If You Have Just One Of These 7 Ingredients, You Can Make A Quick, Healthy Dinner

Keeping a few cans of canned salmon (ideally, wild-caught) in your pantry is a budget-friendly and convenient way to make a meal in less than 15 minutes. It’s a great source of protein and contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids that help with maintaining both skin and brain health. Use it to make salmon burgers, taco or sandwich fillings, or stir into soups for quick meals.

Frozen vegetables can be stored up to 10 months in the freezer, so if you keep some stocked, you’ll always have a vegetable base ready to heat and eat. A 1-cup serving contains almost 100 percent of your daily vitamin C requirements, which helps keep your immunity strong and makes your skin glow. Craving a cauliflower pizza crust for dinner or a veggie-dense smoothie for breakfast? The cauliflower rice can be used for both!

Eggs are a relatively affordable and quality protein that contain vitamins D and B12, necessary for energy production. There are a few handfuls of egg options available at the grocery stores, so it can be confusing to choose which one is best, but here’s a great blog post that breaks down egg labeling and how it indicates the quality.

Plain yogurt is like the blank canvas of snacks—dress it up sweet or savory to suit your craving! The combination of healthy fats and proteins will keep you satisfied, making it a great snack option to always keep around.

Not only are avocados highly versatile and nutrient-dense (they have a higher potassium level than bananas!), but they’re also very portable and snack-friendly. It’s a great option in terms of a low-sugar fruit that helps with maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

By having either frozen greens or some pre-roasted vegetables around, you’ll always have a base or side dish for any meal. Even if you’re not typically a meal prepper, having one item, like roasted butternut squash, can help you assemble quick meals throughout the week. Frozen greens and vegetables have the same amount of nutrients as fresh, but you won’t risk not getting to them on time before they go to waste.

Things like tahini, pesto, mustard, and salsa are your BFFs for turning simple staples into extraordinary meals. Tahini and pesto add nourishing healthy fats while mustards and salsas increase the flavors naturally with spices. Turmeric is a common ingredient in mustards and has anti-inflammatory properties and helps with immunity. You can use them to make homemade dressings, sauces, marinades, and spreads. Tip: Look for condiments that are made mostly from real, whole foods, with no added ingredients that you can’t pronounce.

Perfect for: When you have limited groceries and need to whip up something amazing on the fly—get creative with healthy sauces and condiments! A spoonful of tahini can be added plain to roasted vegetables (as a side dish paired with your favorite protein of choice) as a quick meal, or as an ingredient for a dip paired with raw veggies or crackers. Try blending ½ cup tahini with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ cup chopped cilantro, ½ cup chopped parsley, and ½ teaspoon of cumin for a healthy dip.