GO SLOW WHOA Dinners

Dinnertime can be overwhelming. You are tired, hungry and don’t know what to make for dinner much less make it nutritious. It just takes a little planning. Once you create that plan, you’ll be eating better with less work and for less money. Here are some ideas for quick, healthy and delicious dinners.

 Plan ahead and take advantage of using a slow cooker. Load it up the night before or in the morning before leaving for the day and come home to a delicious, nutritious meal.

 Try super easy and nutritious “health bowls.” Just mix a combination of grains, greens, vegetables, lean protein and a light dressing and you have a colorful, healthy meal. This is an opportunity to use leftovers from the night before or anything else in the pantry (that’s healthy). See recipe ideas below.

 Take a weekend afternoon and make the basics for the weeks meals. Spend 30 to 60 minutes planning the weeks menus, then generate a shopping list and head to the grocery store. You will save time and money by taking this step. Check out one of the many websites or cookbooks that provide menus and suggestions for weekly meal planning. Eating Well lists a “A week of 5- ingredient dinners for less than $50.” It even includes a shopping list for your convenience. The website

For more information about Let’s go 5-2-1-0 visit www.letsgo.org, friend us on our Facebook page at LiveWellNWCO, or contact Barb Parnell, LiveWell Northwest CO, at [email protected] thekitchn.com offers “Sunday Cooking: 10 meals that will last the entire week.”

Here’s a recipe for a GO dinner “Health Bowl”:

Serves 4 2 cups cooked quinoa 2 cups shredded chicken 1 lb. carrots (cut into 1 ½ in. pieces) 2 Tb. olive oil ½ tsp. turmeric salt and pepper to taste ½ cup marinated or sautéed mushrooms 3 cups greens (romaine, Spring mix or other dark greens) ¾ cup Feta cheese 1 avocado, cubed Light balsamic vinaigrette or other light dressing

Toss together the carrots and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper , and turmeric. Roast on baking sheet in 425 degrees oven, tossing once, until tender. About 18 to 20 minutes. Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing.

There are no rules for “health bowls”. Pick grains (quinoa, brown rice, faro or barley), greens (romaine, arugula, mache, radicchio, kale, Swiss chard or purple cabbage), proteins(lean steak, chicken, fish – canned or grilled), beans (chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans), vegetables (radishes, snap peas, snow peas, tomatoes, avocados, scallions, herbs), cheeses ( feta, goat, ricotta, parmesan), other (nuts – almonds, cashews, walnuts), seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, marinated artichokes, olives or capers.

For more information about Let’s go 5-2-1-0 visit www.letsgo.org, friend us on our Facebook page at LiveWellNWCO, or contact Barb Parnell, LiveWell Northwest CO, at [email protected]