Help Me Add Easy To Fix Foods To My Healthy Menu

I'm always looking for the simple list of foods that I can go to, to create a truly healthy, delicious, nutritious meal for my family. There are some foods that I've found are always safe. But I'm still looking for more delicious foods to add to the list. So often, I get started on a plan, and then I run across some food that is not in my grocery store, or doesn't taste good. I just want a simple simple menu, with real food that I'm familiar with. This has to be possible?

So far, this is what I always have on my menu. If you're a nutrition expert and you can add to my menu with easy to fix ideas, extremely basic, let me know!

VEGGIES

I have to eat veggies that my kids like, as well as myself. Maybe you can afford to buy special foods and veggies for your plate, but we sit down together and eat the same food, period. So this is what works for my family:

• Spinach salad- I buy my chopped spinach and add to it freshly chopped tomato, onion, and green, red or yellow pepper.  2 tablespoons of yogurt based ranch dressing.
• Tomatoes: Sometimes I just cut up a tomatoes and serve them as the side.
• Green Beans

PROTEINS

• Grilled chicken- I fix this in my nuwave oven, and it takes about 20 minutes to have a delicious grilled piece off chicken.
• Grilled Salmon- I'm sure you can fix any kind of fish you want, but Salmon is my favorite. I take 2 tablespoons of melted butter, garlic powder and pepper on the top and grill in my Nuwave oven for about 25 minutes.
• Shrimp- Easy to fix, just rinse under cold water, and serve on a bed of spinach, or a combination of quinoa, spinach and a variety of healthy freshly chopped veggies.
• Pork Chop- Grilled in my Nuwave oven. Another easy to fix dish that takes about 20 minutes. Seasoned with just salt and pepper.

GRAINS

• Quinoa - I just fixed this for the first time earlier this week. It takes about the same time it takes to fix brown rice, and tastes much the same, except it it better for you. Just boil water and quinoa for about 20 minutes. A delicious healthy alternative to bread, or white rice.
• Brown Rice - I know keeping portions under control is key with rices, but definitely use brown rice rather that white.

BREAKFASTS AND SNACKS

Breakfast is going to be rushed for me. I resort to:

Healthy Shakes - My favorite- Quest Chocolate and Peanut Butter protein shake. I mix it with Plain Almond Milk, and sometimes add a banana. I make these up before I leave for work, and my son Tanner has one every morning. I sometimes mix in spinach. You can't taste it, and with my Ninja drink mixer, it chops the spinach so fine you can't tell it's been added.

Healthy Protein Bars - For my small meals throughout the day, I always grab my bars. Fiber one bars, or sometimes generic Great Value bars. Kindle bars give me the crunchy nuts, along with a sweet fruite, and salty chocolate combo that takes time to eat, and satisfies all my cravings.

Almonds- I can grab a bag of almonds and take them anywhere.

Bananas, Apples, Raisins, Grapes- Adding fruit is scary, because of sugar, but I think adding in real fruit with real sugar, has to be better than my bad girl list.

MY KILLERS:

• Hot Tamales
• Pop Tarts
• Morning Fu-Fu Coffee
• Pizza

If someone can tell me how to stop putting these in my face, I would appreciate it.

IMPROVEMENTS

This is the things I've stopped doing to make sure I'm successful in my weightloss journey. No more:

• Baking!- I love to bake cookies, muffins, pancakes....but stopping the baking has helped in saying no to these items over the weekend.
• Cookies- I end up looking at the labels and can't bring myself to buy them.
• Muffins- This is truly my favorite thing in the world, but I rarely eat muffins anymore. However,
• Pop- Okay...I've taken this down from drinking a can or two of pop every day, to just enjoying it every now and then, and if I drink a pop, I follow it with a glass of water. I've recently been introduced to Zevia zero calorie soda. Very tasty. I think this might do the trick.