Fast, quick, delicious, healthy dinner ideas!

Well, I told my friend Sharon last night that I would share some of my favorite fast quick dinner ideas with her so I might as well post them here so everyone can enjoy! If you have any questions, let me know!

1) Fish in a Pouch (see my post from April 8, 2009 for the recipe). Its seems like it has a lot of ingredients but remember its a one dish meal! Also, recently I substituted the couscous for small diced potatoes and that worked great!

2) Grilling! Grilling is fabulous because there is very little cleanup! My favorite is barbeque chicken (I like Carolina Treat barbecue sauce). Then I dice up a bunch of fresh veggies (onion, bell pepper, squash, sweet potato, broccoli etc.) toss them together in a big bowl with olive oil, a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper and place in a grill basket on the grill (you can get these at lowes or target, but make sure you get a stainless steel one or it will rust). All this takes about 15 minutes of prep time and its delicious!!

3) Oven broccoli! This is one of my staples, we usually have it a couple of times a week. Buy either a couple of crowns of broccoli and dice it or to save time you can buy the bags of broccoli florets already washed and diced. Put these in a bowl with olive oil, splash of vinegar, salt and pepper (sometimes I add cajun seasoning to mix it up) then toss until coated. Place on a cookie sheet and broil approximately 15 minutes depending on how crunchy you like it. This is my all time favorite vegetable dish and soooo easy!!

4) Chicken Parmesean! This is probably not the most healthy recipe on the list but its very fast! I buy the frozen breaded, pre-cooked chicken patties and heat them up in the oven as directed on the box. Just before they are done I pull them out of the oven and add a couple of tablespoons of Prego spagetti sauce then a slice of Provolone cheese. Back in the oven until the cheese is melted and your done! You can serve it with pasta with more of the Prego on it or put it in a hamburger bun.

5) Salmon patties! The most important part of making salmon patties is buying the canned salmon without bones! I'm sure you can easily get a number of recipes offline but I just eyeball it: A slice or two of bread torn into little pieces, a little tobasco sauce, old bay seasoning, diced roasted red peppers, dash of olive oil and an egg. Mush together with your hands in a bowl, make into patties, then bake. I cook ours on the George Foremen and it only takes 5 minutes! I serve these over a salad.

6) Barbecue chicken pizza! First I buy the pilsbury pizza crusts in the refrigerated section with the biscuits. All you have to do is pre-heat the oven and roll it out on a cookie sheet. Then I cover the dough with Kraft honey barbeque sauce. Next I add a little diced onion, chopped cooked chicken and mozerella. Cook according to directions on pizza crust can. Yummy!!! For the chicken I usually cook a large amount all at once, dice all of it, then freeze it in small portions in ziploc bags. If you don't have time for this you can buy bags of already cooked chicken strips in the freezer section then pop them in the microwave for a few minutes. Pre-cooked chicken is a must if your trying to cook in a hurry!

7) Stuffed baked potatoes! If your oven has a timmer, go ahead and put the potatoes in the oven wrapped in foil in the morning and set the oven to start one hour before you get home. You can also cook the potatoes the day before and keep them in the fridge. Take your potatoes, cut them in half and scoop out most of the fleshy part into a bowl. To the bowl add a package of frozen chopped broccoli (thawed in the microwave) diced ham (you can dice up deli meat) 8 ounces of fat-free cream cheese and 1/2 - 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. We usually eat these as a stand alone meal and they make great leftovers for work!

8) Tex-mex night. I cook a pound of lean ground beef, drain fat. Add one can of black beans, some chopped cilantro and a packet of taco seasoning. Serve with hard or soft tacos and top with some salsa in the jar. If I have some extra time I will get out a box of Jiffy corn bread, mix according to directions then add in 1/2 c frozen corn and 1 can of green chiles (found near the refried beans in the taco section). Bake according to package. This is as close to homemade bread as we get in my house!

9) Thai chicken over Rice! In the oriental section of the grocery store buy a can or jar of red curry paste. Get out your pre-cooked diced chicken and add about 2 cups to a pot. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the curry paste, one onion diced and a can of diced tomatoes with juice. Simmer 15 minutes. In another pot cook some rice, I like the boil in a bag, you can't mess it up! Top the rice with the chicken mixture and enjoy! (I must give credit to Ellen for this yummy recipe!)

10) If you love hummus and spend a fortune buying it already made in the grocery store, you are going to love this news, its soooo easy to make! Get out your food processor and add 2 cans of chick peas, 1/2 c olive oil, dash of lemon juice, salt, pepper and a seasoning ingredient (you can use artichokes, roasted red peppers, olives, or my favorite 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (you can buy these in the Spanish foods section at the grocery store in a small can)). Puree and you have yummy hummus! I serve this with pita bread cut into triangles and a salad.

11) Chicken Tortilla Soup! (I must give credit to Leslie for this recipe!) In a pot combine 2 cups of your pre-cooked frozen chopped chicken, 1 c chopped onion, 1 T lime juice, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 2 cans chicken broth, 1 c bottled salsa, and 1/2 c frozen corn kernals. Boil for 10 minutes then simmer another 5. Top with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and/or cheddar cheese. I make this all the time! I'm sure it would freeze fine but its so quick to make that I've never bothered.

12) Homemade Poppyseed Salad Dressing (Also Leslie's) In a container with a lid combine 1 c clover honey, dash salt, 1/2 c vinegar, 2 tsp poppy seeds, dash dried mustard, 1 and 1/4 c olive oil, 1 T finely grated onion (the onion is the hardest part, I use the fine side of the cheese grater). Put the lid on the container and shake. I think it tastes a little better if it sits for a while.

13) Chicken Enchiladas! In a bowl mix 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 diced onion, 2 c of your frozen pre-cooked chicken strips diced (thawed out in microwave), 1/2 package of taco seasoning, dash of lemon juice, and 1 c shredded cheddar. Fill corn tortillas with mixture and place in casserole dish. Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce over tortillas and bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream. Yum!