Easy healthy meals

We are what we eat. Given our busy lives, it is often hard to find the time to cook and eat healthy meals. In this article we show you several easy ways to cook healthy meals at home and save time and money from ordering food from restaurants. Learn how you can enjoy your own favorite meals cooked with fresh ingredients with easy meal preparation steps for beginners and those with limited budget.  

Healthy breakfast meals

1. A glass of water with honey and lemon 

Your body may be dehydrated overnight, so it is a great idea to start your day with a glass of warm water with 1-2 teaspoon of honey and half teaspoon of lemon juice. Honey is tasty and great as a sugar substitute. Honey contains several miraculous properties. It is a good source of antioxidants. It is an antibacterial, and helps to heal wounds. Honey eases digestive problems, regulates blood sugar and  soothes sore throats. Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C with antibacterial and antifungal properties.

A glass of warm water with honey and lemon has been a proven way to lose weight and increase your metabolism. Make sure that the water you use is not too hot because too much heat may destroy the good content of honey and lemon. If you don’t have time to boil water, you may consider getting a warm water keeper or a hot and cold water dispenser. In addition, to honey lemon water, you can boost your energy in the morning simply by eating 2-4 dates  everyday. Eating dates benefits your health because dates are very nutritious, contain high fiber, have high antioxidants and antifungal properties, reduce risk of cancer, support digestion, may improve brain functionality, boost energy, and help reduce sugar level for diabetes. 

2. Spring Day salads 

Salads are very nutritious and have something to offer vegans, vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians. You can prepare salads with any of your favorite vegetables and fruits. Apples, kale, olives, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, onions, cilantro, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, avocados, grapes – all make excellent salad ingredients. 

In order to increase the taste of salads, you can top it off with your favorite dressing such as blue cheese, ranch, pomegranate, sweet onion, and so on. You can also add in beans, boiled eggs, vegan eggs or if you prefer even a slice of bread. 

You can not only save money, but also customize your delicious salad with your most favorable vegetables and fruits by preparing the salad yourself instead of buying pre-packaged salads at grocery stores. On the weekend or whenever it is convenient for you, you can shop for your vegetables and fruits at your favorite grocery store.  At home, you can clean, chop and put them in separate containers  to keep them fresh and eat for the whole week. In case, some of you don’t like vegetables, you can start with the vegetables/fruits that you like the most first, then slowly increase the variety.

3. Awesome autumn nutty cups

Nuts contain unsaturated fats which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, vitamin E, etc and help reduce cholesterol level. Unlike saturated fats that are found in various meat products, unsaturated fats are an essential part of a healthy diet. Let’s see how to prepare a nutty cup. 

Ingredients: depending on your family size so you can add more ingredients. Below are the instructions for one healthy nutty cup. 

Chia seeds soaked in milk or water: Add 2 teaspoons of chia seeds to a glass of milk and leave the mixture overnight in the refrigerator. The chia seeds will expand overnight. Alternately, you can soak the chia seeds in hot water which will cause them to expand more quickly.

A cup of milk. It can be soymilk or almond milk

Nuts. Any kinds of nuts you like. It can be almonds, walnuts and so on

Oatmeal or other cereal

Chopped fruits. Any fruits you like. It can be apples, berries, grapes, banana, avocado

1-2 teaspoon of coconut milk to increase flavor 

Directions: Mix all of the above together in a bowl or a jar. Use as much of the ingredients as you want, to suit your taste. You always can bring it with you out of home if you don’t have time to eat it at home and have to  run for your work.  Enjoy!

4. Vital milkshakes 

Milkshakes are super easy to make, but also tasty and healthy. 

How to make a healthy and tasty milkshake?  

Pour a cup of milk (can be almond milk or soy milk) in a blender. 

Throw in a half cup of any kinds of vegetables and fruits that you like such as bananas, apples, kale, berries,  broccoli, carrot, avocado, mangos and so on. It sounds crazy, but it will turn out good since you are adding your favorite vegetables. 

Then, add 1-2 teaspoon of coconut milk to increase flavor. You can add more milk if the mixture is too thick. 

Blend all ingredients together

Pour the delicious mixture in a cup

Enjoy your tasty milkshake!

Healthy lunch meals

Here are some healthy lunch meals that you can prepare at home in a short time and with a limited budget. These meals are nutritious, rich in vitamins and healthy. 

The Spring Day salad mentioned in the healthy breakfast foods section can also be your lunch. You can add in some slices of meat such as grilled, roasted, or fried chicken, beef, pork, goat or imitation meats for vegan to increase more calories and energy for your daily work. 

