Dinner Dash!
Dinners in Under 20 Minutes
Jennifer Reilly, RD, LD * Jennifer.Reilly@PremiseHealth.com * Blog: BitchinDietitian.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DCdietitian * Instagram: ReillyJenK
2-Ingredient Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken
Serves 4-6, PREP: 2 MIN COOK: 4 HOURS TOTAL: 4 HOURS 2 MIN
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 lbs.)
1.5 cups (12 oz.) bbq sauce
- Lay chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker, and pour the bbq sauce on top. Toss once to combine so that the chicken is evenly coated in the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken in the slow cooker, and toss it once more so that it soaks up the remaining juices.
- Serve chicken on buns or however you would like, drizzled with some extra bbq sauce if desired.
Cheater Pad Thai
Adapted from http://steamykitchen.com/171
Servings: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 8 minutes
1 pound dry rice noodles (about 1/4" wide)
1 tablespoon cooking oil, divided
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, or 1 12-ounce container extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 cups frozen stir-fry veggies (snow peas, carrots, bean sprouts, etc.)
8-ounce jar prepared Pad Thai sauce
1 tablespoon water
optional toppings: Sriracha hot chili sauce, torn fresh cilantro, lime wedges, chopped peanuts
1. In a large bowl, fully submerge the dry rice noodles in hot tap water (not boiling, just hot to touch). Let them soak for 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a wok or large saute pan over high heat, add just half of the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, swirl it around the bottom of the pan and add the shrimp or tofu in a single layer. Let cook for 2 minutes. If using shrimp, try not to move them too much, let them develop a sear and then flip to sear the other side for an additional minute. The shrimp and tofu cubes should be half-cooked. Remove them from heat and set aside in a bowl.
3. Keep the pan on the stove and add the beaten egg to the pan, stirring constantly to fry quickly. Remove cooked egg to the same bowl as the shrimp.
4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the pan cool down a bit. Swirl in the remaining cooking oil. Add the garlic to the pan and stir fry until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the veggies and stir fry for another minute. Add the sauce to the pan from the jar. To get every bit of sauce from the jar, add a tablespoon or so of water, close lid, shake jar and pour that into the pan. Add the drained noodles into the pan. Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Stir to combine.
5. The moment the sauce begins to simmer, add the shrimp/tofu and egg back into the pan and stir fry everything until the shrimp are fully cooked through, about another minute. Add optional garnishes and serve immediately.
Stuffed Peppers (or Unstuffed, Faster Version)
Makes 8 pepper-halves (about 4 servings)
Prep time: 5 minutes if rice is already cooked, or if using couscous
Hands-off cooking time 15-30 minutes
If you have leftover cooked brown rice, this recipe is a cinch and looks totally gourmet. Alternatively, practical cooks can chop the peppers into chunks and line them on the bottom of a baking dish, and then spread the rice mixture over top and bake. Serve that version like lasagna. Same great taste!
3 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup dry brown rice plus 2 cups water), or 3 cups cooked couscous (1 ½ cups water plus 1 ½ cups couscous)
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz soy chorizo, or 1 lb ground turkey, cooked
1 (16-oz) jar of Hot Chipotle Salsa, or about 2 cups of other favorite salsa
4 bell peppers (green, red, orange, and yellow, or a combination), sliced in half length-wise, stem and seeds removed (preferably organic)
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine rice, beans, soy chorizo or ground turkey (if using) and salsa. Stuff mixture into pepper halves and place in one or two baking dishes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until peppers are tender, about 30 minutes. For a faster version, sauté pepper chunks in 2 tsp olive oil and serve 1 cup rice mixture over 1 cup cooked peppers.
3. Top with cheese and cilantro (if using) and serve.
Minute Mexican
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time 6 minutes per tortilla*
With little chopping and quick construction, this Reilly household standby is always a hit. Add chopped onions, lettuce, or even sautéed veggies if you’re feeling wild.
