Late dinner ideas...

Both myself and my SO usually work long days and don't get home until 7:30-8pm. I'm looking for quick, healthy meals for late dinners... any ideas out there? I'm assuming it's better to eat something rather than go to bed hungry. We usually end up just snacking on whatever is around because we don't feel like cooking. Thanks!

Thu. Oct 13, 6:10pm

Quick and easy, healthy dinners

Getting a rotisserie chicken is really easy. Also, buying prewashed spinach (so you can just throw it in the bowl) and mixing up some oil and vinegar (or whatever dressing you prefer) and you have a great protein/carb dinner that literally takes 5 minutes.

Some others:
tomato and cucumber salad with lemon, salt and pepper with smoked salmon.
turkey or chicken sausage (pre-bought) with mixed peppers, onions, etc is really good.
"breakfast for dinner" -- egg/egg white omelet with veggies. It's really good.

Elle

Thursday, October 13, 2005, 6:58 PM

the crockpot is my favorite - split pea soup can be as filling or as light as you want, and it's all ready to eat right when you walk in the door.

I also like to cook lots on the weekend - a big pan of spinach lasagna, lentils and rice, spanakopita, etc, etc, and then I freeze individual serving sizes. Then you just defrost in the microwave, and off you go!

Thursday, October 13, 2005, 7:56 PM

Anything in the crock pot is great! Put it in the morning and its done and waiting for you when you get home.

Friday, October 14, 2005, 9:50 AM

Also a big fan of cooking on the weekend. In addition to the crock pot suggestion above - I love to have a big pot of homeade chicken or beef 'n veggie soup on hand. It's so easy to scoop out a bowl and microwave it. I simply hate cooking during the week - I am sooo famished when I get home that I either run out and grab something or eat a bunch of fast junk rather than get out the pans and cook something. If I have healthy food ready to reheat then I will and I feel so much better.

A couple of fast, fast recipes though are:

*----------------------------------------------------------
Salmon 'n salad
I poach two Salmon fillets (available in 2-serving vacuum-sealed packeges at Trader Joe's) in 3/4 cup veggie stock (seasoned with a mixture of parsley, chives, garlic, red onion flakes, basil) and when complete (6-7 minutes) - I reduce the liquid, add just a teaspoon of butter, a tsp lemon juice and a spoonful of capers. It's not too much fat, but it makes an unbelievable sauce for the fish.

The salad is usually chopped; romaine, spinach, red/yellow pappers, cucumber, tomatoes and a fat-free vinagrette. I eat a heaping bowl. Sometimes I crumbled my warm fish into it - mmmmm.

The husband makes the fish and I make the salad and dinner is done in 10 minutes! This works well with any firm-fleshed fish (such as Halibut or Ono Wahoo)

*---------------------------------------------------------------
Chicken Breasts in Balsamic/shallot reduction. (serves 2)
**need a flat-bottomed skillet - non-stick won't work!

2 boneless/skinless chicken breats, pounded flat to ~ 1/2 inch (with kitchen mallet)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp mustard (deli-style)
1 Tblsp seasoning (I like the parsley, chive, basil, garlic, red onion mixture I mentioned above)
flour for coating the chicken
1 tsp butter (or can use olive oil)
1/4 - 1/2 cups chopped shallot (a shallot looks like a cross between garlic and onion, with a sweet flavor and is very low acid - the subtle sweetness it lends any recipe makes it simply incredible in soups, casseroles, etc...)

Lightly coat the flattened chicken with flour. Sautee in 2 tsp butter (I am NOT afraid of butter btw) or olive oil on med high heat for 3 min on each side. Flattening the chicken both tenderizes it and reduces cooking time.

While the chicken is cooking prepare the liquid (I combine everything in a glass measuring cup) and set aside.

when chicken is finished sauteeing, remove from pan, set aside and cover. Add the shallots and sautee until translucent (almost carmelized ~ 1 minute), then turn the heat up to high and add the liquid to the sauteed shallots - cook on high heat until sauce reduced by 1/2 - 2/3 and thickens slightly (should become a bit syrupy). The smell is pungent at first but the sauce is nicely sweet! Spoon sauce over the chicken.

Side dish - veggies and pasta. (serves 2)
**wok works best for this

1 head broccoli
1 med - large zuchinni
2 med - large carrots
1/4 cup chicken or veggie broth (I find veggie broth more flavorful)
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 tsp seasoning ( Trader Joe's has this incredible sun-dried tomatoe seasoning mix with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano, etc - it's amazing in this dish!)
1 cup cooked pasta (I buy the kind that cooks in 3 minutes)

I julienne the carrots and zuchinni with a julienne peeler, but you could just chop - make sure to take the extra time for chopped carrots into consideration - julinned ones cook much faster.

heat the liquid, seasoning and crushed garlic til boiling (using a wok means your liquid is concentrated in the bottom of the pan - not spread out over a large, heated area) Add brocolli - cover, cook 1 minute. Add carrot and zuchinni - cook 2 more. Add cooked pasta (I usually have my water boiling and start cooking the pasta when I add the brocolli) and toss everything together. Serve.

Hmmm - typing those out makes them sound much more complex than they actually are. Those are two of the fastest, easiest, tastiest recipes I have. And quite balanced and healthy! Generally my husband cooks the meat and I cook the pasta 'n veggies. Including prep time - this takes 15 minutes max!

Friday, October 14, 2005, 9:58 AM

does anyone have a good resource for tasty crockpot recipes? I've tried a couple random ones I found on the web, and I've only had about a 50% success rate...

Friday, October 14, 2005, 10:12 AM

The late dinner ideas are bad if you on a diet plan. It would be ok to eat till 9 o clock but after 9 it is not https://ukbesteessays.com/ because the body releases its metabolism after tiring itself for sleep.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020, 12:11 AM

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