7 EASIEST RECIPES FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T COOK

The only thing in your kitchen drawers is a stack of Chinese take-out menus, and you haven’t carried a packed lunch since grade school. You seriously need to start cooking. It’s the easiest way to eat healthier and get in shape. In fact, whatever they are cooking, people who cook regularly consume fewer calories per meal than those who eat out, according toresearch from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Plus, unlike your other get-fit efforts, cooking will actually save you money. Here are eight easy, tasty, healthy recipes—courtesy of top chefs,nutritionists, doctors, and trainers—to help get you started.

1. Greek-Style Yogurt Chicken

Ingredients

2 bone-in chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup yogurt
¼ onion, chopped
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 drizzle olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Chop the onion and herbs, and combine in a large mixing bowl with the chicken. Add yogurt, salt and pepper, and mix all of the ingredients together. Put the chicken on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF to 165ºF. Let sit for 5 minutes, then cut and serve. Makes 2 servings.

2. Baked Apple Parfait

Ingredients

8 baked apples
1½ cups plain, 2% Greek yogurt
1/3 cup protein powder
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons stevia

Directions

Cut each baked apple half into 4 even strips. Place the yogurt in a small bowl along with the protein powder, stevia, and water. Stir well and serve. Makes 8 parfaits.

3. Three Bean Summer Salad

Ingredients

48 ounces mixed beans (red, black, and pinto)
1 ear roasted corn kernels
2 steamed carrots, chopped
2 steamed parsnips, chopped
2 roasted poblano peppers, finely diced
1 sweet onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 sweet pepper, diced
1 medium to large garden fresh tomato, chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Directions

Combine all ingredients and serve. Makes 12-16 servings.

4. Two Ingredient Pancakes

Ingredients

1 large ripe banana
2 organic cage-free eggs
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Heat a bit of butter or coconut oil on a griddle or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Once warm, pour batter like you would for normal pancakes, flipping halfway when slightly browned, approximately 4 minutes on each side. Makes about 8 medium pancakes

5. Spicy Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

1 package glass noodles
1 pound shrimp (16-20 per pound)
2 limes
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
2 sprigs mint
8 leaves Bibb lettuce
3 ounces sesame vinaigrette
24 leaves Thai basil
1 cup pickled carrots
1 pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Toss shrimp with salt, lime zest and juice, Sriracha, and mint. Bake until just done and still juicy, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain shrimp and slice thin. Break up glass noodles while still in package, and then cook them in boiling, salted water about four minutes or until done. Rinse with cold water and toss with a small amount of vegetable oil. Then, toss noodles and shrimp in sesame vinaigrette and arrange on lettuce leaves with pickled carrots. Sprinkle with fresh chopped Thai basil. Makes 8 lettuce wraps.

optional:

Serve with tamarind dressing (recipe below)

¼ cup tamarind concentrate
¼ cup garlic, minced
6 tablespoons fresno chiles, seeded and minced
½ cup sugar
½ cup fish sauce
½ cup lime juice

Mix ingredients together until sugar is dissolved

6. Mixed Berry-Veggie Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup frozen blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kale, and spinach (brands like Rader Farms sell frozen mixes of them)
1 cup water or coconut water
1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and serve. Makes 1 smoothie

7. Frozen Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients

12 eggs (6 whole, 6 egg whites)
¼ cup skim milk
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
¾ pound turkey sausage
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
10 whole-wheat tortillas

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and milk. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, peppers, and onions until the sausage is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Turn the heat down to medium and add the eggs. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until cooked, continually scraping the eggs from the edge to the center of the pan.

Sprinkle the cheese on top and let set for 20 to 30 seconds while the cheese melts. Spoon some of the sausage and egg filling into tortillas. Wrap up each tortilla burrito-style. Place each burrito seam side down and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Wrap each burrito in plastic wrap and then either wrap in foil or place in a plastic freezer bag. When ready to eat, remove wrap and place in the microwave for 90 seconds. Makes 10 burritos.