cobb salad (Photo credit: bubbletea1)
My daughter and I have been working some crazy schedules lately. She gets home at 6:30. I get home at 7 or 7:30. We have to be done with everything by 10 so she can get to sleep on the days that she gets up at 4 am for her second job. That’s dinner, dishes, walking the dog, and her shower. With this incredible heat, she has to keep her door open for air circulation – so I have to be quiet. Only one more week of this – Thank Heaven. But then our job (she also works with me) is entering busy season, and she is staring school soon.
We don’t eat fast food. We know that we need to eat healthier to be able to keep up our energy. Plus fast food is an expensive habit and it tastes bad.
So how do we manage to do it?
The first secret is planning ahead.We were talking about our meals for next week already – which is how this blog post came about.
The second secret is relying on fresh fruits and vegetables. No cooking required!
Here are some of our fast go to dinners –
Marinated grilled meat of some kind and a big salad. While the meat is cooking, make the salad. Hardly any dishes! Fast favorites would be steak, boneless, skinless chicken (cooks faster), and tuna steaks.
BLTs – sometimes with shredded chicken, avocado and cheese. Tomatoes are great this time of year – especially if they are home grown! Add some watermelon on the side and you have a great fast dinner.
Barbecued chicken sandwiches. If I’m making chicken one night, I make extra so I can just shred it up to make the next night’s dinner.
Tuna salad subs are another fast dinner.
Marinated grilled vegetables are yummy too.
Throw leftover chicken on a salad along with hard boiled eggs, cheese, and croutons for a satisfying fast meal.
Every couple of weeks I make a batch of spaghetti sauce on Sunday so we can have things like fake baked mostaciolli, chicken parmesan, or chicken parmesan sandwiches. To do a fake bake, make sure the sauce is hot. Throw grated cheese on it and let it sit for a minute. The cheese will melt just as well as if you put it in the oven.I don’t bread and fry the chicken when I make parmesan. Fewer calories, and a lot less work.
And once in a while, you just have to have a good cheeseburger. Of course when you make it at home – it doesn’t have msg, or other nasty chemicals. I like chopped green olives on mine. Emma likes avocado. You can make all kinds of great combinations.
So there you have it. Our fastest dinners, for when you don’t even have a half hour to spare. With a little planning, you can eat great, lose weight, and save money.
Be sure to look at the recipes inside for more great ideas! There are a lot of great grilling and salad recipes.
And don’t forget the watermelon!
