Building Blocks for a Healthy Dinner

Planning ahead is the key to dinners that are both delicious and nutritious. In addition to being healthier, eating dinner at home is also easier on your wallet. Plus, it’s a good opportunity to get the family together. ShopRite can help.

Building Blocks for a Healthy Dinner
Lean Protein. Choose lean poultry, fish, shellfish, beans, low-fat dairy, low-fat soy foods and egg whites/egg substitute. Dinner is a great opportunity to fit more fish into your diet, plus it cooks very quickly. Try it baked, grilled or sautéed.

Vegetables. Include vegetables with every dinner. Choose from a variety of colors for the best nutritional value

Whole grains. The tried and true, whole wheat pasta and brown rice are great choices, but experiment with new whole grains like whole-wheat couscous, quinoa and wild rice.

Bringing your family back to the dinner table doesn’t mean you have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing a complicated meal. Here are some quick and easy dinner ideas.

• Chili: Pour prepared low-fat vegetarian or turkey chili (homemade or from a can) over a bed of cooked vegetables (fresh or frozen). Serve with whole grain brown rice.

• Stir-fry: Cook chicken breast, shrimp, lean strips of beef, or extra-firm tofu with cooking spray and stir in mixed ShopRite frozen vegetables and teriyaki sauce until cooked through. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of brown rice over mixture and serve.

• Italian Fish Dinner: Marinate fish in ShopRite Fat Free Italian dressing or simply brush with a lemon-garlic marinade, and bake. Serve with steamed vegetables such as broccoli or string beans and 1/2 cup of whole-wheat pasta. Add a touch of fat-free salad dressing, low sodium soy sauce, or fresh lemon over vegetables and pasta for added flavor.

• Pasta Primavera with Chicken: Prepare whole-wheat pasta and toss with generous helpings of cooked vegetables (fresh or frozen), and precooked sliced chicken breast and hearty tomato sauce.

For more tips, information and healthy recipes, visit the health and wellness section of ShopRite.com