I love this recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. It’s a lower fat (but super tasty) version of Chicken Parm and it’s perfect for the slow cooker. Kids who don’t like chicken can eat the spaghetti and sauce — at least that’s what my almost 4-year old daughter did.

This is a great dish to put in the crock pot before you drive your kids to sports events or go for play dates. No need to pick up food on the way home. The tasty meal will be done when you walk in the door. Just have a salad prepared or quickly prepare some veggies and your good to go.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
-1/2 cup bread crumbs
-1/4 cup parmesan cheese
-1/2 spt Italian Seasoning
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp kosher salt
-1 TBS olive oil
-1 beaten egg
-sliced mozzarella cheese or 1 cup shredded
-26 oz of your favorite marinara sauce

Directions:
Spread the olive oil into the bottom of your slow cooker. Mix the egg with a fork in a separate bowl and mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the parmesan cheese in another separate dish. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings. Place the chicken breast pieces at the bottom of the crock pot. Layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top (or top with shredded cheese. Top all the ingredients with the marinara sauce.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. Frozen chicken will take longer. Serve it with the pasta of your choice. I used whole wheat spaghetti.

I got a good one for you guys.

I made this Mexican Lasagna for our Monday Mexican night and it was fabulous.

I was tempted to make something else due to time but I got it on the table in less than 30 minutes. My 16-month old gobbled it up and my daughter pulled off the tortilla part and ate it with the guacamole. Don’t get me started on her eat-only-tortilla phase.

Instead of the avocado salsa the recipe calls for, I made it with guacamole. I also served it with blueberries.  This gem comes from the 6 O’clock Scramble Newsletter. Their recipes are exceptional!

Enjoy!

Servings: 8

Ingredients
15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. vegetarian refried beans
15 oz. corn kernels, naturally sweetened, drained, (or use 1 1/4 cups corn kernels from 3 – 4 ears corn)
1 cup mild salsa
4 scallions, sliced
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (reduced fat optional)
4 tsp. vegetable oil
6 soft taco size (8-inch) flour or wheat tortillas
1 avocado, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 lime, juice only, 1 Tbsp.
1/4 tsp. salt

DirectionsHeat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together both types of beans, corn, salsa, scallions and cheese.

Put the oil in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Brush both sides of each tortilla with a thin layer of the oil and fry it in the skillet, turning once, until it is puffed and golden in spots, about one minute total. Stack the cooked tortillas on a plate.

To make the lasagna, put 2 tortillas in the bottom of the casserole dish; top them with 1/2 the bean filling, then top that with 2 more tortillas, and the second half of the bean filling. Top it with the final 2 tortillas. Press down with a spatula on the top tortillas to seal the layers.

Bake the lasagna, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes until it is heated through. Cut it into squares with a pizza cutter or serrated knife to serve.

While the lasagna is baking, in a medium bowl, gently toss the diced avocado and tomatoes with the lime juice and salt. Top the lasagna squares with the avocado salsa at the table.

SERVE WITH BLUEBERRIES OR RASPBERRIES
Serve it with 1/2 – 1 lb. of fresh blueberries, raspberries, or your favorite berries.

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values)
Calories: 410; Total Fat: 19g, 29%; Saturated Fat: 8g, 40%; Cholesterol: 30mg, 10%; Sodium: 1,140mg, 48%; Total Carbohydrate: 55g, 18%; Dietary Fiber: 10g, 40%; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 17g
Nutritional Information per serving with sidedish (% based upon daily values) (1/2 cup berries)
Calories: 451; Total Fat: 19g, 29%; Saturated Fat: 8g, 40%; Cholesterol: 30mg, 10%; Sodium: 1,141mg, 48%; Total Carbohydrate: 66g, 22%; Dietary Fiber: 12g, 47%; Sugar: 10g; Protein: 22g

I’ve never been a huge sloppy joe fan but wanted to try it out with the family. It went over very well and even though my daughter didn’t try the sloppy Joe sandwich, she loved the baked fries and fruit that I put on the table.

