Ten Fast Dinners

8. Homemade nachos
One favorite is to sauté garlic and onions with cut up leftover chicken breast, parmesan cheese and black beans, serve on tortilla chips. Great for the Bears! Monkeys and Giraffes should leave off the chicken, while Lions and Otters should skimp on the beans!


9. Baked Potato
We all like to bake a couple of Idaho potatoes ahead of time and put them in the refrigerator to eat later or bake them when you arrive home – to be finished by the time you complete your evening exercise they are ready. Top with sautéed broccoli and cheese or your favorite veggies. Great for Monkeys and Giraffes, and good for Bears.


10. Hamburger Helper, the natural way
Our resident "granola girl" Nicole Baird, has a great alternative to boxed Hamburger Helper called Simplified chili in a skillet:

What you’ll need:

•	1 pound ground beef
•	1 small onion, chopped
•	2 carrots, diced
•	1 can tomato paste
•	2 - 14 ounce cans of tomatoes (or fresh if available)
•	1 can of kidney or black beans
•	1 Tbsp chili powder
•	2 Tsp Cumin or adobo seasoning
•	1/2 Tsp garlic powder
•	Pinch of red chili flakes
•	S&P to taste

What to do:

1.	In an extra large skillet, sauté onion and carrot in a little oil for a couple minutes until beginning to soften.
2.	Add seasonings and ground beef.
3.	As ground beef begins to brown, add tomatoes and tomato paste.
4.	Heat and mix well. Goes great over macaroni noodles!

Great for Lions, Otters, and Bears. Monkeys and Giraffes can make their own version by leaving out the beef and dumping in another can of their favorite variety of beans and some more vegetables of choice.


Bonus Recipe: Fast Feta Chicken
One of Nicole’s all-time favorites – made at least weekly in her household:

What you’ll need:

•	1 small onion, diced
•	3 stalks celery, diced
•	3 Tbsp butter
•	1 Tbsp oil
•	1/2 tsp thyme
•	1/4 tsp rosemary
•	1-2 cups chicken broth
•	2 Tbsp lemon juice
•	2-4 chicken breasts, cut into thin pieces
•	1/2 cup whipping cream (or yogurt)
•	1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
•	S & P to taste
•	2 Tbsp capers (optional)

What to do:

1.	In an extra large skillet, sauté onion and celery in butter and oil, until slightly softened.
2.	Add seasonings, broth, lemon juice, and chicken. Cover and bring to a boil until chicken is cooked.
3.	Lower heat and add cream and cheese. Stir until cheese is heated and melted.
4.	Serve over rice!

Great for Bears! Lions and Otters would do well with this meal too, just leave out the rice.


There you have it! 10 Tips (plus a bonus) on what you can whip up tonight! If you are interested in more things like this, or have additional questions, would be happy to meet with you.

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