Fast & Healthy Grilled Chicken Dinner Recipe

This fast grilled chicken recipe can be made on the grill, in a skillet or with an indoor grill pan. It is a fast meal that that includes 2 super foods: sweet potatoes & yogurt!

4 Step Chicken Recipe = A Meal In 17 Minutes Or Less!

If you want to make this recipe even quicker than 17 minutes you could do step one the day before. As written, the recipe will serve 4-6 depending on how many chicken breasts you use. Feel free to use more or less of each ingredient as it does not have to be made exactly.

Keeping with the Meals In 17 Minutes Or Less theme, this recipe is definitely fast and the healthy message is:

1. Your dinner plate is an artist’s palette. Paint a picture on your plate using color and you will be eating healthy.
2. Include super foods in every meal.

#1 Make The Healthy Sauce

In bowl combine 1-1/2 cup yogurt, 1 bunch scallions sliced end-to-end, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and divide in 2 with 1 cup and 1/2 cup quantities.

In the 1 cup yogurt mixture add 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard, then divide in half. When you are done with the sauce you should have three 1/2 cup bowls of yogurt sauce. The one without mustard will be used for the vegetable marinade. The two with the mustard in them: 1/2 cup will be for the chicken and the other will be set aside and served on your finished dish as a cold sauce.

#2 Toss The Chicken

Sprinkle (3-4 oz.) chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Toss in the 1/2 cup yogurt sauce that includes the mustard.

#3 Balanced Dinner Includes Sweet Potatoes and Zucchini

A balanced dinner includes color, so cut one large sweet potato and one large zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with other 1/2 cup yogurt mixture (without mustard).

#4 Grilled Chicken Meal In 17 Minutes

Heat the grill (or grill pan) and arrange your chicken on the grid. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side or until well-marked then turn and add sweet potatoes. When chicken and sweet potatoes are almost done (about 8-10 minutes total), add the zucchini. If cooking indoors and pan space is limited use another pan for the zucchini or remove the cooked sweet potatoes and chicken when done and then cook the zucchini. Zucchini will cook in less than 2 minutes on each side.

Serve with the reserved cold yogurt sauce as a condiment. YUM!

Healthy Eating College Lifestyle

I presented a class to high school students the other day that was designed to teach how to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle while at college. The event was sponsored by the public library with the many sessions chosen to prepare students for college life next year.

It turned out to be one of my more interesting classes as a violent thunderstorm and power failure turned a routine hands-on class into a notable event.

Healthy Eating IS Possible

Healthy eating in college is possible. It is a skill that students need to learn – a choice that each student has to make. Anything you can do to prepare your college-bound student for the challenges of eating healthy will improve her or his education. What good is a college education if you do not have your health?

Due to the power outage, some of the other presenters could not finish their class for a variety of reasons, including no windows and thus no light in their rooms. I decided to move forward with my program, so moved to a public section of the library near a large bank of windows and we began.

Starting with my class of fifteen, plus all the  “extra” students that hadn’t intended to attend, my class swelled to 45 students gathered around – quite a crowd.

Choose Fiber For Your Health

While all the students did not get to actually cut or cook, they all DID learn that the easiest way to ensure that they are eating to maintain health is to choose high-fiber foods. We discussed convenient food choices and how most lack fiber.

• Fiber keeps your cholesterol lower
• Fiber fills you up so you don’t overeat
• Fiber sustains you longer so you don’t overeat
• Fiber keeps your blood sugar in line
• Fiber helps you poop right

We made two high-fiber real food vegetarian stir-fries and had some fun, then of course ate our creation.

College Food Choices

The huge crowd enjoyed the food and had fun learning how they can easily cook some quick meals that are both affordable and healthy. College food choices do not have to take away from health.

Fast Healthy Meals In 17 Minutes Or Less!

I have decided to make a new category of articles on the Wow site. Rachel Ray has the 30-minute meals and Pampered Chef boasts 29 minutes until dinner, so here at WOW! we will teach you how to get dinner on the table in 17  minutes or less!

Our Healthy Mission

The WOW! You Are Really Lucky… Mission Statement:

Our mission here at WOW has always been to teach fun, fast and healthy food choices so that families can spend more quality time at the dinner table eating good-for-you foods.

Keeping with the mission of Wow! You Are Really Lucky…. the Meals In 17 Minutes Or Less series will be fast, healthy and also fun to make! In addition each article with recipe will be fast to read and learn. They will be short and to the point posts with a healthy messge!

The First Healthy Meal In 17 Minutes Or Less!

This basil pasta pesto is yummy! Whole grain pasta is a healthy alternative to white spaghetti with store-bought sauce making this a fun, fast and healthy mealtime solution! Perfect for our mission!

17  Minute Basil Pesto Pasta Scampi

Healthy message = eat whole grain pasta

Serves 4

1 Tbs. olive oil
8-12 medium shrimp (or 2-3 per person)
¾ cup julienne sun dried tomatoes (dry packed)
3/4 cup pasta water
1/4 cup basil pesto prepared from grocery store in a jar (most jars are 4-5 oz, so 1 will do)
1/2 lb cooked whole grain capellini or spaghetti
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil water and cook your pasta according to package directions, then drain.
2. Heat oil in a skillet.
3. Add shrimp and sear about 1 minute, then tossing to sear again
4. Add sun dried tomatoes, water, cook briefly 1 minute.
5. Add pesto blend, salt and pepper, cook one minute.
6. Stir in pasta then stir continuously until evenly distributed.

YUM!! Fun, fast and healthy and on the table in 17 minutes or less!