Another thing I liked about this one was it was even better the next day. I loveleftovers. Anyone enjoy sloppy joes growing up?

I got this recipe of The 6 O’Clock Scramble Newsletter.I love how they list out vegetarian options, suggested sides and nutrition information. I’m always at a lost for sides so this helps immensely. Enjoy!

Time: 30 minutes Prep + Cook Time
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey, beef or vegetarian ground meat, or 28 – 30 oz. pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
8 whole wheat buns, (or use taco shells)

Directions
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the meat in its own juices until it is almost cooked through. (If you are using vegetarian ground “meat” or the beans, add them after the tomato sauce instead). (Meanwhile, start the potato chips, if you are serving them.)

Drain off the excess liquid, if necessary, and add the diced vegetables to the skillet (if you are making a meatless version, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in the skillet before adding the vegetables).

Sauté the mixture for 2 minutes and add all the remaining ingredients, except the buns. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the skillet, and simmer it for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. At this point you can refrigerate or freeze the mixture, or proceed to the next step.

To serve the sandwiches, lightly toast the buns and fill each one with a large spoonful of the meat mixture.

Scramble Flavor Booster: Sprinkle the sandwich filling with hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco.

Tip: To avoid soggy bread, serve the Sloppy Joes with a slotted spoon so the excess juices stay behind. They’re a little less sloppy that way! (Some people like to eat Sloppy Joes in a taco shell instead of a bun.)

SERVE WITH BAKED POTATO CHIPS & FRESH CHERRIES
To make baked potato chips, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice 2 unpeeled russet potatoes and toss the slices in a bowl with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, adding 1/2 tsp. rosemary, oregano or other dried herbs, if desired. Lay the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray, and spray the tops of the potatoes with the spray, too. Bake them for about 20 minutes until they are lightly browned and crispy, flipping them once. Serve them with ketchup, if desired.

Serve with fresh cherries.

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values) (with turkey)
Calories: 261; Total Fat: 10g, 15%; Saturated Fat: 2g, 5%; Cholesterol: 40mg, 15%; Sodium: 550mg, 22%; Total Carbohydrate: 30g, 10%; Dietary Fiber: 4g, 16%; Sugar: 5g; Protein: 17g
Nutritional Information per serving with sidedish (% based upon daily values) (1/2 cup baked potato chips & 1 cup cherries)
Calories: 425; Total Fat: 14g, 20%; Saturated Fat: 2g, 5%; Cholesterol: 40mg, 15%; Sodium: 790mg, 32%; Total Carbohydrate: 62g, 20%; Dietary Fiber: 9g, 34%; Sugar: 21g; Protein: 20g

I kind of forgot about this burrito recipe my friend shared with me years ago. We usually do the make-your-own kind, but this one is super tasty and very quick. My husband perfers these.

I left the sauce off a couple small ones to give the kids two options. My 14-month old ate both kinds and my daughter had mostly the tortilla and cheese part of the burrito along with the quacamole I served with it. She’s into tortillas right now.

I hope you enjoy!

Servings: 4-6 large burritos (or more smaller ones)
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
-1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
-1 onion chopped
-2 garlic cloves minced
-2 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp cumin
-15 oz can pinto beans
-28 oz can green chile enchilada sauce (or 2 small ones)
-Large flour tortillas (whole wheat optional)
-Grated jack or cheddar cheddar cheese for topping (as much as you want!)

Preheat oven to 300. Spray fry pan with cooking spray and brown turkey or beef. Add diced onion, garlic and spices. Simmer until well done. Add can of pinto beans and stir. Fill tortillas with meat mix and roll over in a casserole dish. Cover with green sauce and sprinkle cheese on top. Place in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I think I’m finally onto something with the Cuban style black beans. This turned out really good. And it was even better topped with some cheddar cheese and avocado. I used white rice because I had a bunch given to me along with a rice cooker. Boy are rice cookers easy.

