High in protein, anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants, an excellent source of vitamin A, and more.

One of the easier things to make is a simple, no hassle protein like chicken breast, a piece of steak, or fish… but what you serve with it is what makes all the difference.

My osteopath , Marlina Mansour, mentioned that she loves eating fish, but she is never quite as satisfied as when she eats meat. This got me thinking about side dishes. A good side dish can complete a meal, and to avoid adding unnecessary calories, it needs to be healthy!

After a long day, I came home with only 20 minutes to have dinner ready, and I mean ready to eat in 20 minutes! I immediately threw some chicken into the oven with olive oil and spices, I knew I couldn’t just serve a piece of chicken on a dish, so directed my focus to my side dishes.

1. Quinoa Salad

Prep 10 minutes  Cook 15 minutes  Serves 8

Ingredients

• Cooked Quinoa
• 1/2 cup of diced carrots
• 1/2 cup of diced onions
• 1/2 cup of diced red peppers
• 1/2 cup of chopped parsely
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Directions:

Quinoa cooks just like rice, 1 1/2 cups of water for every cup of Quinoa, and it is that it cooks in 15 minutes, and let stand for 5 minutes.

You can add anything to Quinoa such as; kale, tomatoes, celery, chickpeas etc. Create your own version with all the things you love. Quinoa tastes like nothing really, so feel free to add spices, and garlic as well.

While your protein is in the oven, and your quinoa is cooking, combine carrots, onions, peppers and parsely. Once the quinoa is cooked, toss it in with the rest and add olive oil and vinegar. Done!

While the Quinoa is cooking, I had  time to peel and cut 2 sweet potatoes into fries.

2. Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Prep 5 minutes  Cook 15 minutes  Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.

Peel and slice potatoes, put them in a ziplock bag and combine all the ingredients. Toss well, until all the pieces are covered. Line an oven tray with parchment paper and place the potatoes without layering them.

*Note turmeric stains finger nails and especially nail polish. My advise is, use gloves.

In the oven, put it on the top rack, above the protein you are cooking if you must. Cook for 15 minutes or until desired crispness. Keep in mind that sweet potatoes are soft when cooked, they will never not be as crispy as white or red potatoes. This being said, when they are raw, you need a good , sharp knife to cut through them.