Dinner Ideas for Late Night Workers

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Working through the night or getting home from work late at night can wear on you and cut in on your time and energy to prepare healthy meals. Getting the proper nutrients in your system is essential to reduce stress and provide you with the energy necessary to carry out a full night’s work. These meal ideas offer a quick and fulfilling remedy for your dinner dilemma.

Pita Sandwich

Combine lettuce or fresh spinach leaves, sliced tomatoes, chopped onion, and your choice of chicken, shrimp, or other meats and vegetables, inside a pita for a well-rounded dinner. You can use light Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese to add extra flavor. Choose whole-wheat pita pockets for an even healthier dinner.

Club Salad

Start with a decent portion of romaine lettuce. Top it with cooked turkey bacon, hard-boiled egg chunks, slices of plum tomatoes, cuts of red onion, avocado slices, and an optional meat such as turkey or chicken breast. Seal your salad in a plastic container in the refrigerator before you go to work so that it will be fresh and ready for you when you get home. Use pepper and a light salad dressing of your choice to season your salad.

Loaded Baked Potato

Most medium-sized potatoes can cook in your microwave in about three minutes. Simply wash the potato, use a fork to poke holes in it, and then microwave it until it cuts open easily. Add toppings like chili, broccoli, bacon bits, ground turkey, chicken, low-fat cheese, or salsa. You can use sweet potatoes, instead of gold, russet, or white potatoes, to benefit from the beta-carotene they contain.

Omelets

An omelet is a quick dinner solution that can be high in protein and rich in vegetable nutrients. Beat two eggs, your desired amount of pepper, and a quarter cup of skim milk together and pour them into a skillet (with two tablespoons of olive oil) on medium heat. Let the eggs set for a few minutes. When the top of the omelet is set but still a bit moist, spoon your desired filling--spinach, mushroom, tomatoes, cheese, onion, cilantro, green onion, diced ham or sliced bell peppers--on one half of the omelet. Use a spatula to fold the other half of the omelet over the filling. Place it onto your plate and enjoy.

Tacos

Combine chicken strips, lean ground beef, tilapia, salmon, or ground turkey with ingredients such as diced tomatoes, onion, lettuce, purple cabbage, corn, salsa or low-fat cheese in a whole-wheat tortilla for a quick and filling meal. This can be eaten with sides such as brown rice and black beans. If you prepare the meats and vegetables ahead of time, you will only have to assemble the ingredients once you get home.

Shortcuts

If you prepare meals in bulk and freeze them at home ahead of time, they will only require reheating. You will be able to eat better and faster when you get home. Keep sliced fruits and vegetables on hand in your refrigerator so that you can snack on them or use them in soups, pastas and omelets.