Deciding what to eat for dinner is one of those onerous tasks that never seems to end. After a long day on the job site, the last thing you want to do is stare into the fridge and wrack your brains for a ​​delicious, nutritious, and won’t take hours to make. To break you out of your dinnertime rut and keep you fuelled for your demanding job, UTHH has put together a tasty, seven-day meal plan filled with delicious dinners like instant pot honey garlic chicken and great side dishes like skillet-roasted corn and grilled Caesar salad. We’ve also thrown in a few quick, healthy recipes for snacks and grab-and-go breakfasts, too.    

UTHH’s 7 days of healthy dinners

Monday

Main dish: Instant pot honey garlic chicken

Instant pots are real lifesavers for weeknight cooking. They make healthy meals in a fraction of the time as conventional ovens. To make this honey garlic chicken, put chicken breasts into an Instant Pot and coat them with a tangy, sweet, spicy sauce made from honey, soy sauce, and garlic. In just 20 minutes, you have deliciously juicy, protein-packed chicken ready to eat.

Side dish: Buttery seasoned rice

Rice is a solid, simple side dish, but this recipe for buttery seasoned rice adds a little extra flavor. Cook long-grain white rice in chicken broth with a handful of fragrant spices before tossing it with butter. While wild rice is more nutritionally dense, it takes a long time to cook. Long-grain white rice is a quick alternative that can be a great source of folate, potassium, and magnesium.

Side dish: Sweet and spicy green beans

Take green beans from dull to delicious with this sweet and spicy green beans recipe. Steaming green beans keeps them fresh and crisp, while the garlic, chili sauce, soy sauce, and honey make a side dish that complements the honey garlic chicken. If you like spice, sprinkle the beans with a few crushed red pepper flakes.

Tuesday

Main dish: Asada mushroom tacos with lime-smashed avocado

Taco Tuesday is always a good idea, and this recipe for asada mushroom tacos with lime-smashed avocado adds a plant-based twist to the standard ground beef tacos. To make these tacos, marinate halved portobello mushrooms in a citrus chipotle lime sauce before pan-searing them and topping them with homemade pineapple jalapeno salsa. These tacos are low-calorie (312 calories per serving) and rich in omega-3s, potassium, and B2. 

Side dish: Best ever guacamole

Chips and guac are one of the best sides to accompany tasty tacos, and this recipe for the best-ever guacamole brings restaurant-quality guacamole to your kitchen. With creamy avocados, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime, this guacamole has it all—plus a spicy kick courtesy of jalapeno peppers. Avocados contain plenty of good fats and fiber, and their fat content can help raise good cholesterol levels, so don’t feel guilty for indulging in this delicious dish.  

Side dish: Easy skillet-roasted corn

This easy skillet-roasted corn recipe is so good you’d never know it started with that bag of frozen corn you forgot about in the back of your freezer. The corn is caramelized with butter, olive oil, and onions to create a deceptively simple side dish.  

Wednesday

Main dish: One-pot garlic parmesan pasta

By the time Wednesday rolls around, cooking is often the last thing you feel like doing. This one-pot garlic parmesan pasta isn’t necessarily the healthiest dish in the world, but it is the perfect recipe to reignite your enthusiasm for home-cooked meals. Fettucini noodles are cooked in a savory mixture of chicken broth and milk before being garnished with parmesan and parsley for a can’t-miss meal the whole family will love. (You can always substitute whole-wheat or chickpea pasta to increase the nutritional content of this dish.)

Side dish: Caesar salad with Greek yogurt dressing

A Caesar salad is a fitting side dish with good creamy pasta, but combining two dishes with rich sauces sometimes feels too heavy. Tossing fresh romaine lettuce with this healthy Greek yogurt Caesar dressing instead hits the spot while offering a lighter, more protein-dense dressing. To make it, whisk Greek yogurt with garlic, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and fresh parmesan.

Side dish: Juicy grilled chicken breasts

These juicy grilled chicken breasts can be added to the pasta or the salad, providing a lean protein source for this meal. Chicken breasts are marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, and spices before being grilled, making an irresistibly zesty dish.

Thursday

Main dish: Creamy coconut chickpea curry

Creamy coconut chickpea curry is a vegan, gluten-free meal made in one pot with minimal mess. Chickpeas provide fiber and protein, and the sauce is equal parts creamy, savory, and perfectly spiced. Each serving has just 225 calories and is incredibly filling, too. It also makes for great leftovers for the next days’ lunch! 

Side dish: Asian coconut rice

Chickpea curry tastes extra yummy when served over this Asian coconut rice. Combining chickpeas with rice creates a complete protein, adding iron and 7 grams of protein per serving. 

