Most Americans aren’t gourmet cooks.  That’s right, they live full lives.  Between work and school and other activities they’re lucky if they have time to stop at a fast food joint much less prepare quality meals at home.  Often it’s not a matter of cooking itself, but rather of coming up with dinner ideas for quick, healthy, inexpensive meals for the whole family.  People who have trouble with this, however, must not be paying much attention.  Because between cooking shows, the Internet, and a wide variety of easy prepare wholesome foods at grocery stores, it’s not hard to come up with a seven day menu that satisfies everyone at the table.  Here are a few good ideas for delicious meals the whole family can enjoy.

Corn dogs are an all American tradition, usually served at state fairs and by street vendors.  While not a healthy food, it is a tasty one that is easy to prepare.  Make a batter with some flour, corn meal, salt, sugar and baking powder mixed with milk, dip the hot dogs and then deep fry them until the batter is golden brown.  If you want the feel of the fair, insert a popsicle stick.

In colonial times, dinner was an afternoon meal, followed by a later light meal called supper. As time went by this changed based on social class and schedule. Physical laborers needed an afternoon dinner to keep up their strength throughout the grueling day. As times change and we move away from regular meals at home, dinner has become the anchor that keeps families together and signals the end of the out of the home portion of the day and the beginning of at home leisure time.  But supper and dinner have become intertwined, often interchanged in meaning this big meal.  That doesn’t mean the meal has to be large, especially for people watching their waist lines.  Go the traditional supper route with a light soup or roast chicken salad.

Crock pots were made for busy schedules.  Add the ingredients, set it on low in the morning, so by dinner time the food is ready to eat.  Great food is possible in a crock pot, the entire meal too.  Add some meat and some potatoes cut into quarters for a terrific pot roast.  Serve it with a fresh baked loaf of bread picked up on the way home from the local supermarket.  Or, skip the bread to avoid the extra calories.

The possibilities are endless with simple but delicious meals like veal cutlets, pork chops, even steaks on the grill.  For more dinner ideas, Google the term.  There are tons on line.

Good nutrition is vital to a strong and healthy mind and body. It’s true what they say - you are what you eat.

This statement points out very effectively that if you feed your body with low nutritional and sugary garbage, your body has nothing to work with and you’ll end up eventually feeling like garbage.

On the other hand, if you nourish your body with food that is packed with nutrients such as vitamins, fiber, healthy fats, whole grains and omega-3’s, you’ll notice a huge difference in how you look and feel…especially if you make this type of food a dietary habit.

Right now we’re at a crossroad - we know we should be eating better, but there are so many restaurants available offering “bad” food and it’s making the obesity rate skyrocket. Even restaurants that offer fish platters and other health-conscious meals end up not so well because of the amount of calories you ingest between the bread, large portions and dessert.

You have two options:

1. Stay away from fast rood restaurants - and when you eat out at restaurants, be strict about what you eat. Stay away from the bread and don’t finish everything on your plate…bring the rest home for a meal you can eat the next day.

2. Make a meal at home yourself using ingredients you buy at the grocery store, not frozen entrees.

The focus of this article is on number two because by making your own meal, you can control exactly what goes into it. The end result is a meal that you know is nutritious and NOT packed with health-deteriorating ingredients.

Here’s an example of the perfect meal you can make at home. It has everything you need for better health.

What you’ll need is:

1 9-10 ounce bag of baby spinach 1 can of wild Alaskan pink salmon 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil 1-2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar 1/2-3/4 cup of brown rice

Here’s a breakdown of each food’s health benefits:

Spinach - this green leaf is packed with phytonutrients, vitamins and fiber - and it’s low in calories.

Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon - yes, canned! It tastes better than you think. The reason this is recommended is because the food is a powerhouse of good fats, protein and omega-3’s and is low in calories and carbohydrates. The salmon you would normally buy is potentially high in mercury, which is bad. This Wild Alaskan form is free of mercury…and it’s inexpensive.

In case you’re wondering, Omega-3’s are vital for healthy weight loss, brain health and a healthy cardiovascular system.

Olive Oil - full of good fat which your body does need. When you buy olive oil, make sure it’s 100% authentic. Some brands are now mixing olive oil with refined oils…the end result is olive oil, but not really.

Balsamic Vinegar - vinegar reportedly controls your blood sugar level when eating which is important for overall health. Furthermore, it gives the meal more taste.

Brown Rice - whole grains are full of vitamins and fiber. Check out Uncle Ben’s instant brown rice…it’s pretty good and quick to make.

Making the meal is easy. You simply lay the spinach out on a platter- you can more or less use however much you want- and drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the spinach.

Let this sit for 10 minutes or so- this gives the spinach a chance to soak up the oil and vinegar. While this is sitting, cook the brown rice and open up the can of salmon.

When ready, simply spread the salmon over the spinach and put the brown rice either on the side or in a separate bowl.

And now the best part of all - ENJOY!

This meal will take you 15 minutes max to make and each bite will nourish your body from the inside out. And once you get used to eating healthy, you’ll find yourself experimenting with all types of different meals.

This article shared with you one example of a perfect meal, but there are many many more!