Ten Fast Dinners

Let’s face it! We’re all strapped when it comes to time for preparing food for meals. With kids’ schedules out of control – running from football practice to soccer games to choir practice to piano lessons, many parents are finding that they just don’t have time in the day to make a meal. If you don’t struggle with kids’ schedules, you may find that your responsibilities alone leave you wondering where all the time in the day went!

Planning is a key factor to help you avoid running to the fast food restaurants. Keep things on hand that allow you to "whip up" something quickly. You’ll see what we mean when you read these recipe ideas. You can whip these things up readily if you keep your kitchen stocked regularly. You can’t expect to do this if you have ketchup and beer in your refrigerator! Making a little extra meat when you do take the time to make a full meal will help you have ingredients around to make a few "whip-ups" later in the week. For example, cook a couple of chicken breasts, slice into strips and freeze or cook up a steak, slice into strips and freeze in individual baggies. Keep bags of frozen veggies in your freezer. Keep pasta and rice, along with some canned tomatoes, beans, and spices in your pantry. These items are very easy to remove from the freezer or shelves, and to use to make your favorite “whip up” meal.

Here are some of our favorite "fast food" ideas that we use routinely when we are in a hurry to cook something up quickly.

1. Eggs
The incredible edible egg: It’s not just for breakfast any more!

•	Make a poached egg and serve on top of an English muffin, with a slice of ham and cheese, served with some mixed green salad. Great for Bears!
•	Saute chopped vegetables from your fridge in olive oil in a medium skillet, whisk 4 or 5 eggs together, pour over veggies and cover, cooking over low heat – this makes a great frittata. Good for all Hauser Diets!
•	Egg burritos: scramble up some eggs, stir in a couple tablespoons of your favorite salsa, chopped onion and serve in a whole wheat tortilla. Good for all Hauser Diets!

2. Fresh Italian sauce with pasta
This is one of my all-time favorite "whip-ups" that I could eat every night. Heat olive oil on top of skillet, stir in sliced fresh garlic, then add 3 large tomatoes, chopped. Cook over medium heat. Stir in chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper. Serve over cooked whole grain pasta! Great for Monkeys and Giraffes.


3. Tuna Salad
We don’t know about you, but we always have tuna in my cabinets and it is always a welcomed comfort food. Mix tuna with mayonnaise and your favorite chopped veggies such as red pepper, celery, and onion. Zip it up with chopped pineapple, chopped pecans, craisins, or green olives. Serve on bread and toast for a tuna melt or on top of a bed of lettuce with a side of fresh tomatoes. Tuna is a great protein source for Lions and Otters, just don’t use the fruit. Bears can eat as is!


4. Tacos
If you have La Tortilla Factory high protein tortillas around, you will find that it is very easy to make quick tacos with a can of refried black beans, some fresh lettuce, tomato and onion – even fresh guacamole if we have an avocado. If you don’t have the black beans, make fajitas with left-over chicken or beef. This version of the taco would be great for Bears, Monkeys, or Giraffes.


5. Stir fry
This is a favorite from Cathy, our clinical manager. We each do a variation of this, but here’s hers: Heat in a large frying pan or wok: 1 Tbsp oil, 3 Tbsp organic teriyaki sauce, 3 Tbsp organic soy sauce, 2 tsp minced fresh garlic. Stir in a handful of sugar snap peas, broccoli, red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, and cashews and cook until only slightly crisp. Stir in any left over chicken, beef or pork you might have or serve vegetarian atop your favorite whole grain rice. Bears need no adjustments! Remember Otters and Lions, you don’t need rice to make a good stir fry. Tofu is a good meat substitution for Monkeys and Giraffes, or you can just add more vegetables.


6. Chef salad
Sometimes just take a little of this and a little of that and make a big salad with homemade salad dressing. Top the dark greens with a "meal" such as ham, turkey, cheese, cottage cheese, sliced beets, sliced fruit, chopped nuts, sliced onion, or fresh veggies. Or you can even stir-fry them and then serve atop fresh lettuce for that hot-cold salad! All diets can make this dish suitable. Lions and Otters should forget about adding in the fruit, and make sure to use an oil based homemade dressing. The Monkeys and Giraffes can add the fruit, but instead of meat you may want to use tofu or just skip the "meat" all together. As for dressing, go with a vinegar and lemon choice with a little bit of pepper!


7. Different combo salads
We have fans of black beans, so here’s another salad that you might want to try: Organic canned black or garbanzo beans, chopped vegetables such as peppers, onions, celery, mixed with tuna for a quick salad. Every diet can make a combo that is good for their Hauser Diet Type! Bears can have this dish as is, while Giraffes and Monkeys need to leave off the tuna, and Otters and Lions should hold back on the beans! Also, make sure your dressing is diet appropriate.

NEXT: Ten Fast Dinners – Part 2