Side dish: 2-ingredient dough naan bread

Naan is a staple in Indian cuisine, but this recipe for homemade naan bread uses just two ingredients and packs a protein punch, thanks to Greek yogurt. To make it, create a dough from Greek yogurt with self-rising flour and fry it for a few minutes until cooked through. Finish by brushing with some butter and garlic powder, if desired.

Friday

Main dish: Grilled salmon

This mouthwatering grilled salmon recipe involves seasoning fresh salmon fillets and marinating them in a sweet, citrusy blend of soy sauce and lemon before grilling them to perfection. Grilling is a great Friday night option, with minimal cleanup and the added bonus of cooking in the great outdoors. Salmon is a great lean protein, filled with nourishing omega-3 fatty acids. 

Side dish: Easy grilled vegetables 

While you’ve got the grill hot and ready, you may as well grill some vegetables to accompany your salmon. Mushrooms, zucchini, onions, squash, and tomatoes get seared to perfection on the grill before being drizzled with a tasty homemade balsamic dressing. 

Side dish: Grilled Caesar salad

If you’ve never had a grilled Caesar, you’re in for a treat. Grilling halved heads of romaine adds an unexpected roasted crispiness to the lettuce, which nicely contrasts with its fresh crunch. For a high-protein, low-fat option, use the conventional Caesar dressing as written or substitute the Greek yogurt Caesar dressing from Wednesday’s meal plan.

Saturday

Main dish: Spicy garlicky sesame tofu

In under 30 minutes, you can make this unbelievably flavorful, spicy garlicky sesame tofu. Tofu is an excellent source of plant-based protein, but this recipe willalso please the meat-eaters in your life. Tear tofu into bite-sized pieces before tossing them in sesame seeds, maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Baking the seasoned tofu makes this dish crispy, sticky, and golden brown.

Side dish: Cauliflower rice

Rice would be a natural side dish to accompany the spicy tofu, but making cauliflower rice instead reduces the carb count of this meal and adds a rich source of vitamin C, K, and folate—all in just 10 minutes!

Side dish: Korean-style broccoli salad

This spicy, sweet Korean-style broccoli salad perfectly complements the spicy tofu and cauliflower rice. Boiling broccoli makes it perfectly tender, and tossing it in olive oil, red pepper flakes, and apple cider vinegar makes a great, simple side dish. 

Sunday

Main dish: Healthy air-fryer turkey meatballs with zoodles

Turkey meatballs and zucchini noodles are a healthier version of spaghetti and meatballs. Mix ground turkey, ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and oregano to make tender and delicious meatballs. Toss them in the air fryer until golden brown, add them to zucchini noodles, and top with tomato sauce for a meal full of lean protein and nutrient-dense veggies. 

Side dish: Ultimate garden salad recipe 

This recipe combines superfoods like mixed greens, avocado, cucumbers, tomatoes, and dill for the ultimate garden salad. It is dressed with a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing to make the perfect side dish. This fresh, healthy salad will fill you with micronutrients and help you prepare your body for the week ahead.

 Side dish: Soft, whole-wheat dinner rolls

Sunday is one of the few days of the week you might have time to make homemade bread, and this recipe for soft, whole-wheat dinner rolls adds a healthier spin on the standard white rolls. This recipe takes 3 hours, including rise time, to start in the late afternoon so the rolls are ready and warm for dinner.

Breakfast and snack ideas to keep you fueled

• Healthy egg muffin cups: These healthy egg muffin cups are one of the easiest grab-and-go breakfast recipes. They combine the superfood power of eggs with the convenience of a fast-food meal—without the cost, added calories, or drive-thru. 
• Morning glory muffins: Many muffins have so much sugar that they’re more like cupcakes, minus the icing. These morning glory muffins are an excellent healthy alternative, with the bonus of natural sweeteners, nutritious veggies, and superfood ingredients,
• Roasted chickpeas: If you like the crisp crunch of potato chips, roasted chickpeas provide lots of fiber and protein and satisfy your chip cravings without the greasy hands and added calories. 
• Cosmic brownie protein bites: Made with a handful of natural ingredients plus your favorite chocolate protein powder, these cosmic brownie protein bites satisfy your sweet tooth while helping you meet your protein goals.
• Breakfast coffee smoothie: This creamy coffee smoothie recipe combines your morning coffee and breakfast. Blend cold-brew coffee, milk, oats, bananas, and vanilla protein powder to create this easy breakfast that tastes good and will keep you energized until your lunch break. 

Hungry for more healthy meal plans? Follow us on Instagram or sign up for our weekly newsletter!