If I remember one thing (and I actually remember many but this always stays in my mind) from high school IB Anthropology classes (shout out to Mrs Lord) it’s the simple adage, “Food sharing is the most basic form of human reciprocity.” So even though I’m not sharing food with you right now, I can share about food. And who doesn’t love food?!
I had someone ask me to share some of my quick and healthy go-to dinner recipes so I figure why not turn it into a blog post! After writing so much in February I have missed writing and this felt like a great topic that I can ramble about!
I didn’t always have the best relationship with food. Let me be clear, by that I do not mean I ever had any type of eating disorder or anything of the sort, but I merely wasn’t always as conscientious about the quality of the food I would consume. And it showed. At my heaviest I was about 30 pounds up from the happy weight I am at today. Though I was able to diet and exercise my way back down to a healthy weight (the weight gain was largely due to repercussions from a bad car accident and then not compensating with healthier food choices) I always remember that it’s easy to put weight on, and I never want to be that unhealthy again. Though I did manage to get myself back to a healthy weight I still didn’t have the same relationship with food that I do today.
And then it changed. A few years ago I read Michael Pollan’s phenomenal book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I believe it was about 4 or 5 years ago I read that book and it has forever changed my relationship with food. Though I am not going to get into what the book is about (pull up the link and read the description, or better yet, read the book) at its most basic it traces different food systems in America and causes the reader to really consider what they are eating. As a result of the book, I largely cut processed food out of my diet, turned to organic whenever possible, and try to only purchase meat that is humanely raised and pastured (including my eggs – to me it is worth paying $7/dozen instead of $2 to know that the hens who laid them live a higher quality of life). When I first read the book I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of the lower quality (factory-farmed meat, non-organic fruits and veggies) foods I had been consuming and the foods I now desired to consume (organic, humane, etc). And it was shocking. For a week I cooked two identical meals each night with the different sets of ingredients and I quickly realized that not only was I missing out on the health benefits, I had been missing out on the incredibly superior flavors and textures. I have not turned back.
My health is important to me. And the health of the products I consume is important to me. We only have one shot at this life so I want to do it right (as much as I can cause god knows I do PLENTY wrong!). Cooking is also important to me. I have always enjoyed cooking and that makes it a lot easier to maintain the healthy diet. And by diet, I simply mean that in terms of my lifestyle, I am not a believer in crash/fad dieting in the sense of temporary changes. One of the hardest parts about living alone is not having anyone else to cook for. The dogs don’t count in this instance. And neither do the cats, though my little 5lb cat did once try to drag an entire chicken breast off my plate. But being alone does not stop me from cooking. When I am not traveling I try to cook breakfast and dinner at home almost every day. When I tell people this they are often amazed since so many people consider food prep to be very time-consuming. It doesn’t have to be. At the end of this post I will share some of my favorite go-to easy and healthy dinners. Of course there are times when I want to make a more “complicated” meal but in those instances I simply make enough to have leftovers for two more nights. In general though, I follow a very basic formula for my dinners; one protein, at least two (preferably three) different vegetables, and maybe some type of grain if I’m really hungry.
I am also realistic. If you’ve ever eaten with me you know this. I am not strict (about my diet!) and I do not deprive myself. I love Cadbury chocolate more than anyone I know. That’s where moderation comes in. Finding balance is a constant challenge through life and food/health is no different. For me, it’s always ok to eat a square or two of chocolate after a meal, or a Cadbury egg to boost my energy before a 3+ mile walk, but it is not ok to eat an entire chocolate bar or indulge in too many sweets when exercise is elusive.
This week I have actually discovered a new “tool” to maintain my healthy diet, FitEats. FitEats is a local company that will deliver (you can pick up from their shops as well) healthy, fresh meals that are made with organic and/or local ingredients. Now do I wish they were all organic? Yes, of course. But when I have a crazy ridiculous week like this one and there is no way that before 9pm I will have time to get home from meetings, decompress, make dinner, walk the dogs for an hour, shower, and settle in – FitEats is a better option than grabbing take-out. Their dinners average about $9/meal which is not much more than I spend on the components to cook a meal myself and the two I’ve had so far were delicious! I have never done a food service like this before and was very skeptical. But my week is insane and I figured I would give it a try. And it is good. Their shrimp artichoke alfredo rivals any pasta dish I have ever had in a restaurant. If you are in the Sacramento area, give them a try!
But back to cooking, it can be so easy to cook a delicious, quick, easy, healthy meal at home by not over-complicating things. If I were better on the grill it would be even easier but I still can’t figure that out so I use my oven a lot – nothing easier than throwing a protein on the bottom rack and a tray of veggies on the middle rack. It is easy to adjust veggie-roasting times to match whatever temperature is needed for the protein. It is also perfectly ok to take shortcuts. No matter how hard I want to eat all fresh organic that is not always easy and I have to remind myself to not feel too guilty or beat myself up over it. For example, I love the Libby’s single-serving vegetables! Specifically the green beans! Green beans are the only vegetable that I actually prefer the taste and texture of in a “canned” form. Also for grains, I like to use shortcuts, the Seeds of Change Quinoa and Brown Rice is an absolute staple in my house (and you can usually get it at Costco for a great deal). I also keep my freezer stocked with riced cauliflower (though I must use sparingly or I will bloat bloat bloat) and shelled edamame.
