How Can You Get a Healthy Dinner on the Table With a Busy Schedule?

1. Make a plan. As the saying goes… if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Sit down on Sunday afternoon and make a plan of 4-5 dinners you want to make this week. Then build a shopping list from this plan.
2. Now put that menu of dinner ideas on the refrigerator so if your kids or spouse gets home before you, they can get things started. My kids still joke today that I got them cooking “stealth-like” by telling them I was going to be home late and over the phone guiding them to peel the carrots, make a salad or get the chicken in the oven. Enough said.

Didn’t make a plan and need a shortcut? Here are my family favorites.

• We all know that rotisserie chickens are great as a take-out alternative, but they offer so much more. Think of rotisserie chicken as a secret ingredient that can be chopped, sliced and shredded and used to make almost anything… sandwiches, soups, enchiladas, salads and burritos. On a hot night, my family loves a green salad topped with chicken, sliced apples and walnuts. Toss with your favorite dressing.
• Make a rice veggie toss. Boil a bag of instant brown rice, and toss with defrosted frozen peas and carrots and a little olive oil and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.
• Make easy chicken enchiladas. Just shred the rotisserie chicken and roll into flour tortillas with Mexican cheese and enchilada sauce. Top with more sauce and cheese and heat in the oven until hot.
• Sauté boneless chicken breasts in light Italian dressing and add a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies. Heat until hot and serve with rice.
• To keep the kids lingering around the table a little longer, try adding a healthy dessert. Everyone loves warm baked apples with chopped walnuts and cinnamon.