Easy, Healthy Foods and Meals that You Don't Have to Cook

Are you tried of cooking? Do you want a quick yet healthy meal? Maybe you need a break from planning hot meals and instead would like something tasty that doesn't require cooking and waiting. There are quick and easy meals you can put together that don't require standing over a hot stove. Does using the microwave count as cooking? Well, if it does, there is very little of that involved. In this article, if the microwave is used, it is used only for warming, not cooking.

Salads are on obvious choice that you don't have to cook, but there are other alternatives such as healthy tortilla wraps, sandwiches, cottage cheese dishes, and cereals.

Experiment with what you can put in a tortilla. I use flour or wheat tortillas and fill them with different things for quick, tasty meals that don't require cooking, while also offering health benefits. Here are a few ideas:

Sandwich Wrap: Use a few pieces of thin sliced deli ham, turkey, roast beef, or other meat, along with cheese of your choice. Place slices of meat and cheese on tortilla. At this point, stick in microwave for about 25 seconds to warm, or plan on eating cold. Add your favorite mustard, which has low or no calories, plus your choice of tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and/or alfalfa sprouts. These are delicious. My recent one (see photo) included corned beef, pepper jack cheese, Bavarian hot sweet mustard, sliced avocados, and alfalfa sprouts. Yummy! Be creative in coming up with your own combinations.

Mexican Wrap: Warm refried beans (I often use low-fat) in tortillas in microwave for about 25 seconds. Add grated cheddar or other cheese. Choose other fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, and jalapenos. Add in red or green salsa and sour cream, or serve on the side.

Black Bean Wrap: A few days ago, I put canned black beans in a wrap, along with grated cheddar cheese,chopped cilantro, alfalfa sprouts, and tomatoes, topped with green salsa and light sour cream. You could also add an avocado to this one. I did warm the beans and tortilla a few seconds in the microwave. To make the beans more healthful, you could also rinse them first to cut down on sodium. You could also opt for corn tortillas rather than flour.

Be creative in coming up with your own tortilla wrap combinations. These make for a very tasty and potentially healthy meal.

Make a delicious healthy sandwich that requires no cooking and is very satisfying. Start with a 100% whole wheat bread. (Check out the ingredients on the package, as wording can be misleading.) Here are some possible choices with which to build your sandwich:

• deli turkey, chicken, roast beef
• canned tuna (in water, not oil)
• mustard or balsamic vinegar or light Italian dressing, instead of fattening mayonnaise
• lettuce or alfalfa sprouts (I love these little airy spouts!)
• sliced tomatoes
• thinly sliced cucumbers

Another option for a healthy sandwich is one that involves peanut butter. On wheat bread, spread peanut butter. Add sliced bananas or apples for a different kind of sandwich.

Pita pockets can also be filled with the same choices you use for sandwiches and wraps. A pita stuffed with tuna, tomatoes, and lettuce or alfalfa spouts is healthy and tasty. You could also choose deli meat and cheese, or try the Mexican theme as in the wraps above.

Cereal can be an easy and healthy meal. I often like to mix a couple different kinds of cereals for variety. I enjoy adding blueberries, which are rich in antioxidants, strawberries or bananas, or often a combination. I generally have on hand a high fiber cereal that I may mix with a less healthy cereal, along with my choice of fruit. This is a great meal for breakfast or lunch.

The picture shows a vanilla almond cereal mixed with a high fiber bran cereal. I added fresh strawberries and blueberries, along with a few dark chocolate flavored roasted almonds. After I added skim milk, I had a great low-fat breakfast, full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and protein.

Cottage cheese can be mixed with many different foods, including healthy fruits and vegetables. Fruits should preferably be fresh, but they can also include canned fruit. Try peaches, pineapples, pears, mandarin oranges, strawberries, and melons. Branch out to try other fruits. There are also many non-fruity mixtures that you can mix with cottage cheese. My favorite is fresh tomatoes, but think outside the box. I love green olives in mine, too!

Enjoy these ideas for quick and healthy meals. Perhaps you have your own ideas and recipes. If so, please share in the comment section.