Nourishing Your Body and Bank Account: Recipes for Busy Healthcare Professionals
/As healthcare professionals, you know that staying healthy is more than just the occasional workout or salad—it’s about consistent habits that lead to long-term well-being. The same is true for managing your finances. Whether investing for retirement or planning your meals for the week, both areas require thoughtful strategies that can compound into significant benefits and savings over time.
Just like a balanced diet, a well-rounded financial plan helps you build resilience and stability. Think of budgeting as meal planning: you wouldn’t eat junk food every day and expect to feel great and wouldn’t spend impulsively without considering how it affects your financial future. Both require discipline and foresight.
In both finances and health, consistency is key. Saving a portion of your income each month may seem small at first, but over time, those savings can grow through compound interest. Similarly, making healthier food choices daily—like adding more vegetables or reducing processed foods— can compound into a healthier you. The smarter choices you make today, the more you set yourself up for success tomorrow.
I’m excited to have partnered with Bre Bock on this blog post. She has provided 10 simple suggestions on how to easily add additional nutritional value to recipes you may already be making for you and your family.
She is a Registered Dietitian and owner of Revived Nutrition Counseling. Her focuses are gut health, heart health, and general health management for her clients. She is also an HAES aligned dietitian and approaches sessions with her clients within an intuitive eating framework.
If you have been thinking about meeting with a Registered Dietitian feel free to schedule a meeting with her or follow her on Instagram @revivednutritionrd.
Let me know what your favorite recipe tip is, I know I plan on trying all of them.
1. Cowboy Caviar
A nutritional vegetarian powerhouse with legumes, bell peppers, cilantro, canned corn, and red onion - add a few seasonings like cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, and lime juice for a very quick, and inexpensive meal.
I like to pair mine with a whole grain tortilla chip for some crunch and usually will serve with diced avocado, and a side of fresh fruit.
2. Mac & Cheese 3 Ways
What kid (us big kids too) doesn't love cheesy mac? This easy staple can be improved upon with several quick and easy add-ons.
-Tuna & peas (canned tuna in water and frozen peas work great here!) I usually steam the peas separately. You can also boil them with the noodles to save time. Stir in the tuna after the mac is made.
-Add in a steamable bag of broccoli or California blend.
-Switch it up with a box of white cheddar mac and add in pre-shelled frozen edamame. You can throw the edamame in about halfway through boiling the noodles as they only need about 4 min to cook from frozen. Edamame is a great way to amp up your fiber and protein intake!
3. Red Beans & Rice
This is a meal that makes great leftovers and there is always plenty to share! This is my own version below.
Directions
1. Start by steaming brown rice on stove top or rice cooker according to directions on packaging.
2. In a large skillet, start by heating oil over medium heat.
3. Add in onion and cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook for another 1 minute.
4. Add in bell peppers and saute until peppers start to soften.
5. Add in the kidney beans and stir together, cook for about 5 minutes.
5. add in the seasonings (chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin) and mix to incorporate.
6. Add in the brown rice once cooked and stir in the salsa and lime juice.
7. Turn off the heat and mix in the cheese.
8. Serve with diced avocado and/or sour cream if desired.
Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
1 can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup jarred salsa
1 cup cheddar or monterey jack cheese
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 avocado, diced
4. Salmon Patties with Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Rice
This is a great option if you're short on time and are willing to use your microwave. You can use a frozen steam bag of cauliflower rice which cooks in about 4.5 minutes. You can also cook a sweet potato/regular potato (or multiple) in the microwave in a bowl for about 8 minutes with a few inches of water, just pierce the potato with a fork a few times. The salmon patties go in the skillet cooking for about 10-12 minutes while the potato and cauliflower cook in the microwave - so you've got the whole meal done in about 15 minutes.
If you want to make your salmon patties from scratch vs picking up frozen ones, that does take a bit longer, but if you're OK with using a frozen option (the ones from Aldi (Fremont Wild Caught Salmon Burgers) are $1.32 a patty - which feels pretty reasonable to me).
5. Protein Pancakes
The Kodiak pancake mix is a great choice as it's whole grain (high fiber) and high protein. You can increase the protein count by adding an egg and/or swapping milk for water. I like to add in a little cinnamon and applesauce to increase the nutrient factor. Adding in blueberries or peaches are also favorites, for a fruity pancake. Serve with turkey or chicken breakfast sausage.
6. Egg Bites with Veggies
This is an easy recipe to bulk prep. It also allows you to make several varieties at a time. The basics are 6 eggs, a little black pepper, and 3/4 cup of cottage cheese - put it in a blender and blend until smooth.
To boost nutrient value, add whatever vegetables (spinach, peppers, onion, mushroom, etc) you'd like. Saute the veggies and add a little on the bottom of 12 muffin cups, pour your egg evenly over the cups. Finish by adding a little more of the veggies on top. Feel free to sprinkle with a little cheese as well! Bake for 18-22 minutes.
7. One-Pan Zucchini Skillet
This is an oldie but a goodie (a childhood favorite!) Very easy and quick! :)
Directions
1. Place avocado oil in a skillet and heat over medium.
2. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add ground turkey.
4. Add steak seasoning and cook meat until brown.
4. Drain any excess fat if needed.
5. Add zucchini and cook until softened.
6. Mix in cheese and serve with whole grain bread or over brown rice/quinoa (bonus points if you’ve cooked extra rice or quinoa from another meal!)
Ingredients
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 lb ground turkey
1 Tbsp Steak Seasoning (low sodium steak seasoning)
1 large zucchini, sliced into 1" pieces
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
8. Warm Salad Kits
This next one may sound weird, but hear me out! Take a salad kit, perhaps a Thai or Asian-inspired option, saute with a little olive oil, and add some diced chicken breast/ground turkey/or shrimp. You can use the salad dressing as a sauce. Consider adding extras like cashews, slivered almonds, or canned (in their own juice) mandarin oranges. Serve it over a carb like brown rice, quinoa, or a brown rice noodle.
9. Sausage and Veggie One-Pan Meal
This is a great way to clean out your fridge, no one likes to waste money throwing produce away! Whatever leftover vegetables you may have lurking around (onion, sweet potato, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, carrots), toss with 1-2 Tbsp avocado oil. Slice and add a package of chicken sausage (I love the apple chicken sausage from Aldi or Costco).
Roast at 400 for 20-30 minutes depending on what vegetables you end up using - you'll need more time for things like carrots/potatoes and less time for things like onions, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli.
10. Marinara Chicken Bake
Take a few fresh chicken breasts and spread some marinara or pesto sauce over top, add a slice of mozzarella cheese and sliced tomato on top, and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Broil for 2 minutes so the cheese is nice and bubbly/golden. If you’re short on time, serve with a steamable bag of green beans/red potatoes (Birds Eye has a good option).
Fiduciary Financial Advisors, LLC is a registered investment adviser and does not give legal or tax advice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any securities. The information contained herein has been obtained from a third-party source which is believed to be reliable but is subject to correction for error. Investments involve risk and are not guaranteed. Past performance is not a guarantee or representation of future results.