Easy Healthy Home Cooked Meals to Try

With the holiday season upon us, most people are spending more time indoors and in the kitchen, a lifestyle that can be daunting, exciting, or both. Even if you don’t have much experience of cooking at home, take comfort in the fact that cooking at home is less of a chore and more of an act of self-care. It’s time to give pre-made foods a break.

Eating easy, healthy home cooked meals offers several benefits, with the most notable one being that it makes it easier to take control of your health. Cooking at home also doesn’t come with the need for services such as special refrigeration services or food grade stainless fabrication services. However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of ordering takeout or frozen meals when you think about getting off the couch to prepare a meal. With the right superfood supplier and recipes, you can enjoy making easy, healthy home cooked meals. Here are easy, healthy home cooked meals you should definitely try.

1. Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken and Green Beans Skillet

The lemon garlic butter chicken with green beans skillet is among the tasty and easy, healthy home cooked meals on our list. For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Six boneless, skinless chicken thighs
One pound green beans, trimmed
Three tablespoons of butter (divided or ghee for paleo diet)
One teaspoon of paprika
Quarter teaspoon salt
One teaspoon of onion powder
Fresh cracked black pepper
Four garlic cloves, minced
Juice squeezed from half a lemon
Lemon slices for garnish
125ml chicken stock
One tablespoon hot sauce
Half cup fresh chopped parsley
Quarter teaspoon of red chili pepper flakes, crushed (optional)

To prepare this delicious meal, start by combining your pepper, salt, paprika, and powder in a small bowl. Use the mixture to season your chicken thighs generously and set them aside as you prepare your green beans. Arrange your green beans in a microwavable dish with 125ml of hot water. Cook for 8-10 minutes in your microwave until they’re almost done.

Next, in a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Lay your seasoned chicken thighs in the skillet without layering them. Cook them for 5-6 minutes then flip them for another 5-6 minutes until thoroughly cooked and your cooking thermometer shows 165°F (75°C). Lower the heat if your chicken browns too quickly and adjust timing according to thickness. Finally, transfer your chicken to a plate. Set aside.

Using the same skillet, lower the heat to melt the remaining butter. Add your pre-cooked beans, crushed red chili pepper flakes, hot sauce, garlic, and chopped parsley, and cook for about five minutes. Stir regularly until cooked to your taste. Lower the heat and add your chicken stock and lemon juice for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Push your green beans to the side then add your cooked chicken thighs to the pan for reheating. Finally, adjust the seasoning with pepper and garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices to your liking.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind. Remove your chicken from the refrigerator 15 minutes before you start cooking. This will bring them closer to room temperature. Use skinless and boneless chicken thighs instead of bone-in because they cook faster and render less fat. They also absorb the spice mixture better. To avoid drying out the meat, season your chicken thigh a few minutes before cooking. If you prefer to let it sit for longer, don’t include salt in your spice mixture, and only add ten minutes prior to cooking.

For a nice and unique flavor, add crispy bacon to your green beans. You can also opt for chicken tenders rather than chicken thighs in your recipe. They cook faster, so you need to be careful not to overcook them as they’ll dry up.

2. Italian Pasta Sausage Soup

The Italian pasta sausage soup also makes it to the list of easy healthy home cooked meals. This meal is perfect for any weeknight and will make you think twice about going to that Italian restaurant around the corner. For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Two cups of pasta
One pound Italian sausage removed from casings, mild or spicy
Two cups of diced onion
One tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Two tablespoons of minced fresh garlic
Five fresh diced Roma tomatoes
Quarter cup tomato paste
A pinch of red pepper flakes
Two quarts low-sodium vegetable broth
Half teaspoon of freshly ground blackpepper
One teaspoon kosher salt
Two cups of chopped fresh kale
Two tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Half a cup of coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

To prepare this meal, use a large pot to brown your Italian sausage. Once browned, add the chopped onions, followed by the minced garlic, tomato paste, and pepper flakes, and stir. Cook until fragrant. Next, deglaze everything with fresh tomato and broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of your pot to get those tasty browned bits into your soup. Add your basil, and pasta and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Simmer until the pasta is cooked. Finally, stir the kale into your soup and let it wilt before serving.

3. Taco Chicken Tenders with Lemon Garlic Butter Zucchini Noodles

This taco chicken tenders recipe makes a great addition to our list of easy, healthy home cooked meals and will make you forget about your favorite taco restaurant. This meal is perfect for those busy weeknights. To pull it off, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Two pounds of chicken tenders
Five medium zucchini
Two tablespoons of Taco seasoning
Four tablespoons of butter, divided
Juice of half a lemon
60ml low-sodium chicken broth
One tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
One tablespoon of hot sauce of your choice (optional)
Red chili pepper flakes, crushed (optional)
Lemon slices for garnish

To prepare this meal, start by cutting your chicken tenders into strips and combining them with the Taco seasoning. Let them sit on the counter as you prepare the other ingredients. Wash and trim the ends of the zucchini, then use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles. Set aside.

