Staying healthy and in shape doesn’t mean eating cardboard food products that make you long for the days when doughnuts and greasy fries were staples in your diet. It does mean making time to cook dinner each night, regardless of how convincing those excuses are! Take a few minutes and learn a few easy dinner ideas to get you through the week.

A healthy dinner made with care is the easiest route to weight loss. An imitation of food…not so much.

The first thing you need to do is stop saying you “just don’t have time” to cook dinner at night. Everyone is working longer hours and spending more time away from home, but a hot bod depends on your ability to look out for yourself. How can you lose weight if you can’t be bothered to nourish your body?

Fast food, processed foods, and fatty & sugary foods should be removed from your list of go-to items when you’re hungry. Instead focus on eating healthy foods for weight loss and eating them (say it with me, class) in moderation!

Easy Spaghetti Dinner

An easy Thursday night pasta dinner will give you tons of energy for a Friday night date!

Approximately 308 calories per serving. Recipe serves 2.

That’s right, a carb made the list of easy and healthy dinner ideas. Pasta, along with many other carbohydrates, are our friends. They give us energy to make it through a busy day without yawning in the boss’ face. Just make sure your grains are whole, also known as complex carbohydrates. They are denser and fill you up with less calories, unlike refined grains such as white rice.

1 cup of whole wheat spaghetti

1/2 chopped red onion

1/2 chopped green bell pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 14oz. can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce

1 twig of rosemary, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp. chopped oregano

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Cook the pasta as the instructions direct. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat with onion and pepper until they begin to moisten, about 3 to 4 minutes. Lower heat slightly and add garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Cook for 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and bay leaf and cook about 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Easy Gourmet Dinner

286 calories per serving. Recipe serves 2.

8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup wild rice or brown rice

2 cups broccoli

1 garlic clove

salt & pepper as needed

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. cumin

Preheat oven to 425. Season chicken with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and cumin on both sides and toss in the oven for 15 minutes. Cook rice as directed. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook broccoli for 2 minutes. Drain the water and place broccoli in casserole dish, grate garlic on top and mix slightly with your fingers. Place in oven until the chicken is cooked. Bon appetit!

Dinner by the Sea

About 261 calories per serving. Recipe serves 2.

8 oz. Ahi tuna steaks

2 cups green beans (fresh)

1 potato, chopped

1 tsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 twig of rosemary, chopped

2 tsp. thyme

1/8 cup milk

salt & pepper as needed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub tuna steaks with oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Place on baking sheet and cook for 8 minutes for medium cooked tuna. Boil salted water and place chopped potato in until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add butter and milk to potatoes and mash thoroughly. Place green beans in 2 inches of water and steam until done. Season as necessary with salt and pepper, just don’t overdo it.

Fish is an excellent source of protein, and it takes no time at all to cook!

These three recipes will have you well on your way to a healthy eating lifestyle. Dinner can be quick (relatively), easy (definitely), and without a doubt healthy! With a bit of creativity, you can turn these 3 easy dinner ideas into an entire week of quick healthy dinners.

Just remember, fresh ingredients are the way to go because you control the salt and you can make sure only healthy fats that burn fat make their way onto your plate. Take help when you need it from the grocery story, but be honest about when you actually need it. Making an easy dinner at home will become easier the longer you do it. Make your life simpler by planning ahead so you always have what you need in the kitchen.

A few dinner ideas plus an exercise regimen you can follow and you’re on your way to a longer and leaner body. Make sure you’re getting the most out of your meals by reading our Fat Burning Furnace review.

“I need expensive fat loss and muscle building supplements now that I’m exercising regularly!”

People believe there is a shortcut or a faster path to burning fat or building muscle especially when they have incoporated some exercise into their daily lives. Congrats, you’re active again but the second part of the equation needs to change as well-> Diet.

By now you’re probably thinking I regularly eaves-drop on conversations (see Want to Lose Weight and Build Muscle? Don’t Use Supplements!) but I can’t help but think that more people are falling head over heels for the glossy ad prints in today’s popular magazines.

For your newly active lifestyle, skip the supplements and focus on tasty and healthy food. A protein powder or fat burner pill will never taste as good as a meal that includes the following items:

Vegetables and fruit, grain products, and milk and alternatives provide carbohydrates or the fuel that your muscles require. Milk and meat (and suitable alternatives such as Soy and Tofu) provide the high quality protein that is needed to build and repair muscles.

Foods from all four food groups provide vitamins and minerals which help turn food into energy your body can use, build strong bones and muscles, and fight off nasty infections. If you are very active you may need to eat more servings from each of the food groups to satisfy your energy requirements. I suggest you see a Registered Dietitian for additional food servings or special nutrient needs.

In the end, products like stimulants, muscle building or weight loss supplements are not needed to get the most out of your activity or to gain muscle or lose weight. Regular exercise combined with healthy foods will help you achieve and maintain the body you want!

For more information regarding supplements check out Vince DelMonte’s Your Six Pack Quest. The program comes with more bonuses than I can count (see full review), including ten- 84 day meal plans that accommodate for any body type, and entire chapter discussing supplements and their use.