I did something I rarely do and changed things up from the original Betty Crocker recipe. I’m still going to play with the spices and might add a bit of chili powder or chopped jalapenos next time to give it a little kick. My kids loved it and my daughter was able to make a burrito with the beans. Her favorite meal.

Serves: 6

Ingredients
-1 green bell pepper
-1 large onion
-6 garlic cloves
-2 cups dried black beans
-2 TBS olive oil
-1 tsp salt
-2 dried bay leaves
-4 tsp cumin
-4 cups water

Directions: Soak 2 cups of dried black beans overnight (covered by 2 inches of water). In the morning dump the water and rinse the beans, sorting through and tossing the undesirable beans. For more on how to make dried beans in the slow cooker see this post from Stephanie at A Year of Slow Cooking.

Finely chop the bell pepper, onion and garlic using a food processor. Mix all the ingredients in a 4 quart slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice and (optional) top with avocado slices, cheddar cheese and tomatoes.

The happy customer

In celebration of our giveaway I’m posting one more recipe from SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families. Don’t forget to enter to win before the stroke of midnight.

The Pasta Primavera turned out great.  It was easy and had a nice flavor.  And because it serves 8 we had leftovers the next night to have with some slow cooker chicken.  Instead of the campanelle pasta the recipe calls for I used whole grain fusille.  I also used frozen broccoli and served bread with the meal.

My 14-month old ate this up and I made sure to cook the broccoli so it would be soft enough for him.  My daughter tried the pasta but passed and ate some bread.  She loves fruit so any salad with fruit makes her feel like she’s eating salad even though she skips the greens.  Someday!

The suggested side is my favorite salad except I add feta cheese to mine.  This is perfect for a warm summer night.  Enjoy!

Prep and cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients
-1 package (16 ounces) campanelle pasta
-1 package (16 ounces) frozen or fresh broccoli florets
-2 carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
-2 tablespoons butter or margarine
-2 tablespoons milk, any variety
-1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-3/4 teaspoons dried basil
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package directions until it is al dente.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, steam the broccoli and carrots in 1 inch of simmering water, covered, for about 5 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. (While the vegetables are cooking prepare the salad). Drain the vegetables, retaining 1/2 cup of their cooking water.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot over medium-low heat. Add the butter, milk, cheeses, basil, salt, and black pepper and stir it thoroughly until the cheeses melt. If the sauce is too thick, stir in the reserved cooking water. Toss in the vegetables and serve hot.

Side dish suggestion: In a large bowl, combine 1 package (6 to 9 ounces) baby spinach, 1 cup sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup slivered almonds. Toss it with 2 to 4 tablespoons vinaigrette dressing and serve immediately.

If you haven’t seen it already, check out my guest post over at Meal Makeover Moms. Every month or so they invite a food blogger to host their No Whine with Dinner column.  I shared my Lite Chicken Enchilada recipe that I adopted from Cooking Light years ago.  I love making this dish earlier in the day and just popping it in the oven before din din (no frying). Enjoy!

This was the first recipe I tried from my new cookbook and it was a hit all around. 

It was easy to make.  My husband said “this is good” right away.  My picky 3-year old actually ate the ravioli and declared that she loved salad because it had grapes in it.  My 13-month old chowed down the little pieces I cut up for him. And there were leftovers!

I plan to reveal this wonderful cookbook next week in a review after trying one more recipe.  I think you’re going to like love it as much as I do.

Serves: 6
Prep and cook time:25 minutes

Ingredients
-family size package of cheese ravioli (20 ounces)
-package baby spinach (6-9 ounces)
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
-1 teaspoon minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
-5 sun-dried tomatoes, marinated or dry, chopped
-1/4 to 1/2 crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
-1 1/2 cups red pasta sauce

Cook the ravioli according to package directions. When it is 1 minute from being done, add the spinach to the water with the ravioli, then drain the spinach and pasta.

