7 Family Friendly Weeknight Dinner Recipes

A common question for people is how to accelerate their weight loss or overall health results. Most have no trouble adding exercise regularly into their schedules, but one key component when it comes to nutrition can make a world of difference. Curious what that is? The key, is having healthy, lower calorie dinners, rather than consuming the majority of our calories late in the day.

This may be challenging for some, as most Americans eat their largest meal of the day in the evening with their family and friends. The fact is, you can still enjoy this important time - you just eat less. The other challenge may be that life, work and family can be hectic and time consuming, so the concept of eating a healthy, simply prepared dinner seems completely out of reach.

The truth is, we over complicate the idea of a healthy dinner. Maybe because we have gotten used to eating out at restaurants where entrees are accompanied by sides, sauces and garnishes or just due to our busy lifestyles. Whatever the reason, we CAN overcome these challenges.

Here is a healthy dinners for each night of the week that are quick and simple to make:

1) Roasted Broccoli & Poached Eggs: Toss chopped broccoli with a little olive oil, sea salt and minced garlic and roast on a baking sheet at 425 F for 25 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice and serve with poached eggs.

2) Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs & Sautéed Kale: Brown 8 beef short ribs in a skillet with coconut oil. Place in a slow cooker with ½ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce), 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon crushed garlic, 1 Tablespoon crushed ginger and ½ teaspoon ground red pepper. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Serve with sautéed kale.

3) Super Greens Salad & Roasted Chicken: Combine a mixture of super greens in a large bowl: baby spinach, beet leaves, arugula and kale. Top with sliced, grilled chicken and drizzle with balsamic vinegar glaze.

4) Baked Catfish & Shredded Cabbage: Grease a casserole dish with olive oil and scatter 1 cup of chopped cilantro over the bottom of the dish. Wash and pat dry 4 catfish fillets. Rub the fillets with curry powder, sea salt and sweet paprika. Lay the fillets evenly in the dish, over the cilantro. Drizzle the fillets with lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped garlic. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F. Serve with shredded cabbage.

5) Stir Fried Chicken & Veggies on Cauliflower Rice: Sauté chicken breast, sliced onions and sliced bell peppers in a skillet with olive oil. Season with sea salt, black pepper and fajita seasoning. Set aside. Cut a head of cauliflower into small pieces and run through a food processor with the shredding attachment. Sauté the shredded cauliflower for 5 minutes in a skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil. Serve the chicken and veggies on top of the cauliflower rice with a side of soy sauce.

6) Smoked Salmon Omelet & Sliced Tomatoes: Whisk together 3 eggs with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. Cook in a heated skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil. Line the egg with smoked salmon and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Fold the egg over the salmon and cheese, and serve with sliced tomatoes.

7) One Pot Chicken & Veggies: In a large skillet, brown a pound of chicken tenders in olive oil. Season with sea salt, black pepper, dried basil, crushed rosemary, sweet paprika, dried thyme, dried parsley and cumin. Add 4 cups of chopped veggies (zucchini, onion, tomatoes) and 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until tender and fully cooked.

You see, healthy dinners can be quite simple to prepare. Don’t get too hung up on the exact measurements of ingredients and instead focus on combining a handful of quality ingredients together in a delicious way. There’s no such thing as a dinner that’s too simple when nutritious, wholesome ingredients are used.

Don’t forget that a consistent, challenging exercise program is the key to getting and staying fit. If you’ve been dragging your feet about getting started, commit to starting with today. Creating a new habit begins with a single step. You can do it!