a little sugar and cinnamon. Apples are great, it's like pie without the crust. Big salads with lots of greens and a grilled chicken breast, some toasted bread with garlic...MMMmm.
Could you tell us, the computer challenged what a virtual school is and how it works? Tks

Hey Tammi,
I don't know how healthy the chicken part is, but I sometimes get a rotisserie chicken from Publix (or Harris Teeter - they are like $5 on a certain day of the week) - which is the same or sometimes cheaper than buying raw. Slice it (or pull the pieces into bite size) and put it on top of a green or veggie salad. If your husband is a big protein eater (like mine) you can add some cheeses and a boiled egg, and throw some nuts on top (we like walnuts or pecans, but you can use sunflower seeds if you want.. whatever you like). You can use red or green bell peppers, red or sweet onion, black olives, cucumber, carrots, mushrooms... whatever floats your boat. Doesn't take too long to wash and slice/dice the veggies, especially if you use a bagged greens mix (I buy them when they are bogo). My husband LOVES it when I do this, and the kids do too... cleanup is a snap (toss the peels in the trash, wash the cutting board and knife, you're done). Your older two kids can even help peel the cucumber and carrots.....
If I'm not in the mood for the rotisserie chicken on top, I use deli meats (turkey and ham rolled up and sliced into little spirals).. and just make it a chef salad.

tabachnik's (frozen) black bean soup (I use organic but there's regular, too)
can of organic (or not) black beans
chicken pieces- boneless, w/ bone, whatever you want

put chicken in baking pan (your idea of foil might work!)
take black bean soup & microwave just enough to get it out of the pouch
pour over chicken
pour black beans out of can over chicken
bake chicken until done
make rice (I use a rice cooker-very easy!)
serve with a veggie (use frozen or canned to make it faster and just heat in microwave)
voila!
fast, easy, healthy chicken dish

Go to your local farmer's market! It's so much more fun to shop there than at the grocery store. Load up on fresh fruits and veggies. You can eat them raw, steam them or my fav... roasted in the oven. I use my kitchen spritzer with a little olive oil and spray the cut veggies on the roasting pan. Squirt a little lemon juice. You can add Mrs. Dash seasonings if you want a little extra flavor, but it's not needed. Just pop them in the oven for a little while until they're crisp/tender. Pan sear a filet of fish and you've got yourself a healthy meal.
Always eat veggies or fruit first when you are eating your meal. I don't cut out carbs, but when you eat the stuff that's better for you first, you've got less room to fill up on the stuff that is a little less good for you. Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to get the signal that we're full. Switch your dinner plates to the smaller salad plates. You're much less likely to over eat when you're putting it on smaller plates. Have 3-5 small meals a day instead of bigger, heavy meals.
Chili is full of tomatoes and beans... both are good for you and it's super filling. Broth based soups are good, but be careful of the canned kind... they're loaded with sodium.
If you want mashed potatoes, have them, but add in some steamed cauliflower when you begin mashing. It ups the nutrients and you'll never tell the difference. Nix the gravy!
Fajitas are great. Lean chicken or steak with onions and bell peppers. Flour tortillas and salsa with fresh guacamole. Side of black beans.
When in doubt, add more veggies or fruits.
Plain yogurt mixed with fresh berries and either granola or nuts or seeds on top is super yummy.
Good luck and have fun with it... you'll probably like it so much that it'll continue well past bathing suit season!

most comapnies like kraft, cambells, betty crocker all have a section for cheap an easy recipes i also like this one http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes?pmcode=IJFDC08T&_m...
they have alot of good ideas

Saute chicken breast or steak till cooked through, microwave birds eye oriental mix steam fresh veggiies, mix with 1/4 cup teryaki sauce and serve over rice.

Hi Tammy,
I don't usually answer non-business requests with info about my business because I don't use this site to sell. However, with your request for quick, healthy meals, I wanted to share what I do. If you're familiar with The Pampered Chef, you probably know about our stoneware. We have a relativiely new stone (the Deep Covered Baker) that you can use in the microwave to cook meals very quickly, with no added fat (just spray it and add seasonings if you like), use a few ingredients and you won't heat up your kitchen--and the meat is not dry or rubbery like you might think. ex: chicken breasts in 14 minutes, pork tenderloin in 10 min, a whole chicken in 30 min. then you can use the meat to top a salad, make fajitas, wraps, or add veggies in the pot and you're done. there's a recipe for pasta that is all done in the microwave--even cooking the pasta. i use this pot about 3-4 times a week.

If you want to see the recipes, please visit my website www.pamperedchef.biz/karenhowington The recipes are under "News" (I couldn't figure out how to attach them while responding here) Then if you want more info, let me know.

K.

Tammi,
I will send a recipe or 2 soon; question; You're an art teacher in a virtual school...could you share a little bit about how you do this and how it works? Fantastic!
Thanks!
Bev

Tammi,

I am like you. I do not like being in the kitchen and or doing grocery shopping. Here are couple things I've done.

1) Buy your meats at meat shop fresh, wash and season them the same time, portion out for each day of week and freeze it. Then cook when needed.

2) Think like this - one meat, one entree and vegetables (maybe desert) and drink.

3) Entree ideas - I buy the kids mac and cheese that you put in the microwave to cook. I cook about 4 of those for one serving. I pour them all out into one microwavable bowl, I add diced cooked ham and brocolli to it, add real cheese in addition to the powder, a little milk and whalla - I have healthy mac and cheese..meat, vegetable and entree.

4) Another idea - Cook sphaggetti noodles, add mixed vegetables (your own or canned), corned beef/spam and whalla - you have a quick dinner.

5) Breakfast idea - Mix egg, milk, cheese, cooked sausage in a bowl, add toasted whole wheat bread or grits (yes, grits-doesn't have to be cooked) Pour the entire batter in a muffin tin, and bake it until done - Whalla the breakfast all in one meal.

6. Chicken breast (cooks fast) goes with almost anything. I use this alot, it's healthy and if seasoned right, is tasty. Easy quesadila - canned chicken breast, tomatoes, monterrey cheese, chedar cheese, bell peppers, onions..cook all together, warm up the tortilla, place the mixture on one end, close it, let it heat for 2-3 mins, whalla - chicken quesadilla...

7. I make my own smoothies as drink with our meal - put some fruits and even likeable veggies (cucumber, carrots, tomatoes,etc)

Hope all that helps

Try fresh fruit, cut up and packaged into separate sandwich bags...They are handy to make smoothies. Add a cup of plain yogurt or any other supplement (flax seed oil, aloe...) and a little apple juice to blend...
This is easy and quick; but it takes prep time, which you can do and enjoy with some music playing...
Also, I used to make meals on Sundays. A chili, soup, pasta, stew...anything I could separate and then freeze for a week or two. The rest put in the fridge and we'd eat during the week. Forego the bread and butter, waffles and pancakes, and you'll enjoy eating without the empty calories...