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute them for about 4 minutes until they are softened. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and crushed red pepper flakes (optional) and saute them with the onions for about 1 minute. Add the pasta sauce and bring it to a low boil. Reduce the heat, if necessary, and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli and spinach are cooked and drained.

Combine the ravioli and spinach with the sauce, and serve it immediately.

Side dish suggestion:In a large bowl, combine 6-8 cups lettuce (1 small head), 1 cup purple seedless grapes, halved, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and 2-4 tablespoons vinaigrette dressing or other dressing of your choice (we skipped the Gorgonzola and used Trader Joes Cranberry, Walnut and Gorgonzola Salad Dressing).

Everyone seems to have at least one quick and healthy meal they can whip up in less than 20 minutes. It’s the meal you make when you don’t feel like cooking or just want something fast. But you still feel good about feeding it to your family because it’s nutritious and tasty.

So I asked some fellow RDs, food bloggers and Facebook fans what their go-to healthy meals are. And I came up with 25 quick meals that I can’t wait to try. Some of the meal instructions and ingredients are general and others are more specific . Either way, I hope you find some inspiration and remember that sometimes the easiest meals are the most rewarding.

If you got one of your own quick meals to share, be sure to leave it in the comments.

1. Couscous and Vegetables “Stir Fry”
-1 box of any Couscous (we like the garlic and olive oil flavor)
-3 cups of cut up vegetables – whatever you have laying around that you need to use up.
-We like to use onions, green and yellow zucchini/squash, and red peppers – great color, but great flavor too!
-3/4 cup frozen, shelled edamame
-1/4 cup Pine Nuts, toasted
-olive oil
-3-4 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

Lightly toast Pine Nuts in toaster oven or in a dry skillet

Slice up your vegetables and set aside. Prepare Couscous by bringing water to a boil WITH your frozen edamame in the pot. Add CousCous (and flavor packet if there is one) and stir. Pull off the heat and allow it to sit covered for the instructed amount of time.

Pre-heat a large skillet with about a TBSP of olive oil. Add your sliced vegetables, cover, and turn heat to low for about 5 minutes. This allows your vegetable to steam lightly. Uncover and finish stir-frying the vegetables on medium heat. Uncover and stir your Couscous and place into a large serving bowl. Top with your stir-fried veggies, toasted pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese.

**This is also a wonderful dish served cold, as a picnic dish or a side salad to a main dish. It can be made “vegan” by leaving out the parmesan cheese. You could also substitute the Couscous with wonderful, healthy Quinoa, or even a wheat pasta if you don’t keep Couscous in the pantry!

Melissa Michael at The Sassy Apron

2. Tofu Stir-Fry in 10: Heat pre-pressed and seasoned tofu, frozen veggies, and your favorite stir-fry sauce in a pan. Pour over Trader Joe’s microwaveable brown rice. Enjoy!

Marci E. Anderson MS, RD

3. Veggie Scramble: Sauté frozen mixed vegetables in olive oil and then add eggs and scramble. Mix together until done.

Renée J. Bordeaux, RD, CD-N, CPT at Results by Renee

4. Have-It-Your-Way Tacos (serves about 6): By using my own seasonings — cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder — I avoid the super-salty taco seasoning packets often called for in recipes. My boys ask for this dish often, which makes Mom very happy!
-1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean or higher)
-1 large carrot, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
-12 all-natural taco shells
-One 15 1/2-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 ½ cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
-1 cup salsa (mild, medium, or hot … it’s your choice)
-2 teaspoons ground cumin
-1 teaspoon chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Optional Toppings: Diced avocado, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, reduced-fat sour cream, sliced black olives

Heat the oven to 350°F. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and carrot and cook, breaking up the large pieces, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.

