Quick, healthy dinner recipes & ideas

Looking for quick, easy, healthy dinner recipes?

So often, we build our meals around the meat and starch, not the veggies. To make your meals healthier, increase fruits and vegetables to half of your plate, with lean protein and grains for the remaining two quarters.

I encourage people with diabetes to follow MyPlate nutrition recommendations for meals.

Here are some quick, healthy dinner options for people with diabetes (and anyone):

1. Crockpot meals
   • Chili. It’s cooler again. There are so many variations of chili — ever try a white chicken chili? Or, a veggie chili? Consider this veggie chili recipe. You can always add more beans/veggies and swap in lean meats to your favorite chili recipe for a healthier nutrition profile. Double the batch to keep an extra meal in the freezer.
   • Slow cooker chicken tacos. There are many variations of this recipe with a variety of ingredients and homemade seasonings. An easy variation includes cooking chicken breast and a can of salsa, on low for 8 hours. Once cooked, just add tortillas and your desired toppings.
   • Slower cooker chicken tortilla soup. Try this recipe.
   • Slow cooker barbeque pulled pork. Try pork tenderloin, flavored with smoked paprika, garlic powder, and BBQ sauce. Cook on low, until the pork pulls apart easily with two forks. When it’s done cooking, add veggies/coleslaw and a whole grain bun.
   • Whole chicken and vegetables. Add potatoes, carrots, paprika, garlic, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and other spices to your taste — cook on low for 5-6 hours.
2. Sheet pan dinners
   • Sheet pan chicken and vegetables. Chop sweet potatoes, broccoli, peppers, zucchini or squash. Place sweet potatoes on sheet pan, with spray oil and any spices you’d like. Mix chicken with all vegetables with oil, lemon juice and seasoning you’d like. Cook sweet potatoes for around 10 minutes and then add remaining chicken/veggies to pan and roast for another 20 minutes.
   • Cod and asparagus bake. In a preheated oven, place cod and asparagus on a sheet pan, spray or lightly brush with oil, add tomatoes, lemon juice or another herb/spice of your choice, and sprinkle with a small amount of parmesan cheese. Bake for about 12 minutes.
3. Foil packet recipes
   • Chicken foil packets. Ever heard of this? These herbed chicken foil packets help preserve flavor and make for hassle-free cooking and a quick clean-up. View the recipe.
4. Other quick options
   • Frozen veggies. If fresh veggies aren’t in your fridge, consider having a stock of frozen veggies (warm in original microwavable bag or warm in microwavable bowl or steamed on the stove).
   • Frozen black bean burgers. Pair these with a whole grain bun and a side of fruit/vegetable and you have a meal!
   • Noodles (edamame or heart of palm). These change the nutrition profile of pasta considerably. Pair with a salad, turkey meatball or chicken bread and your favorite sauce.