The holidays are a time to gather with family and friends.  Parties, cocktails, impromptu dinners are loads of fun, but you often end up making poor food choices or eating too much. Why not invite the party to your house where you can be festive and eat healthfully?

Just this week my friend Yael and I were making dinner plans.  Little did she know I had been out to eat Saturday and Sunday and really wanted a home cooked meal rather than a restaurant entree.  So, I invited her over to my house and put together a quick, nutritious dinner, a warm chicken and bean salad with lemon and balsamic dressing and a cheese and fruit plate with whole grain bread.  The food was yummy and we chatted for hours at my kitchen table undisturbed by restaurant waitstaff.

The beans and chicken breast are lean sources of protein, not to mention beans are an excellent source of fiber, complex carbohydrates, and folic acid.  The spinach, onions, and tomatoes provide great flavor in addition to vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Plus it was super easy.  It only took 10 minutes to prepare and then we chatted while it baked for 30 minutes.  You can’t go wrong with a dinner like this!