Easy "go-to" Dinners

Calling all of my healthy eater friends:

Would anyone like to share quick, simple recipes that are relatively healthy and won't take hours of preparation after work? Here are some of my favorites:

Taco Salad (or mexi-wonder bowls as Brandon so adoringly calls them)

What I love about this meal is how easy it is to make (you are essentially just throwing things in a bowl) but also that it's not a particularly heavy meal and it's completely customizable. If I want to eat healthier I leave out the sourcream and rice. If I'm not in the mood for meat, I leave out the ground beef.

-Lettuce
-Spanish Rice (I use the packets that take 10 minutes to make)
-black beans
-shredded cheddar cheese
-black olives
-tomatoes
-avocado slices
-sourcream
-green onions
-ground beef cooked with taco sauce (optional)


Orzo Salad

What I love about this "salad" is that it can be a meal or a side. I stole this recipe from Brandon's sister Amber after she made it for us one evening.

-1/2 box of Orzo
-1/2 bag of spinach
-feta
-pine nuts
-1/4 red onion chopped in small pieces
-grilled chicken (if this will be a meal and not a side)
-balsamic dressing

Simply put, you cook the orzo, drain it, and then wait for it to cool (I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process). I take my bag of spinach and I tear off the stems and rip the leaves in half. In a bowl you add the spinach to the orzo, sprinkle with feta, pine nuts, onion and balsamic dressing. Mix well. I make this recipe by taste, so you can experiment with what you like best. I like fewer pine nuts, more onion.


Grilled Chicken & Veggie Skewers

An easy, healthier meal we eat fairly often is grilled chicken (Brandon just seasons it with garlic salt and pepper) and veggies on skewers put on the BBQ. I usually use bell peppers, onion and squash. I just cut them in bite size pieces, put them on skewers, brush with olive oil and a little bit of garlic salt. Voila.

-Chicken
-Squash
-Onion
-Bell Pepper
-Garlic Salt
-Olive Oil

Rotisserie Bowls

One of my favorite places to eat during the week is a place called Chick's. I get their rice bowl which would be pretty easy to duplicate at home:

-brown or white rice
-steamed broccoli
-steamed carrots
-shredded rotisserie chicken (I just buy the hot, rotisserie chickens from the grocery store and make 
 Brandon shred it)
-teriyaki/soy sauce

If you have a wonderful (simple) recipe, why don't you be a pal and leave it in a comment :-)