Last week, I had a night where I got home later than usual. I make dinner for my husband, Jason, and I almost every night. I wanted to get something tasty and balanced on the table for us. Now, the goal each time I sit down to eat is to have protein, fat and fiber on my plate. Research shows that eating protein and fiber together helps to stabilize blood sugar levels (the base of metabolic efficiency). It can also be very efficient in weight loss strategies. In fact, when I’ve taught weight management classes in the past, I always taught my students to sit down to lean protein, healthy fat and fiber (in the form of fruits and veggies). Basically, it’s a good strategy for ALL of us – athletes, non-athletes, diabetics, folks trying to lose weight, etc.
Jason loved this so much, he told me to share it. So, here’s a great quick and easy meal with protein, fat and fiber front and center. I hope you enjoy it, too.
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
olive oil
1 package of spinach and feta chicken sausage (or some other chicken sausage), casings removed, in bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 diced green bell pepper
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
14.5 ounce can garbanzo beans (or any other kind of beans – this is what I had in the pantry), drained
Chopped parsley
Crumbled feta cheese
Saute the fennel and onion in some olive oil. Cook over medium-low heat until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
Add the sausage and cook until no pink remains about 5 minutes.
Add the green bell pepper and the garlic. Saute for 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant (don’t let it burn!).
Add the tomatoes and beans. Cover and cook until warmed through.
Remove from heat. Stir in parsley, feta cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Ways to make this meal different:
You can even add more veggies to this dish by adding kale early in the cooking process with the fennel and onion.
You could add spinach at the end of the cooking process with the parsley, feta, salt and pepper.