Quick, Easy & Healthy Recipes

As part of my dairy-free and healthy-eating initiative, I've started planning out my work-week meals, prepping them in bulk, and living out of tupperware containers. I pretty much eat the same things for the first four meals of the day, and then have something fun for dinner. Breakfast = oatmeal, snack = fruit or protein rice cake, lunch = protein veggies, snack = veggies or nuts, dinner = TBD.

Here are three of my favorite work-week recipes that help keep my body fueled and my calories on track. To keep it low-maintenance, I typically take one of the basic recipes below and sub ingredients to create new combinations. It helps keep my menu fresh while keeping my time spent in the kitchen to a minimum.

Fruit & Cinnamon Quick Oats

Ingredients:

1. 1/4c Quaker Quick Oats
2. 1/4c water or milk
3. 1/8c raisins
4. 1 tbsp Stone Fruit Preserves
5. 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Add hot water to oats (or microwave oats liquid). Add toppings. Enjoy.

Serves: 1

Approximate calories per serving: 175

Tip: Can be made in bulk and/or as overnight oats! I also sometimes add peanut butter, powdered protein, Cheerios (yes, Cheerios—Chocolate and Peanut Butter Whole Grain Cheerios are the best!) and/or nuts. I eat oatmeal for breakfast every single day (and depending on my workout, sometimes opt for a 1/2c instead of 1/4c).

Sriracha Teriyaki Chicken & Veggies

Ingredients:

1. 6 frozen chicken breasts
2. 1 cup Sriracha Teriyaki Sauce
3. 1 sliced green pepper
4. 1c green beans
5. Dash of garlic salt

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-hours. Portion out into containers and enjoy with a side of fresh veggies.

Serves: 8

Approximate calories per serving: 204

Tip: If your planning meals for you and a significant other, this is a great one to put over rice, noodles or on a bun for those who require a higher daily caloric intake. You can also sub the cup of sauce for a salsa or marinade to switch up the flavors and theme of the meal.

Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients:

1. 1/3c chia seeds
2. 1 1/3c almond milk (or your preference)
3. 1 tbsp sweetener
4. 1 tsp vanilla extract
5. 1/8c coconut milk (optional)
6. 1 tbsp Mixed Berry Preserves (optional)
7. Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Directions: Mix ingredients together with whisk. Refrigerate. Mix again in 10 minutes (helps remove tapioca-like clumps). Portion into containers and refrigerate overnight. When ready to eat, top with coconut milk, preserves and cinnamon.

Serves: 3

Approximate calories per serving: 169

The credit from this recipe goes to my cousin Kristen!
A big thanks goes out to Robert Rothschild Farm, who provided all of the delicious sauces and fruit preserves to make these recipes possible! I've experimented with many of their organic sauces and found that I can modify my recipes just slightly to accommodate any of their sauces into a delicious recipe. And it doesn't stop there—their sauces double as dips (Pineapple Habanero pictured with my steak above) and salad dressings (Blueberry Balsamic over my spinach & peach salad) too!

Healthy eating doesn't have to be hard or take hours in the kitchen. If you take the few minutes to prep your meals over the weekend and portion them out for the week, you're putting yourself on that path to a healthy body & healthy lifestyle.

PS / / I was interviewed over at the Dansko blog, Word of Foot, about how to kickstart your daily routine & incorporate healthy living all day long. Read the feature here!