4 Whole Grain Flour Tortillas, or other whole-wheat tortillas
1 (16-oz) can Refried Black Beans with Jalapeño Peppers, or other low-fat refried beans
2 tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, pit removed and cut into chunks
1 lime, sliced into 4 wedges
1 cup Double Roasted Salsa, or other salsa
½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)
1 Warm beans in a microwave-safe dish for 1 minute. (Or, heat in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until bubbly, about 3 minutes.)
2 Spread ½ cup beans over each tortilla, and heat in a medium skillet over medium-low heat until tortilla starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Slide each tortilla from skillet to plate.
3 Sprinkle each tortilla with ¼ the chopped tomatoes, ¼ avocado, squeezed lime wedge, ¼ cup salsa, and 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro and dash hot sauce (if using). Fold in half, grab a napkin, and chow! Repeat 3 times for additional tortillas.
4 Leftovers will get soggy once the salsa has been added, so start out with one burrito per person and go from there.
NUTRITION SNAPSHOT
Per Burrito: 322 calories, 8.5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 768.5 mg sodium, 51.5 g carbohydrates, 14 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 12.5 g protein, 11% vitamin A, 35% vitamin C, 7% calcium, 24% iron
*Note Use 4 skillets and 4 burners and make all 4 at the same time!
Pressure’s On Pasta
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time 8 minutes
When it’s 6:22 PM and you haven’t even started dinner, grab these four ingredients, 2 cooking pots, and you’ll be able to sit down by 6:30. The “meaty” sauce will fill you up fast after a long day, and its 11 grams of fiber help you easily meet your 40-gram daily goal. Now that’s fast food even a dietitian can get behind!
3 cups dry small regular pasta (such as elbows or shells)*
1 (26-oz) jar Tomato Basil Marinara, or other marinara sauce
1 (17.6-oz) pkg Steamed Lentils, or 1 (12-oz) pkg Beef-less Ground Beef
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 In a large covered pot, heat water on high and bring to a boil for cooking pasta according to package directions.
2 Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, place marinara, lentils or beef-less ground beef, and spinach and cook on medium-high heat, covered, until edges come to a boil, about 4 minutes.
3 Stir sauce, turn heat down to medium-low, and continue to cook another 2 minutes until heated through.
4 Serve each cup of cooked pasta topped with 1 cup sauce.
5 Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or as individual servings in the freezer for up to 2 months.
NUTRITION SNAPSHOT
Per Serving: 384 calories, 5.5 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 778 mg sodium, 67 g carbohydrates, 11 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 17 g protein, 61.5% vitamin A, 15% vitamin C, 6.5% calcium, 30% iron
*Note Whole-wheat pasta takes a tad longer to cook than regular, so if you have a few extra minutes, use a whole-wheat variety and score 6 more grams of fiber per cup.
Blink-of-An-Eye Green Salad
Serves 2
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Gone are the days when eating a salad meant laboring for hours over a cutting board. You can make this one as you’re walking to the dinner table!
1 (7-oz) bag Butter Lettuce, or other prewashed bag of salad greens
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp brown rice vinegar
¼ tsp salt
1 Place greens in a medium-sized bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss.
2 Leftover salad will not keep, so get seconds!
NUTRITION SNAPSHOT
Per Serving: 132 calories, 13.5 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 290.5 mg sodium, 2.5 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 1.5 g protein, 75% vitamin A, 7.5% vitamin C, 2.5% calcium, 8% iron
Recipes reprinted w/ permission from Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook - Skinny Dish!, by Jennifer K. Reilly, RD,
(c) 2011, Brown Bag Publishers www.cookTJ.com
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/SkinnyDish
Other Favorite Fast Meal Combos
- Low-fat hot dogs (or Smart dogs)--no buns, Baked sweet potato fries (frozen), Steamed broccoli or peas
- Taco Tuesday: tortillas, pre-made guacamole, black beans heated with cumin, salsa, shredded cheese, fajita peppers, ground turkey cooked with chili powder
- Tilapia or Salmon Foil Packets (with green beans, carrots, and asparagus) and mashed potatoes: BuzzFeed: http://www.buzzfeed.com/deenashanker/foods-you-can-grill-in-a-foil-packet#.grZowZoa9