While the meat is cooking, bake the taco shells according to package directions. When the meat is done, add the beans, cheese, salsa, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder and stir to combine. Cook until the cheese melts and the mixture is heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve in the taco shells with optional toppings.

Tip: Use a soft flour tortilla if your children find hard taco shells difficult to bite into.

Liz Weiss, MS, RD at Meal Makeover Moms

5. Healthy Tuna Salad: One small can of water packed tuna, 2 tbsp hummus and a teaspoon low-fat mayo. Use wasa crackers as the base and there you have the easiest “healthy” tuna salad.

Sandy Sfikas, RD, LDN at Food, Fit & Fun

6. Broccoli & Rice: Sauté frozen broccoli in 1 tsp olive oil. Add parmesan cheese and garlic powder (or garlic salt). Optional brown rice (frozen or uncle Ben’s pouch precooked plain brown rice).

Gail Posner, MS, RD, Nutritionist, Coach, Speaker, and Spokesperson

5. Beans, Rice & Avocado: Trader Joe’s frozen, cooked brown rice, Trader’s Joe’s refrigerated (air-tight) cooked lentils or beans, shredded mozzarella cheese, avocado or guacamole, and salsa. Fast, easy, nutritious, and yummy.

Elyse Resch, MS.,RD.,F.A.D.A. Nutrition Therapist and Co-author of Intuitive Eating

6. Spinach Cream Gazpacho
-1 cup chopped tomatoes with juice
-2 Tbsp lemon juice
-6 pitted dates
-3 cups chopped spinach leaves
-1 cup rice, soy or skim milk
-1/2 cup unsalted cashews
-1 cucumber, peeled and cut into cubes
-2 green onions, white and light green parts, sliced
-salt and pepper

In a saucepan, combine tomatoes with juice, lemon juice and dates.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce health and simmer, stirring often,
for 5 minutes or until dates are well blended into tomatoes. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Let cool.

In a blender, combine milk, cashews, cucumber and green onions.
Blend until smooth. Add half of the spinach mixture to blender and
blend until smooth. Add contents of blender to saucepan with remaining spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Chill. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Mindy Nichols RD, CD, CDE at Diabetes Coaching

7. Veggie Frittata: At most basic, I always have onions, garlic and bottled roasted red peppers in my kitchen. I slice them up, sauté in a bit of olive oil, add fresh chopped herbs from my garden, add a beaten egg or two to the pan with a bit of parmesan, and cook until set. Comes together in no time.

Julie Tharalson, RD, Culinary Nutrition Consultant at Iceberg to Arugula

8. Shane’s Fabulous Lentil Soup. Named after my son Shane. It takes 20 minutes from start to finish. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can use a can of lentils and add some dried thyme, fresh chopped carrots and potatoes to it and cook for 15 minutes until the flavors meld and the potatoes are cooked through. The pressure cooked version is in my cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment.

Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, Vegetable, vegetarian, vegan and pressure cooking expert at The Veggie Queen

9. Rice Bowl Dinner: Whenever I make rice I always make 2-3 times what I need. I then freeze the remainder and when I need a dinner in a pinch, I’ll pull the rice from the freezer in the morning and by dinner time all I need to so is heat a small amount of oil in a skillet and throw in whatever veggies I have on hand (I usually use carrots, red pepper, cabbage and peas).

I sauté the veggies with some garlic, salt and pepper. Once softened I add in the rice (about one cup), some sweet soy sauce (2TBS) , lime juice (1tsp)and a few eggs. I cook until the rice is heated through and crispy and the eggs are cooked.

Jan Scott, catering events coordinator, writer and mom at Family Bites

10. Olive Pasta
(Adapted from The 5 in 10 Cookbook, by Paula J. Hamilton, 1993).
-1 6-oz. can pitted black olives, drained
-1 garlic clove, peeled
-½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
-¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
-1 lb. angel hair pasta

Prepare angel hair according to package directions. Mince the garlic clove in the food processor. Add the olives, cheese, and olive oil to the food processor. Puree until the mixture is smooth.

