Running short on time? Running short on money? Running short on energy? I get it! Here are 3 recipes with ingredients you likely have on-hand that are both healthy and satisfying.

Sauteed/Steamed Broccoli

2 heads of broccoli

Olive Oil

Salt & pepper

Chops the broccoli into bits the size you prefer. Oil a sauté pan with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Sautee the broccoli over medium heat in the pan by letting the broccoli sit until it is browned on the leaves. Continue stirring and browning the broccoli until the stems can be pierced with a fork with some pressure (visually the stems will have darkened from the bright green color), about 15mins.

The process can be sped up by steaming the broccoli after you have browned the pieces for about 5 minutes. Place a splash of water in the sauté pan and cover, letting the pan fill with steam. Allow the broccoli to steam about 2 minutes before turning off the heat, then let the broccoli sit in the steam about 3 more minutes.

Garbanzo Bean Marinade

1-16 oz can of garbanzo beans

½ to ¼ red onion

Red Wine Vinegar ~ ½ cup

Extra Virgin Olive Oil ~ ¾ cup

Salt & Pepper

*optional* Red Pepper Flakes

Slice & dice the onion into small cubes and place in a glass container. Drain the garbanzo beans and rinse & place into the container. Cover the beans and onion with red wine vinegar up to cover about half of the mixture (about ½ – ¾ cup) and cover the rest of the mixture with EVOO. Season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes of a little heat. The vinegar pickles the onion, so it is best to wait about 20 minutes to start eating.

Faux Greek Chopped Salad (My favorite – and literally always in my fridge)

1 bunch of radishes

1 red bell pepper or yellow/orange bell pepper

1 container Cherry tomatoes

4 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber

½ red onion or 1 bunch of green onions

1-16 oz can garbanzo beans or 16 oz edamame

*optional* Avocado

Kalamata Olives

Feta Cheese

EVOO

Salt & Pepper

Chop all the veggies and place in a mixing bowl – dice the radishes, red bell pepper, and onion into small pieces, half the cherry tomatoes, slice the cucumber into quarters lengthwise and chop widthwise. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and add to the mixing bowl. Mix everything together.

It is best to add the rest of the ingredients at the time you are eating, into the individual serving. This helps maintain the fresh texture of the salad!

Once you have added the mixture from the bowl to your individual portion, pour EVOO (~ 1 tbsp) onto the salad and season with salt and pepper. Crumble feta cheese over the mixture and sprinkle on the kalamata olives. Finally, if using avocado, slice into large cubes and add on top.

—

My life got to a point where I was completely out of energy. I had to cut as much from my schedule as possible to try to save my sanity. My boyfriend asked me why I spent so much time cooking and always had to make something new. How would this be sustainable for a family? Initially, I was irritated, explaining to him that HEALTHY FOOD takes TIME and EFFORT and he DOESN’T EVEN COOK, so he DOESN’T UNDERSTAND.

But I started to see the light. My meals were very complicated – every culinary event took hours. Making fancy meals for myself when I was single was not problem—the leftovers lasted at least half the week. But once I started making food for both of us, I had to change up my cooking routine since I found myself cooking nearly every day–it quickly became exhausting. So, I started planning meal rotations, meals with smaller ingredient lists, and meals with staples I already had in the house. I learned what leftovers I would likely have, and how to use them.

And now I can say, sigh, he was right. There is definitely a time and place to make fancier meals, and you definitely should! But food in our modern society has become a luxury, rather than the necessity for survival that it actually is. Not every meal has to be a chef’s kiss; sometimes a cottage cheese bowl with leftover veggies will suffice. I now make a fancy meal once or twice a month, but otherwise stick to the basics.

Keep it simple…silly!