Using a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Stir-fry your chicken tenders on all sides. Wait until golden brown before removing them from the skillet and setting them aside. To avoid crowding the pan, which will leave you with steamed, instead of browned chicken, work in batches.

Using the same skillet and medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of butter, chicken broth, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer for one minute while stirring regularly. Next, stir in your minced garlic and fresh parsley. Add your zucchini noodles and toss for about three minutes to make sure they’re well-cooked.

If they render too much water, let the cooking juices reduce for one minute. Put your Taco chicken bites back into the skillet and stir for an additional minute to reheat. Finally, garnish your delicious meal with lemon slices, crushed chili pepper, and more parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy your easy healthy home cooked meal.

4. Garlic Butter Steak Bites Served with Lemon Zucchini Noodles

This tasty meal can be ready in 30 minutes, making it a great addition to our list of easy healthy home cooked meals. For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

450g sirloin steak
Four medium spiralized zucchini
Two teaspoons minced garlic
Three tablespoons of unsalted butter, divided
One tablespoon olive oil
One teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
One tablespoon minced parsley
60ml vegetable or beef broth
Juice of one lemon
Fresh cracked black pepper
One tablespoon hot sauce
One tablespoon olive oil
Quarter cup low-sodium soy sauce

To prepare this meal, start by making the marinade. Whisk the lemon juice and soy sauce with the black pepper, hot sauce, and olive oil. Next, cut your steak into cubes. Combine the marinade and steak in a sealable bag and let it sit for 20 minutes as you prep the other ingredients. The meat will absorb a ton of flavor from this homemade steak marinade. To brown the steak evenly and prevent burning of the butter and garlic that will be added later, start cooking your steak in olive oil.

Using a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Take out your steak from the marinade and save the remaining marinade for later. Arrange your steak bites in a single layer in the skillet.

Depending on your skillet’s size, you may need to cook the meat in batches to avoid steaming it. Cook each batch of steak bites for about three to four minutes. Stir regularly until golden brown. Once the entire batch of steak bites is golden brown, add two tablespoons of garlic and butter to the skillet. Cook for one to two minutes, stirring often to ensure the meat is evenly coated by the sauce. Place the steak bites on a plate and set aside.

Using the same skillet, add butter, the remaining marinade, beef broth, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and let it reduce for two to three minutes while stirring regularly. To cook the spiralized zucchini noodles, add them and toss for about three minutes.

If the zucchini noodles produce too much water during cooking, stir in the fresh thyme and parsley and let the cooking juices reduce for one minute. Put the steak bites back in the pan and reheat for one more minute while pushing the zucchini noodles to the side. Serve your zucchini noodles and garlic butter steak bites right away and enjoy your meal.

The secret behind this recipe is to heat up your skillet so it’s really hot to make sure your steak bites get that nice golden crust. If the skillet is hot enough, your steak bites can be cooked in as little as 5 to 7 minutes. For the first one or two minutes, don’t stir the steak bites. Instead, let the skillet give them a nice sear. The finest pan for these steak bits is a cast-iron skillet as it can get really hot while evenly distributing the heat.

5. Pineapple Glazed BBQ Chicken Foil Packets

The pineapple BBQ chicken recipe is also among the best and easy healthy home cooked meals. You’ll need the following ingredients:

Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Two cups fresh pineapple chunks
Fresh cracked black pepper
Coarse salt
One dice of green bell pepper
One diced red bell pepper
Half a cup of prepared bbq sauce
One sliced jalapeño
Two tablespoons olive oil
Two teaspoons of smoked paprika
One teaspoon dried oregano
Two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
Chopped cilantro

To prepare your pineapple-baked chicken foil packets, start by preheating your oven up to 180°C (350°F). Lay about four 30×30 cm foil squares on the food preparation surface. Place your bell peppers and pineapple chunks in each foil square. Use pepper and salt to season, then generously add chicken breast and season.

Combine the barbecue sauce, paprika, olive oil, minced garlic, cilantro, oregano, lemon juice, and jalapeño in a bowl. Spread the sauce over each chicken pack equally, followed by more chopped cilantro. Fold your foil squares over the vegetables and chicken to close the pockets. Pinch the ends together to ensure they stay closed.

Place the chicken foil packs on a baking sheet and let them bake for about 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is well cooked and the vegetables are soft. Once the chicken is ready, open the foil pockets carefully, add extra sauce and broil for two minutes until crisp. Finally, garnish with more cilantro and serve immediately.

Contrary to popular belief, eating easy healthy home cooked meals doesn’t have to suck. You can actually recreate some of your favorite takeout cuisines at home. If you have the funds, consider visiting a countertop showroom to shop for a new countertop to make meal preps even more exciting.

Here’s a pro tip: If your home has hard water, have the local plumbers install a water softener. This will help you preserve the true flavor of ingredients and make your easy healthy home cooked meals tastier.