After draining the pasta, put it in a large serving bowl. Add the olive puree to the pasta in batches, mixing thoroughly. This may take a little effort and I recommend using a pasta server and a spoon to do the job (serves 6).

Kathleen Cuneo, PhD at Dinner Together

11. Simmer Sauce Pasta: A quick dinner we all love is to use a simmer sauce. I often keep frozen chopped onion in a baggie which also seems to cook quicker than raw. I cut up chicken, sauté with onion, add a jar of simmer sauce and a small can of tomato sauce and serve with leftover or frozen rice or quick rice. Yummy!

Dr. Katja Rowell at Family Feeding Dynamics

12. Salmon and Green Beans: Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on a filet of fresh salmon, grill it on a George Foreman Grill for 1 minute, and then finish cooking it in the microwave (1-2 minutes). Serve it with a side of fresh green beans steamed in the microwave (1-2 minutes). Watch the video.

Nicole Geurin, RD is a dietitian on a mission: to show the world that nutritious and delicious go hand in hand!

13. Cheese quesadillas: Use canned fat-free refried beans and a sprinkle of cheese, along with whatever bits and dabs of things are left in the fridge such as cooked chicken, peppers and mushrooms.

Jenny in MS

14. Linguini and clams: Boil the water for the pasta and cook 1 lb linguini. In a skillet heat 2 T olive oil and sauté 1 TBS garlic. Add just the juice from 2 cans of chopped clams, add 1/4 cup of white wine and about 1tsp of dry parsley and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. Cook on simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the clams to the skillet and heat through. Add the strained linguini, mix through, add a little pasta water if needed and some grated parmesan cheese.

Michelle Champigny MS, RD, LDN at Tastinutrition

15. Spaghetti ali olio:Cook spaghetti-whole wheat works really well. 1/4C olive oil in skillet, add 1T garlic and 4 anchovy fillets. Cook until anchovies fall apart. Add a little crushed red pepper. Add the strained pasta to the skillet and toss. Finish w/ parmesan cheese.

Michelle Champigny MS, RD, LDN at Tastinutrition

18. Meal Replacement Drink
Put them in a blender, puree and drink. Save extra in the refrigerator for later.
-1/2 cup unfiltered apple juice (cloudy in the bottle – shake it up before pouring)
-1/4-1/3 cup grape juice (not grape cocktail or some other sugary mix)
-1/4 – 1/3 cup pomegranate juice (again – pure pomegranate, not some sugared mixture)
-Plain Greek-style yoghurt – 1/3 – 1/2 cup: dieters use non-fat. If you need more calories (athletes, weight gainers), use full fat varieties like Fage Total
-Fresh or frozen fruit: small banana or 1/2 mango or 1 cup pineapple chunks or berries or melon or peaches or equivalent of other fresh fruit. What won’t work so well: grapefruit, orange, apples or any dried fruit.

Donna Feldman, MS, RD

19. Couscous Bars: Couscous, frozen vegetables, whatever meat/protein was in the frig (leftover, deli meat, etc) and just a little cheese to hold it all together so they could eat it without making a mess. Dinner could be on the table 10 minutes after walking in the door.

Make the couscous (whole wheat from Trader Joe’s), warm the veggies & meat while couscous is plumping, mix together, add cheese, pop in the microwave if needed just to melt the cheese.

Maureen Conklin

20. Fish Tacos: Use any simple baked fish (we prefer a white fish vs. a salmon or tuna, etc.). Bake that up, grab a tortilla (we make our own) and add the veggie. For fish tacos its usually broccoli or cole slaw but sometimes just shredded lettuce, tomatoes or other veggies we have on hand. Then I usually add a dressing of some kind–sometimes just ranch (again, make ourselves from an easy spice blend I get from Penzey’s). Roll it up and eat. Yummy!

