Healthy Meals for Busy Evenings
Or maybe you were suspecting that absolutely nothing has changed, except that I can’t seem to work in time to visit my personal trainer to save my life, thus, I’ve been seizing opportunities to workout whenever possible and accumulating an unprecedented amount of unused (non-refundable/non transferable) personal trainer visits. Maybe it’s just that I decided for a time that I didn’t want to fixate my thinking on those stubborn pounds and instead focus on other, more pressing matters, like what am I going to fix for dinner since my kids are playing ball four nights a week, and who in the world do I want to win American Idol now that my two favorite contestants made it to The Finale?!?!
That was a seventy-one word sentence, right there. You’re welcome.
1 cup whole wheat flour (you may use all whole wheat flour, if you prefer)
Skim broth until clear and add the remaining 4 cups. Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, prepare the dumplings. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well by hand. Then cut up the butter into very small cubes, and in batches, distribute throughout the flour mixture with your hands. Add water and knead 8-10 times with your hands, until well- combined.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch and cut into 1-inch squares.
This recipe serves about 6. It works well for a make-ahead recipe for reheating later in the day or even the next day. It also works well if you put it all back into the crockpot to keep warm and serve later in the day. Tastes even better the following day as leftovers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My second little healthy/quick meal trick is more of a side dish or a healthy snack to tide kids over until dinner, but again, one my entire family LOVES. I serve it as a side to pizza, tacos, chicken nuggets—any meal where I feel the need to add a punch of nutrition but still want to make it fun and tasty. I also give it as an after-school snack or something before bed after a late ball game game. I drink one after a hard work out or on-the-go when I don’t have time to sit down to eat.
Frozen berries ( Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries)
Banana or pineapple (these two fruits provide sweetness so you don’t need sugar)
Skim milk or non-fat vanilla yogurt
Blend and serve!
Some yummy variations:
1. Add orange juice, apple juice or grape juice instead of milk for a slushy (instead of creamy) consistency.
2. Use fresh fruit instead of frozen and add a handful of ice.
3. Use other fruit, like oranges, cantaloupe and mango.
4. Add a scoop of vanilla meal-supplement/protein powder for added vitamins.
5. Add a handful of spinach for a burst of nutrition with no added flavor. No kidding. You can’t taste it—and neither will your children.
6. Add a big spoonful of peanut butter for protein.
Of course, you can add a big spoonful of peanut butter to almost anything and make it good. But then you will add a ton of calories and start to gain weight…which brings me back to my 12-ish pounds….uuugggghhh!!!