Some days it seems like there is no time to make a healthy, satiating, and delicious meal, so you end up running through the drive through on the way home. The mission of today’s post is simple: to show you that cooking a healthy meal doesn’t have to mean being in the kitchen for hours. Along the way you’ll also find tips to shorten the time it takes to get your meal on the table. Keep reading to find some healthy meals in 30 minutes!
This first recipe is ready in 30 minutes (including prep time!) and only requires 2 pots. You can cut the prep time down by buying pre-cut and washed veggies and/or shrimp that is already peeled and deveined.
Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz Linguine Pasta, whole wheat
- 1 lb Shrimp, fresh or frozen, peel and deveined
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Shallot, peeled and diced
- 5 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, divided (use ½ tsp if you prefer less spicy flavor)
- 1 tsp Salt, divided
- 1 tsp Black Pepper, divided
- 24 oz Mixed Vegetables, fresh or frozen and thawed
- ¼ cup Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1 Lemon, zest and juice
- 3 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tbsp Parsley, fresh and chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water and drain remaining water. Toss with a little oil and set aside.
- Rinse shrimp and pat dry.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add shallot and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 1 minute.
- Add shrimp to skillet along with ½ tsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Stir and cook for 4 minutes. Once cooked, remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add broth and cooked shrimp to skillet. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in lemon zest and juice, remove from heat.
- Add the cooked pasta to skillet and toss. If pasta is dry, stir in the ¼ cup reserved pasta water.
- Top with parmesan and parsley and serve.
This recipe is a classic take-out meal, that you can now make at home in under 30 minutes! To shorten the cook time, you can buy precut broccoli and/or microwavable rice.
Beef and Broccoli with Rice
Ingredients
For the sauce
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce, low sodium
- ⅓ cup Water
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar (can use Splenda brown sugar)
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Ginger, minced
For the beef and broccoli
- 1 lb Beef Sirloin
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tsp Cornstarch, divided
- 1 head (medium) Broccoli
- 3 Green Onions
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 3 tbsp Water
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- Sesame Seeds (for topping)
Instructions
- Start by making the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, water, and brown sugar.
- In a small sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Pour in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Thinly slice the sirloin into ¼ inch thick strips, add to a medium sized bowl.
- Toss beef with 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp cornstarch. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the broccoli into small florets and slice the green onions thinly. Now is also a good time to make quick-cook rice (such as minute rice).
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add beef to skillet (careful! Oil may pop.). Cook about 2 minutes. Move beef to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Stir remaining 1 tsp cornstarch into sauce.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to skillet along with the broccoli. Stir to coat, then pour in water. Cook until broccoli is tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add beef strips to skillet. Pour sauce over the top.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in salt, green onion, and red pepper flakes. Remove from heat.
- Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.
This next recipe requires just one sheet pan and can be made faster by using precut veggies and chicken, or have these cut up ahead of time for a faster assembly come dinner time.
Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients
- 2 Zucchini (small), diced
- 1 Yellow Squash (small, yellow), diced
- 1 Bell Pepper, largely diced
- 1 Red Onion, largely diced
- 1 head (medium) Broccoli, chopped
- 1 Potato (large), diced
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, diced
- ⅓ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1½ cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*F.
- Place chopped veggies onto large sheet pan.
- Lay the chicken on top of the veggies.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, basil oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Pour sauce over chicken and veggies.
- Toss gently on the sheet pan to coat with sauce. Alternatively, you can toss them in a large bowl then place on the sheet pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes until chicken is mostly cooked through. Add cherry tomatoes to the pan and toss gently. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Optionally sprinkle with parmesan cheese and/or green onions to serve.
This meal is simple and quick, but brings a fresh and flavorful twist to the weekday dinner table. You can cut down the prep time by buying premade hummus, or you can make the hummus a day or two before and keep in the fridge.
If you’d like to take these hummus pitas to go (for example, as lunch to work or for a quick dinner between practices), assemble all except tomatoes. Tomatoes can be added when it is time to eat, while the rest will keep in an airtight container.
Mediterranean Hummus Pitas
Ingredients
- 4 Whole-Grain Pitas, round
- ½ cup Red Onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup Cucumber, chopped
- 1 Tomato, sliced
- 4 tbsp Feta Cheese
- 1 pinch Pepper Blend (your brand of choice, we recommend Kinder, Lowry's or Simply Spice Right)
For the hummus
- 15 oz Garbanzo Beans (can), drained and rinsed
- 1½ tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
- 2½ tbsp Lemon Juice
- ¼ cup Tahini
- ½ cup Roasted Red Peppers (jarred), drained
- ⅛ tsp Cumin
- 1 pinch Coarse Salt
- 1 pinch Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add all hummus ingredients except beans to a food processor or blender. Run for 20 seconds until well blended. Scrape sides and bottom of container. Add beans to food processor and run until well blended and at desired consistency. Add extra oil if too thick.
- Lightly toast pitas in the oven for 3-5 minutes.
- Spread hummus over pita.
- Top with onion, cucumber, tomato, cheese, and pepper blend.
- Toast in oven for 4-6 minutes if desired. Enjoy!
We hope you’ll try one (or more!) of these 30 minute meals and let us know how it goes! We understand that life gets busy. Keep watching our page for more ideas on quick, easy, and delicious meals.
