healthy weeknight dinner hacks.

After a long day at the office, your routine may look like mine when you get home: change into comfy clothes, jump on the couch with a Bravo/Netflix show (Ozark!), and eat a takeout dinner because you are too tired to cook. (#RealLife.)

The latest Sunday Instagram trend is to highlight meal prepping, but I just cannot jump on that train. While I do believe in planning a weekly menu, meal prepping grosses me out to think about eating something on a Thursday/Friday that was cooked nearly a week prior. Also, I’d rather go hike at the lake or paint than cook for several hours on the weekend.

Here are my weeknight meal hacks that helps nix the takeout routine for a healthy and homemade dinner at home:

• Rotisserie Chicken: A rotisserie chicken is one of the most versatile items and time savers. You can either eat the breasts with a couple of sides for a simple dinner or make a quick dinners like:
  • Easy Enchiladas 
  • Healthy Chinese-inspired Takeout Chicken with Broccoli
  • Healthy Twist on Sweet and Sour Chicken
  • Chicken Pot Pie
• Brown Rice/Quinoa Packs: I found these Seeds of Change brown rice and quinoa packs at Costco, and they are game changing for an easy side dish. You just zap them in the microwave for 1.5 minutes, and have a healthy side ready for serving!

• Balsamic Vinegar: A bottle of balsamic vinegar should be a staple in your pantry. It is an easy way to add flavor to typically bland dishes like roasted veggies, and proteins such as baked chicken and salmon without worrying about 12 hour marinades.
• Frozen Veggies: Don’t buy veggies because they go bad before you can use them? Stock your freezer! Frozen veggies can easily be steamed or zapped in the microwave and topped with a little shredded cheese for a (somewhat) healthy and quick side dish.
• Breakfast for Dinner: This was one of my most favorite discoveries in college: you could have breakfast foods at dinnertime! (Clearly I was very sheltered.) I always looked forward to this night in the sorority house. As an adult, this is still a favorite because you can’t beat the ease of quickly chopping up some chicken sausage and veggies and making a quick omelet that is both filling and healthy. Plus, who doesn’t love breakfast aka the best meal of the day?!

Which of these weeknight dinner tricks is your favorite?