by Pamela Kay

Created on: July 23, 2008

If you equate quick and easy healthy recipes with bland or boring foods, you're in for a pleasant surprise. No longer are your favorite foods considered unhealthy. Today, it's more about how you prepare the food. Here are five really quick and easy healthy recipes that take under an hour to prepare.

*Veggie Burgers in 15 Minutes*

1 small zucchini, grated
1 med. potato, peeled and grated

1 med. carrot, grated
1/4 cup onion, grated
3/4 cup egg substitute
2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce
6 whole-wheat buns

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Pour 1/2 cup of mix into a hot skillet coated with nonstick spray.
Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Place on whole-wheat buns with lettuce, onion and tomato slice.
Serve with Spicy Italian Fries (next recipe)

*Spicy Italian Fries*

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 medium red potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
In a bowl, combine first four ingredients.
Cut unpeeled potatoes into 1/4-inch sticks and toss with cheese mixture to coat well.
Spread coated potatoes on cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, turn potatoes and bake 15 minutes more.

*Herbed Citrus Pork Chops*

6 pork chops
2 tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. dried, crushed rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. cornstarch

Remove all fat from pork chops and brown on both sides in olive oil.
Sprinkle garlic salt, rosemary and basil on pork chops. Add orange juice.
Cover and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Remove to deep serving platter.
Combine water and cornstarch and add to liquid in pan, stirring constantly.
Cook until thickened. Pour over pork chops and serve with rice.

*Oven Fried Chicken*

6 chicken breast
3 1/2 cups Smart Start cereal
3 tbs. sesame seeds
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tbs. spicy mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Remove skin and any fat from the chicken and set aside.
Place cereal in processor and pulse until it becomes fine crumbs.
Combine crumbs, and next three ingredients in a shallow bowl.
In a separate bowl mix egg substitute, yogurt and mustard.
Dip each breast in the egg mixture, then the cereal mixture and place on baking sheet.
Spray the top of chicken with cooking spray and bake for 45 minutes.
Adjust baking time for size of breast. Juices should run clear when done.

*Zesty Grilled Kabobs and Chicken*

4 chicken breast, skinless
2 zucchini squash-each cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 yellow squash-each cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion-cut into eighths
1 red pepper-cut into eighths
1 green pepper-cut into eighths
8 cherry tomatoes
8 mushrooms
Low-fat zesty Italian dressing
8 skewers-soaked in water
4 slices Italian bread sliced 1-inch thick

Brush chicken with salad dressing and grill over hot coals until juice runs clear.
As chicken grills, load peppers, squashes, tomatoes, mushrooms and onion on skewers.
Brush with dressing and grill until tender crisp. Serve on bead of lettuce.
Brush Italian bread slices with dressing and grill until toasted on both sides.

As you can see from these recipes, eating healthy doesn't mean eating bland or tasteless meals. With a few herbs and some imagination, you can come up with lots of quick and easy healthy recipes that will incorporate your favorite foods.

Learn more about this author, Pamela Kay.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.