ThePrep: Gut-Healthy Dinners in Three Steps or Less

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Cooking is one of my favorite activities to wind down, but it can easily turn out to be quite the opposite—especially if I haven't planned ahead. That's where weekly meal planning comes in handy. Making a plan ahead of time helps make it easy to eat healthy during the busy week, which, in turn, helps me feel my best. But I don't just stop there—I'm always looking for ways to make the job easier, and this week's quick dinners are just the thing. They are made in three steps or less to keep the prep as easy as possible. Plus, they focus on fiber-rich ingredients to help support gut health.

Your Meal Plan

Many people relate the term "gut health" to digestive issues, but it's much more than that. In addition to aiding your digestion, your gut supports your immune system and even impacts your brain and mood. When looking for foods to support gut health, I rely on fermented foods, like Greek yogurt and pickled veggies, and fiber-rich foods, such as whole grains, veggies and fruits. Fiber is one of the most important nutrients for your gut. It not only helps to keep your digestive system regular, but it's also the fuel (known as prebiotics) that feeds the good bacteria in your gut to help them flourish.

Thursday's Creamy Mushroom, Chicken & Asparagus Bake is a delicious gut-healthy winner. This recipe features prebiotic-rich foods like asparagus, mushrooms, brown rice and onion. The asparagus and onion, in particular, contain fructans, a type of fiber that breaks down more slowly in your gut, helping you feel more satisfied. Using cooked chicken (I'll be picking up a rotisserie chicken to use in this recipe) and microwaveable brown rice makes prep easier, so that this dinner can be on the table in 35 minutes or less.

Sunday: Spicy Chicken and Snow Pea Skillet with whole-wheat baguette slices
Monday: Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
Tuesday: Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach over brown rice
Wednesday: ​​Garlic-Anchovy Pasta with Broccolini
Thursday: Creamy Mushroom, Chicken & Asparagus Bake
Friday: Seared Scallops with White Bean Ragu & Charred Lemon

Get the shopping list here.

Something Sweet

These Vegan Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites combine some of my favorite foods ever—banana, peanut butter and chocolate. This trio of ingredients makes for the most delicious sweet treat. Plus, I love how easy this recipe is. The hardest part about it is waiting for the tasty bites to freeze fully before digging in!

Get the Recipe: Vegan Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites

What's Inspiring Me This Week

If there is one thing we love to do at EatingWell, it's cook. This is why we're excited to announce our new EatingWell Cookware line! Appropriate for any-level home cook, these products help save time in the kitchen and make healthy cooking more enjoyable. Once you buy and try this brand-new kitchenware, you will be looking forward to making even more meals at home.

The collection will also appear on HSN on March 27 between 5-6pm EST with a live demo you won't want to miss!

Find Out More: EatingWell Just Launched a New Cookware Collection—with 3 Gorgeous Colors for Spring

I wish you all a great week, and if you have any questions or requests for future newsletters, please let me know by emailing ThePrep@eatingwell.com! Don't forget to add a recipe review if you try one.