Brenda Thompson at Meal Planning Magic

21. Quinoa with Vegetables
-1 cup organic quinoa (we used the 365 brand from Whole Foods)
-1 cup cauliflower florets
-1 cup carrots, chopped
-1 tbsp finely chopped green onions
-2 – 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste
-2 cups water

Rinse quinoa well. Add quinoa, cauliflower, carrots and water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Season with soy sauce, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is opened up. When cooked, the quinoa grain appears soft and translucent. The germ ring is visible along the outside edge of the grain. Slowly fold in cilantro, green onions, vinegar and olive oil. Serve immediately.

TwinToddlersDad at Little Stomaks

22. Stir-fried Veggies. We use whatever’s fresh is in the house — must have onions, peppers, mushrooms and some type of green) over pasta. That’s so easy. But if I’m feeling really lazy than its a can of vegetarian baked beans over rice (usually leftover from a previous meal) with steamed green (broccoli, green beans, etc.) on the side.

Jeanne Kane

23. Pizza Wraps
Our go to is a whole wheat wrap with pizza toppings. Pop into the oven to melt the cheese and crisp the edges – dinner is served!

Jill Dunlap

24. Chicken fried Rice. I have a rice maker so that part is simple. We always have chicken breasts, eggs, and vegetables around. I only use garlic and onion to season because I can’t have soy sauce, they can add it afterward!

Julie Beyer

25. Hummus Quesadilla
-One whole wheat tortilla
-1-2 tablespoons of your favorite hummus
-Low-fat cheese of your choice. Just enough to cover one side of the tortilla
-Any veggie you have in the fridge. I put whatever leftover veggies I have from a previous dinner

If there is any leftover meat, like chicken breast. I’ll shred a little in the quesadilla. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Heat the tortilla in the skillet just enough to soften it. Remove from the heat. Spread the entire tortilla with hummus. On half the tortilla, add the cheese, veggies, and chicken. I like to put a little Texas Pete in it. Fold the tortilla over in half. Place quesadilla back on the skillet. Heat for a few minutes on each side until cheese in melted. Cut in half and serve with a salad.

Estela Schnelle MS,RD at The Weekly Bite

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One of the moms in my daughter’s playgroup shared this slow cooker veggie lasagna recipe. She got it from a magazine 5 years ago and now it’s a family favorite.

I was thrilled because the veggie lasagna I used to make is tasty, but time consuming. I really think I like this one better. It’s pretty amazing actually.

I started the prep work at 2:45pm and turned the slow cooker on at 3:08. But I’m pretty slow so you probably could get it done in 15 minutes. The only downside is it cooks for 3 hours so it might not work for a work day. I think it’s perfect for a Saturday or Sunday or an at home weekday.

Ingredients:
-8-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
-15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
-2 large eggs
-¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
-1 teaspoon salt, divided
-1 cup carrots, shredded
-3 cups zucchini, shredded and firmly packed
-26-ounce jar roasted garlic marinara sauce
-8-10 regular lasagna noodles (not no-boil)

Directions
Remove ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, eggs, Parmesan and ½ teaspoon salt.

Cook carrots in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir into cheese mixture and set aside.

In a separate bowl, stir remaining ½ teaspoon salt into zucchini.

Spray Crock Pot with cooking spray.

Spread 1/3 sauce on bottom. Gently break 2 noodles to fill and cover bottom (this part will be hard for you neat freaks — just remember it turns out in the end)

Spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 1 cup shredded zucchini. Top with 2/3 cup marinara sauce.

Repeat with a second layer (2 noodles, 1 cup cheese mixture, 1 cup shredded zucchini and 2/3 cup marinara sauce).

Add a third layer of noodles and top with remaining cheese mixture and zucchini only.

Top with noodles and remaining marinara sauce, then sprinkle with the reserved ½ cup mozzarella.

Cook on High for 3 hours. Let stand 15-20 minutes before serving.