In their most basic forms, here are some of my quick and easy healthy dinner components (some are simple prep methods, others link to recipes):
Salmon. I eat A LOT of salmon. It’s healthy and delicious. I buy packs of individually wrapped frozen Atlantic salmon from Whole Foods. They take about half an hour to thaw in warm water and are my go to. After thawing I put them in a glass dish (on parchment paper for easy clean-up) and top with a spray of olive oil, fresh lemon juice (if I have any), old bay seasoning, garlic salt, lemon pepper, and dried dill. Then in the oven for 14 minutes at 425* and perfection. Often I serve with roasted asparagus and tomatoes, delicata squash, or riced cauliflower sautéed with edamame and/or green beans. Once the salmon is thawed the entire prep for this meal takes under 5 minutes.
I have also recently discovered the salmon filets from Costco. This is one huge piece of fish but I was able to cut one into 6 different pieces and it was good cooked fresh, after being frozen, and reheated! Bonus is that this salmon from Costco does not have skin but the dogs feel super cheated about that. To cook this salmon, I cut it into individual portions and season either the same way or top with pesto. Then wrap each piece in a foil packet and cook for about 16 minutes at 350*. I have used this method to cook multiple pieces at once to reheat throughout the week and though I was initially very skeptical about reheating salmon it came out pretty good (I reheated for about 45 seconds in the microwave).
Another favorite is to make a Mediterranean cod. You can use any white fish really but I like to use cod as I also buy it in single-serve packs at Whole Foods. Simply mix together halved grape tomatoes, sliced shallots, halved greek olives, capers, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Once you’ve given it a stir, create a foil packet for the cod and pour the mixture over the cod before sealing the packet. Bake for around 15 minutes at 425*.
One of my favorite meals to make at home is my healthy shrimp scampi. I love this recipe, it takes a few more minutes to prep, but still under ten, and is delicious! I buy frozen tail-off and peeled shrimp to make shrimp easy. Marinate ¾ lb of shrimp (serves two people) in a bowl with 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp white wine (I use a super cheap sauv blanc that is my go-to cooking wine), 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. In another bowl mix together 3-4 large minced garlic cloves, a bunch of fresh minced parsley, the zest of one lemon, the juice of the lemon, and ¼ cup bread crumbs (I usually mix Italian and panko). Pull out the shrimp and place in an 8×8 glass dish (again, first line with parchment paper or spray with olive oil for easy clean-up), mix the marinade liquid mixture into the bowl of other goodness, then mix all that together and spoon it over the shrimp. Cook for 12 minutes at 425*. I always serve this over a veggie pasta and with asparagus. It is probably my favorite meal that I make.
Then there’s always chicken. I default to boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. Burst them with a spritz of olive oil, season with garlic salt, onion salt, and maybe some pepper and toss in the oven for 30 minutes at 350*. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
And let’s not forget about the wonder of ground turkey. I love having browned ground turkey in the fridge – I always brown mine simply with salt, garlic salt, a dash of pepper, and fennel seed. I love to toss ground turkey with pasta shells, and plain greek yogurt as a sauce (it’s the Syrian in me) or scramble it with eggs and McCormick’s Salad Supreme seasoning.
There are also a couple quick and easy vegetarian meal options I default to. One is simply a “rice bowl” where I mix brown rice with lentils, feta cheese, and lemon juice. That’s it. Just throw it all in a bowl and mix together. Delicious. As a Syrian, I always really enjoy making hummus and often will turn that into a quick meal. Hummus is the simplest dip to make and I really struggle with all the ingredients I see listed on store-bought varieties. All you need to do is rinse a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) under water for a minute and toss them into a blender. Blend with the juice of one lemon, mashed garlic, and salt. Then add ¼ cup tahini and blend some more. Add garlic and salt to taste and keep blending. That’s it, just 5 simple ingredients. You can spread it onto some Arabic bread or use it as a dip for carrots, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc for a super quick and healthy meal.
The vegetables I turn to the most include asparagus, tomatoes, okra, Brussels sprouts, shishito peppers, and broccolini. I pretty much prep them all the same way; arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet, spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic salt or seasoned salt. Sometimes I also squirt with lemon if I happen to have one cut. I love cooking these veggies together since, for the most part, they have the same roasting times. Roughly 13 minutes at 350*, 12 minutes at 400*, or 10 minutes at 425*. Just set it and forget it. The only outlier are the Brussels sprouts which I halve and actually toss with olive oil and seasoning instead of just spraying and they get 30 minutes at 400*.
A stir-fry is another great option that can be vegetarian or meaty and can be used as either a side or full meal. I like to stir-fry baby bok choy, mushrooms, canned baby corn, water chestnuts, cashews, broccoli, and sprouts. Typically I will add shrimp or some shredded chicken for protein.
Speaking of shredded chicken – another winter favorite is tortilla soup. Put some shredded chicken in a bowl, top with a can of tomato soup, and add crushed tortilla strips, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.
In the summer, I love to use ingredients from my garden to make a gazpacho for my side dish. Again super easy. Just grab the blender and mix together roughly 6 medium tomatoes, 2 bell peppers, 1 cucumber, ½ zucchini, 1 jalapeno, 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, red wine vinegar, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and some basil. Boom, done! Add some shrimp in the bowl and make it a full meal!
Here are links to some of my other favorite healthy and easy recipes I often turn to – some take longer than others but none take a ton of time and most yield great leftovers.
Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan
And I’m not even starting on crock-potting and instant-potting tonight!
Taking On the World 
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