Sometimes I feel like I am stuck in a rut when it comes to ideas for quick side dishes for dinner. It feels like an endless loop – salad, fresh veggies, baked or mashed potatoes, rice and repeat! These Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes are something a little different that your family will love, and they take less than 15 minutes to prepare. These would go great with so many different dishes, and they can be modified with any toppings that you like (hello, candied bacon!).
I love making any kind of stir fry because it is so easy, so flavorful and so customizable. I like to throw in whatever protein and veggies I have on hand and get creative with the seasonings and sauces. This Easy Shrimp Stir Fry uses fresh shrimp, broccoli, red pepper, carrots and a fantastic sauce to create a healthy yet delicious meal that is ready in just 20 minutes. This dish is great on its own, or when served with rice or noodles.
I went out to lunch a couple days ago and when I was looking through the menu I came across a pasta with arrabbiata sauce. I had forgotten how much I loved this simple, spicy tomato sauce and I was determined to make it for myself when I got home! It took a little trial and error, but I finally came up with (in my opinion) the perfect balance of garlic, spice and basil flavors. This Easy, Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce would be delicious served with pasta, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or with any meat. I hope you love it!
What is your favorite side dish? I mean – like your VERY favorite. You know if you could only have one side dish for the rest of your life, what would it be? For me, it would be mashed potatoes – no question! As much as I love mashed potatoes, they aren’t always the most waistline friendly food. Not to worry! I have an alternative! This Easy and Healthy Mashed Cauliflower is a great low calorie (176 per serving) and low carb (5 net per serving) option, and to be honest, it tastes pretty darn good!
Pasta is by and far my favorite comfort food, but it is (usually) a guilty pleasure. Many pasta sauces are loaded with way too many carbs, calories, unnecessary sugar and preservatives. Pasta sauce is one of those things that is so easy to make, but many of us tend to pick up a jar of the pre-made stuff out of convenience. This Easy & Healthy Tomato sauce will change all of that! This sauce takes only a few minutes of active cooking time, and just 30 minutes to allow all of the flavors to simmer together. After that, you have a delicious homemade tomato sauce that is considerably better for you and better tasting than anything you will find in the grocery store. With only 92 calories and 9 net carbs per serving, this is a sauce that you don’t have to feel bad about!
Is it just me, or are fresh summer tomatoes at least a million times better than the ones from the grocery store during the winter? I grabbed a bunch of beautiful tomatoes from a local farmstead the other day, so I decided to make myself a quick, healthy and simple lunch with a couple of them today. This recipe is really intended to be a side dish, but sometimes it’s really all I want for a light meal. These Baked Parmesan Tomatoes can also be an easy and delicious appetizer. Making this recipe is very easy – you will slice your tomatoes into thick slices, top them with seasonings and parmesan and drizzle them with a little oil. Then just bake them until they are hot and the cheese is melty and enjoy!
Making homemade dressings is really such a simple thing to do, but a lot of us (myself included) don’t bother to do it a lot of the time. Many store bought versions are packed with extra and unnecessary calories, preservatives and sugar. This Avocado Lime Dressing only takes a couple minutes to make and it tastes better than anything you will find in the grocery store. This dressing is packed with healthy ingredients. It is low calorie and low carb with only 1 net carb. It is creamy and delicious, and you can probably fool your kids into eating something healthy without them even knowing it! You can pour this all over your favorite salad, dip any meat in it, use it as a marinade, put it on your tacos and so much more!
Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of those classic recipes that so many people love and it will never go out of style. It isn’t always the easiest thing to make, however and it also isn’t great for the waistline. This Quick and Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu takes only about 15 minutes to make, and it has just 307 calories and 1 net carb per serving. This is a great simple recipe for a fast weeknight dinner, and it is also amazing for anyone living a low carb or keto lifestyle. Serve this with some fresh veggies, a crisp salad or even some rice or potatoes.
Cucumber, Tomato and Onion salad is one of my favorite quick and easy summer recipes. It is always so nice to be able to head out to the garden, grab some fresh vegetables and throw a delicious dish together in just a few minutes. This healthy salad uses fresh cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and a vinaigrette dressing to create the perfect side dish for those hot summer days when no one wants to heat the kitchen up by using the stove. You can toss this together early in the day, stick it in the fridge and have a delicious “salad” ready at dinner time. A serving of this comes in at only 133 calories and 9 net carbs, so this is one flavorful recipe that you won’t feel bad about enjoying! Try it out today!
Growing up on the middle peninsula of Virginia, cleaned and steamed blue crabs were a delicacy in our family. Not everyone likes to clean their crabs before steaming them, but we always do. Not only does cleaning the crabs ahead of time make eating them easier and cleaner, but it helps the crabs absorb more of the Old Bay flavor. Gather up some friends, melted butter, crackers and some cold beer and enjoy!
