Quick, healthy dinners for busy weeknights

Summer is winding down. Kids are back to hitting the books and fall sports are in full action. This time of year, life gets quite exciting... and extremely busy! Trying to chase everyone down and accommodate multiple schedules, who has time for preparing healthy meals?

Some tips to make your week less hectic are, preparing all weekday meals on Sunday then refrigerating or freezing them until needed, making large quantities so you have leftovers for a quick reheat, cooking smaller and thinner sections (a whole chicken breast will take longer to cook than smaller pieces) and plugging in that slow cooker before heading out the door in the morning will mean the family can come home to a fully cooked dinner.

Hopefully these healthy, quick and easy recipes will lessen the chaos of your evenings while transitioning into this exhilarating time of year.

Honey Dijon Chicken & Veggies Foil Pack

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves minced garlic

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Chopped fresh parsley

Crushed chili pepper (optional)

4 sliced zucchinis

1 pound halved grape tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay four 12-inch-square aluminum foil pieces on flat surface. Begin by placing zucchini slices and tomatoes in the center of each piece. Season with salt and pepper and top each foil piece with chicken breast. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine olive oil minced garlic, mustard and honey in a small bowl, pour equal amounts over chicken and top with crushed chili and parsley. Fold foil over chicken and roll/pinch in ends of foil so contents stay inside the pack.

Place packs on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and veggies are tender. If chicken breasts are thick, cut into thinner fillets to decrease cook time.

One-Pan Pork

Chops & Quinoa

2 pork chops

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 sliced tomato

1 cup quinoa and 1 cup water

1 medium sized onion

Pork Marinade

1 crumbled bouillon cube

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 grated ginger portion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients in marinade in dish for 20-30 minutes while cooking quinoa in 1 cup of water, al dente style. Pan-sear drained (keep marinade) pork chops for 2-3 minutes each side in an oiled skillet. Remove goldened pork and set aside. In same skillet sear sliced onion and tomato for 3 minutes. Add quinoa and continue to sear 1 minute. If skillet is oven safe, mix in pork and remaining marinade to veggie mixture, bake at 420 degrees for 10-15 minutes, remove from oven and cover for 3 minutes. If skillet is not oven safe, use casserole dish.

Baked Garlic Chicken & Potatoes

6 to 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon cayenne chili powder

2 tablespoons chopped fresh scallion

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat roasting pan with non-stick oil/spray. In a large bowl, mix chicken thighs, potatoes, garlic and chili powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place chicken, potatoes and onion in a single layer on baking pan, drizzle with olive oil. Roast until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees (about 25-30 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken). Broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp. Remove from oven, cover for 5-10 minutes to let juiced settle. Garnish with scallions. Serve warm.

Fish Tacos

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 jalapeno pepper halved lengthwise

2 -1/2 cups shredded red cabbage

4 thinly sliced green onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into strips

8 (6 inch) flour tortillas

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Mix sour cream and lime juice in bowl, season with salt and pepper, set aside half of this mixture. Mix in half the jalapeno, cabbage and onion in sour cream mixture until well mixed.

Heat olive oil and remaining jalapeno in a large skillet over medium heat, coat skillet evenly with oil. Place salt and pepper seasoned tilapia in hot skillet, in 2 batches, until golden brown and flakey, 5-6 minutes. Discard jalapeno from skillet.

Warm tortillas in microwave or warm oven until pliable and soft. Place fish, cabbage slaw and reserved sour cream mixture in tortilla, top with fresh cilantro. Roll tortilla sides in to create a wrap roll, enjoy.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 (14.5) ounce cans chicken broth

1 (14.5) ounce can vegetable broth

1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast

2 cups egg noodles

1 cup sliced carrots

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt butter and saute onions, carrots and celery for 5 minutes, or until tender. Pour in chicken and vegetable broth, noodles and seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce heat immediately to simmer for 20 minutes. Serve. Serving suggestion: grilled cheese sandwiches dipped into soup is tasty.