1. Egg omelette with mushrooms

Ingredients

2 eggs. This can be substituted by ½ cup of plant based egg for vegan

¼ -½ cup of vegetables:  chopped zucchini,  chopped red/green/yellow bell pepper, diced onion,  sliced mushroom 

½ teaspoon of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoon of oil or butter

A sprig of cilantro, chopped

Garlic salt, grounded black pepper

Directions

Prepare eggs: break 2 eggs, put them in a bowl, add a little garlic salt and grounded black pepper and stir eggs up. If you use an imitation egg, you don’t need to stir it up. 

Saute vegetables:   Slowly heat up a nonstick pan.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter, swirl around the pan. When the pan is medium hot, add garlic, wait for garlic to become slightly brown, and add  ¼-½ cup of zucchini, mushroom, bell pepper, and onion. Season with a pinch of garlic salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture becomes slightly brown for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the mixture of vegetables from the pan and put it in a bowl and set aside.

Cook eggs:  Add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter in the same pan, swirl the pan to distribute the oil evenly.  When the pan is medium hot, pour stirred eggs or vegan egg in. Cook the egg for about 1 minute, swirl the pan one more time to distribute the egg from the middle to the edges evenly. When the egg is solidified, use a spatula to loosen the edge. Use the spatula gently and slowly flip the egg over to make sure the other side is cooked. Then, add the cooked mixture of vegetables on the egg adding in chopped cilantro and ground black pepper. Then, gently and slowly fold the egg to cover the vegetable mixture inside. 

You may choose to put the saute vegetables directly on the egg and cook together instead of folding the egg. 

Serve: Carefully and gently remove  the egg with the vegetable mixture from the pan. Put it on a plate and enjoy your delicious omelette. 

2. Butter croissant with melted cheese and egg 

Butter croissant is already tasty. When combined with some more of your favorite ingredients, it will make your lunch even more delicious. It is pretty simple and easy to make. 

Ingredients

Butter croissant – available at your local grocery store, or Costco

Slice of mozzarella cheese or your favorite type of cheese

Egg omelette or vegan egg 

Some onion,  sliced 

Some lettuce, and/or diced green/red/yellow bell pepper, cucumber

A sprig of cilantro

Jalapeno, sliced

Directions

Toast the butter croissant: Add a slice of cheese inside the butter croissant. Then put the butter croissant with cheese in an oven at 350℉ for about 3 minutes for the cheese to slightly melt. Remove the croissant out of the oven. 

Microwave can be used instead of an oven – to heat the croissant for 1-2 minutes. 

Serve: Put the butter croissant with cheese on a plate. Add a piece of lettuce, the egg omelette, a sprig of cilantro,  jalapeno and onion slices. 

You may want to fry the onions to increase the taste.  Here is how: Add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter onto a non stick pan. When the pan is medium hot, pour sliced onion in and fry until onion becomes slightly brown. You should prepare fried onion before toasting the croissant so that you can serve the croissant when it is warm and fresh. 

3. Soft wrap bread toast with hummus

Ingredients

1-2 wrap breads

½ cup of sliced onions, green/red/yellow bell pepper, jalapenos

Sprig of cilantro

Hummus, can be cheese if you prefer cheese

Directions

Grill the vegetables: slowly heat up a grill pan. Put sliced onions, green/red/yellow bell pepper, jalapenos in the pan. Grill  the vegetables slowly till it becomes brown. Flip the vegetables over several times and let it turn brown for about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to use. 

If you prefer to saute vege, slowly heat up a nonstick pan.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter, swirl around the pan. When the pan is medium hot, add sliced bell pepper, onion and jalapenos. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture becomes slightly brown for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the mixture of vegetables from the pan,  put it in a bowl and set aside to use. 

You may also use the fresh vege if you prefer not to cook it. 

 Prepare soft breads: Warm the soft breads by using a pan about 2 minutes , an oven about 2-3 minutes or microwave about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Remove the bread. 

Serve: Put the bread on a plate, spread the layer of hummus on the warm soft bread, then top it with the grilled/sauted/fresh vege. You may substitute cheese if you don’t prefer hummus. Enjoy your easy and healthy meal.

Easy healthy dinner meals

If you are tired after work, get home late from work, or don’t have much time because of small children, but you would like to cook and enjoy a nice family dinner together, here are some weeknight dinner meals which are easy to make, but also tasty and very healthy. 

Your dinner dishes can also be foods from the Health lunch ideas section above.

1. Stewed meat with a crock pot ( slow cooker). 

You can prepare your easy and healthy dinner meals and conveniently with a crock pot. You can prepare the meal on the night before, early morning before you go to work or at noon if you work from home and have time to prepare the stew. With a slow cooker, you can prepare the dish and leave it to cook slowly. You can go out and then when you come back home, a tasty meal is ready for you.  

Here is how you prepare the stewed meat. 

