5 Fast and Easy Meals for the Girl that Doesn't Cook

Cooking at home and eating healthy often go hand in hand. But if you're not a kitchen-savvy gal, the best nutrition experts and bloggers have come to the rescue. We gathered their favorite quick and easy recipes for healthy meals that require as few ingredients as possible.

1. Holy deliciousness hummus: Even food bloggers need an occasional break from the kitchen. Caitlin of Healthy Tipping Point falls back on her creamy homemade hummus recipe when she wants a delicious, healthy snack. "Make a big batch ahead of time and eat it all week long," she says. "It tastes great on toast, bagels, or crackers; stuffed in celery; scooped on carrots; or even as a pasta sauce alternative."
Ingredients:
1 c. white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. goat cheese
1 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter)
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic (or 1/4 tbsp. minced garlic)
Two heavy pinches salt
One heavy pinch pepper

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Serve.
Makes 1.5 cups.

Recipe provided by Healthy Tipping Point

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2. Lime Mahi Mahi: Even the most novice chef will find this lime-infused fish simple to prepare. All you have to do is season a pair of mahi mahi fillets with a low-calorie marinade and toss them on a skillet. The process takes 20 minutes, but the result tastes like it must have required hours of prep work.

Ingredients:
2 6-8 oz. mahi mahi fillets
Sea salt and pepper to taste 2 limes, juiced 3 tbsp. tamari
soy sauce
2 in. fresh ginger root, grated
1 tbsp. olive oil
Lemon, cut into 4 slices

Directions: Rinse fish, season with sea salt and pepper, and place in a shallow baking dish. Combine the lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, and olive oil in a small bowl and pour over fish. Turn over the mahi mahi in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Preheat skillet on medium-high heat. Cook fish with marinade for 6-7 minutes per side or until fish is firm and opaque. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Makes 2 servings.

Recipe provided by Institute for Integrative Nutrition

3. Balsamic tuna salad: Whip up this tuna recipe in seconds for a nutritious meal or side dish. By replacing the fatty mayonnaise in traditional tuna spreads with balsamic dressing (or oil and vinegar), you cut about 100 calories.
Ingredients: 1 can tuna (or premade grilled chicken for non-fish eaters)
1 stick celery
Balsamic vinaigrette (Tip: Use Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers Balsamic Breeze Vinaigrette Dressing, which is 1 calorie per spray)

Directions: Remove the tuna from its can, put it on a dish, and moisten it with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Dice the stick of celery into small bits and distribute throughout the balsamic-glazed tuna fish to create an instant, healthy meal in less than 5 minutes.

Recipe provided by Jeff Halevy, behavioral health and fitness expert and CEO of Halevy Life in New York

4. Amazingly addictive artichoke squares: Keep a stock of eggs in your fridge at all times. They're the perfect go-to ingredient for nutritious meals. EA Stewart's scrumptious squares also make use of the often overlooked artichoke, which is rich in fiber, iron, and calcium. "These squares are loaded with protein and calcium, plus provide fiber and phytonutrients from the artichoke hearts," Stewart says. "You can make a batch or two ahead of time and freeze them for later. Serve a couple with a salad and fresh fruit and you have the perfect simple and healthy meal."
Ingredients:
2 jars artichoke hearts marinated in oil (or water)
2 tbsp. olive oil (optional if not using hearts marinated in oil)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 eggs
1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp. each black pepper and dried oregano
1/8tsp. hot red pepper sauce, if desired 8 oz. (or 2 c.) cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Drain artichoke hearts and chop fine. If using hearts marinated in oil, reserve 2 tbsp. of the oil. Heat 2 tbsp. of the reserved oil or 2 tbsp. olive oil, in a small skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the chopped artichoke hearts and saute with onion and garlic for an additional minute. Remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Stir in the breadcrumbs, seasonings, cheese, and artichoke mixture. Pour into greased 9 x 9 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut in to 1 in. or 3 in. squares. Will keep, tightly covered and refrigerated, for 2 days. They can be wrapped in heavy-duty foil and frozen for up to one month.

Recipe provided by EA Stewart, MBA, RD

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5. H-O-T Hot Boneless Wings with BBQ Popchips: Crispy hot wings get wholesome with a crust made of bran cereal and all-natural popped chips. Even if you're not a pro in the kitchen, you'll find this no-fuss dish a cinch to make.
Ingredients: 8 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into 10 nugget-shaped pieces 1/4 c. Fiber One bran cereal (original), ground to a breadcrumb-like consistency in a blender or food processor
1 oz. (about 14 crisps) Popchips in Barbecue
3 tbsp. Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Dash onion powder
Dash garlic powder Dash cayenne pepper
Dash black pepper
Dash salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Crush Popchips completely and, in a small dish, mix with cereal crumbs. Add a dash of each of the seasonings and mix well. Place chicken pieces in a separate dish, and cover and toss with RedHot cayenne pepper. Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray. Give each chicken piece a shake (so it's not dripping with RedHot), and then coat it evenly with the crumb mixture. Lay the battered nuggets on the baking pan. Place in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Then flip the wings over, and return them to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until outsides are crispy and chicken is cooked throughout.

Makes 2 servings.

Recipe provided by Hungry Girl

For more easy and healthy recipes for the girl who doesn't cook, click here!

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