Dinner In A Minute, Please!

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You’re exhausted, it’s been a busy day, and you’re tempted to just call for takeout and open a bottle of wine. We get it. But we also know how that’s going to feel tomorrow morning. The good news is, we’ve got some ideas for making your weeknights speedy, easy, and deliciously healthy!

  1. Quinoa – This ancient grain is nutritious, easy to cook, and pairs well with almost everything. It only take 10 minutes from start to finish, then you can combine it hot or cold with whatever protein and veggies you’re having for dinner, and viola!– a delicious meal in minutes.
  2. Casserole – Trust us, they don’t have to be dense, tasteless bakes. There are ways to make this easy prepare-ahead dish delicious. Try a gratin, or layer some leftovers with onions, beans, parmesan, and a few spices and throw it under the broiler.
  3. Salad – This can be a delicious fast dinner, not to mention  light and nutritious to end the day. Clean out the refrigerator and  mix whatever greens you have with a protein and any combination of vegetables and beans, or eliminate greens altogether and mix corn with your favorite Mexican flavors. 
  4. Two Pot Spot – Have some time, but don’t want to do fancy dicing, sifting, or layering? Try something like ratatouille, where you can dump a whole bunch of veggies together on a baking tray, roast them, and serve over quinoa, grits, rice, or even fold into an omelet. You’ll keep the clean up to a minimum and have a dish you can eat in multiple ways.
  5. Stir Fry – While you will need to do a bit of chopping, this delicious dish cooks in under 10 minutes. Using rice you prepared during the weekend, or grating a cauliflower to use as rice, will make dinner prep even quicker.

Lunchbox Tips

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We promised some tips on packing your kids (or yourself!) a healthy lunchbox, and we didn’t forget. See below for some ideas on making healthy eating easy & delicious throughout the week. Of course, if you can get any of your ingredients from a local farmer’s market, even better! We promise they’ll taste fantastic, plus you’ll feel great about supporting the community.

 

  1. Leftovers – Always cook a little extra dinner? Portion it out the next day for school lunch. If you made a sauce, try putting it in a sandwich; if you made a casserole, stick a small portion in the lunchbox. There’s always a way to adapt delicious leftovers into lunch.
  2. Hummus – Nothing says healthy lunch of snack like this dippable dish. The best part is that you can make a big batch on Sunday night, and use it throughout the week.
  3. Charcuterie – May sound too fancy for lunch, but we don’t think it has to be. Most of us have cheese & deli meats hanging out in our fridge, so when you’re tired of a sandwich, just roll up those ham pieces and pack them with a few slices of cheese, several grapes or olives, and a handful of nuts.
  4. Healthy Sweets – Sometimes we just need that afternoon pick me up, and want that easy to get candy bar or doughnut. Instead, try making a batch of healthy sweets on Sunday afternoon, and pack one as a backup in your bag for those sluggish hours.
  5. Salad – Want something lighter for lunch? Pack whatever greens you’ve got in a mason jar with whatever proteins and veggies are in your fridge. Add a little olive oil & balsamic, or your favorite dressing, and you’ve got salad in a jar – quick and easy (and healthy) lunch fix.
  6. Market Finds – Make a trip out of visiting your local farmer’s market this Saturday. You’ll find plenty of delicious veggies to pack for lunch, and you’ll support local agriculture at the same time! Look for small peppers, radishes, cucumbers, beans, and anything else you can simply wash and stick in your lunchbox.

The truth about veggies and toddlers

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Hi y’all,

My name is Laura Max Rose, and if you don’t know me, I’ve been a proud brand ambassador for Recipe for Success (and specifically, the VegOut challenge) for nearly three years. I love our mission and I love bringing it to you in such a fun, easy way every day of the year!

I’ve been working with Recipe for Success since before my daughter, Selma, was born. Even though I used to post all day long about incorporating veggies into your children’s diet, I had no idea how difficult it would be until I had my very own child that only wanted popcorn and french fries! I swore I would never be one of those parents whose kids survived on Mac n’ Cheese and Cheerios until I ultimately became one. Feeding toddlers is some seriously tough business!

The #VegOut Challenge has not only helped me grow more conscious of my own veggie intake as a busy, working mom, but its also helped me stay mindful of what Selma is eating so I can be sure she’s getting the nutrition she needs. Feeding kiddos is no easy task, but with all of the delicious veggie recipes available to me through the VegOut website and the veggie tracker in the VegOut app, I’m able to make it a fun adventure for both of us and weave in some green beans and carrots between bites of cookies and crackers.

Now that we’ve “met”, you’ll probably be seeing a lot more of me on the Recipe for Success Instagram feed, and I hope to follow you on your #VegOut2018 adventures, to. Tag me @R4SFoundation so I can see what you’re up to and share your veggie adventures with our followers! I hope you have as much fun partaking in the #VegOut2018 challenge as I have.

Happy *belated New Year,

Laura

EatingWell to Eat More Vegetables

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We’re teaming up with EatingWell to help you Eat More Vegetables! There’s one simple change anyone can make to eat better and be healthier: Eat more vegetables! And the folks at EatingWell Magazine are challenging themselves and us to eat 30 vegetables in 30 days! The Eat More Vegetables Challenge kicks off today and you can find healthy recipes to try a different vegetable every day as well as helpful tips for buying, storing and prepping your veggies all HERE! 

And to help you at home- EatingWell Vegetables is the ultimate book to help anyone make that change—deliciously. Written by the editors of EatingWell magazine, this book offers step-by-step basic cooking instructions with full-color photos for 101 vegetables, plus 200 easy vegetable-packed (though not necessarily vegetarian) recipes. Get it in stores in June!

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Join the EatingWell Magazine group on VegOut! Race with EatingWell staffers and readers to reach the top of the leaderboard: Who can up their veggie game the most? And join EatingWell online—on Facebook, Instagram and eatingwell.com—where we’ll be featuring recipes for 30 different vegetables in 30 days this June. We’ll also be giving away a copy of EatingWell Vegetables each day on our Facebook page.

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