 Ingredients

¼ cup of corn starch or all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound meat, goat, lamb or whichever meat you prefer cut into cubes or imitation meat

3 tablespoons of oil

1 cup red wine

3 cups of water,  you may use coconut juice or meat broth of your choice to increase the taste

2 bay leaves

2 carrots, chopped in ½ inche rounds

1 onion,  chopped

2  potatoes, cut in 3/4-inch cubes

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon of garlic

Directions

Slowly heat up a nonstick pan. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, swirl around the pan. When the pan is medium hot, add chopped garlic and when the garlic is slightly brown, add in meat and chopped onions. Season with 2 teaspoons of garlic salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture becomes slightly brown for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add red wine, cook at medium – high for 3-5 minutes. Then, add water or coconut juice or meat broth. Add cornstarch, and stir the mixture making sure that the cornstarch mixes into the water evenly.  Pour the contents of the pan into the crock pot. Add the bay leaves, carrots and potatoes in the pot. Then close the crock pot cover. Set a cooking time for 3-4 hours. 

In case you are super busy, you may put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook together at the same time. It does not sound like how cooking should be, but it works fairly decently and is a good option when you don’t have time. 

You can make soup with the same ingredients and directions. You just need to add 2 additional cups of broth or water. 

2. ”Biryani” style meals with rice cooker  

Ingredients

¾ cup of rice

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 pound precooked meat. This could be any meat you prefer such as chicken, goat, lamb, cut into cubes or imitation meat for vegan

1 tablespoon of oil

2 cups of water or broth 

2 bay leaves

⅕ onion, chopped

½ cup of mixed vegetables 

1 teaspoons garlic salt or Shan biryani seasoning

1 teaspoon of garlic

¼ teaspoon of grounded black pepper

Sprig of cilantro, chopped

You may use fresh raw meat and vegetables for this recipe. However, precooked meat and vegetables are recommended to get a meal ready for you in 30 – 40 minutes. If you are tired, hungry and have little time to cook, then, this recommendation will make your stomach happy in shorter time. 

 Directions

Take the pot  Put it on a stove. Slowly heat up the pot.  Add 1 tablespoons of oil, swirl around the pan. When the pan is medium hot, add chopped garlic. til garlic slightly brown, add precooked meat and chopped onions and vegetables. Season with 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and pepper. 

Rinse rice and put rice with mixture of meat and vegetable in the rice cooker. Add the bay leaves, then close the crock pot cover. Set a cooking time for 30 minutes.  

In case you are super busy, you may put all ingredients in the rice cooker  and cook together at the same time for 30 minutes. 

Serve: Put the “ Biryani” style meal on a plate, top with a pinch of grounded pepper and cilantro. Enjoy your tasty meal.

3. Butter fried salmon with smoked steak salt seasoning:

Ingredients 

1-2 slices of salmon, or whichever of meat you prefer such as chicken, goat, lamb

2 tablespoons of oil

⅕ onion, sliced 

2 teaspoons smoky steak salt or garlic salt 

1 teaspoon of garlic

Sprig of cilantro

Directions

Slowly heat up a nonstick pan.  Add butter and melt it.  Add chopped garlic. When the pan is medium hot and the garlic turns slightly brown, swirl around the pan to distribute the butter evenly. Add slices of salmon.  Season with 1 teaspoon of steak seasoning. Cook the salmon steak for 3-4 minutes. When the salmon steak turns brown, use a spatula to flip over. Season with 1 teaspoon of the mix of smoked steak seasoning and pork & poultry seasoning. Cook the other side of salmon for 3-4 minutes till it turns brown. 

Serve: Remove the salmon steak from the pan and carefully put on a plate. Top with a sprig of  cilantro. 

You can have your salmon steak with the Spring Day salad, a slice of garlic bread, rice or saute vegetables. How to make sauteed vege? After putting the salmon steak on a plate, while the pan is still hot, add some vegetables with a pinch of garlic salt. You can have your sauteed vegetable dish in 3 minutes. 

You may cook chicken, steak or shrimp with the same ingredients and direction, but cooking time will vary depending on the type of meat. Chicken breast takes 3-4 minutes to cook each side, rare steak takes 2-3 minutes each side, welldone steak approximately 5-6 minutes each side, shrimp takes 2-3 minutes. Cook at medium high until the meat turns golden brown.

4. Random Tacos 

You may make Tacos using the method above. How? Simply warm corn or wheat tortilla with a hot pan or microwave. Put the warm tortillas on a plate, and top with the fried meat from above. Top it off with some chopped lettuce or grilled vegetables, cheese and chopped cilantro. Add in your favorite salsa from your grocery store. Enjoy your delicious Random tacos.

There you go. Now you may enjoy fresh, healthy, tasty home made meals during the week. You may combine meals in the breakfast, lunch and dinners sections above for variety. For example, you may combine the Butter croissant with smoky ham or Butter fried meat with Spring Day salad for lunch or dinner. A salad is a healthy addition to any meal. Hope these recipes will help you save time and money, and also bring you happy and healthy meals.