Menu

Monday – Rosemary Garlic Chicken, Quinoa, Green Beans, and Sweet Potato Rounds

Tuesday -Quick Salmon with Citrus Chili Glaze, Asparagus, and Side Salad

Wednesday – Black Bean Burgers on Whole Wheat Buns; Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Apple Slices

Thursday – Asian Chicken Soup

Despite what the pictures suggest, these meals are fast, easy, healthy, and delicious! Aside from baking the sweet potatoes on Monday morning while I got the kids ready for school, I did not do much pre-prep – these recipes are so easy, you won’t have to either!    Try them, your family will love them!

Recipe

Rosemary Garlic Chicken and Brown Rice, Green Beans and Sweet Potato Rounds

Serves 2 adults and 2 kids plus 3 lunches

Rating: 9

Ingredients

1 sweet potato

canola oil spray

1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 t rosemary

1 C quinoa

3/4 t salt, divided

3 C frozen or fresh green beans

2 t butter or margarine

Instructions

Make Ahead:

Preheat oven to 375

1. Wash sweet potatoes, poke potato skin with a fork to make a few holes, and bake for 45 minutes. Store in refrigerator until ready for use.

Dinner Prep

Pre-heat oven to 375

1. Wash and cut chicken and put in lightly sprayed roasting pan.

2. Spread minced garlic over all of the chicken and sprinkle rosemary over a 1/3 of the chicken.

3. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

4. Make quinoa according to package directions.  It should be ready as the chicken is coming out.

5. Cook green beans in the microwave, or on the stove top.  Portion on plates.

6. Cut sweet potato into rounds (leave skin on).  Warm and portion on plates.

7. When Chicken is ready (clear juices when cut, and meat springs back to the touch), portion on plate with quinoa.

8. Serve and smile knowing Thursday’s meal and several lunches are in the bag!

Pre-Prep Opportunities

1. Bake sweet potatoes and/or chicken a day ahead – when you have time.  Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Recipe

Salmon with Citrus Chili Glaze, Asparagus, and Side Salad

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids

Rating: 9.5

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus, washed, and hard stem broken off

1/2 C rice wine

1/4 C rice wine vinegar

2 stalks  lemon grass, outer layers removed

3 T chopped onion

1 T minced garlic

juice and zest of 1 orange and 1 lime

1/4 C sweet chili sauce

4 quarter-size slices fresh ginger

4  5 oz. pieces Pacific salmon

1 t thyme

Instructions

1. Boil water in deep pot. Hopefully the same pot and water can be used to steam the fish.

2. Blanche asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove asparagus from water and cool with cold water and ice. Set aside.

3. Re-use boiled water for fish.  Bring water to a boil again.  This should not take long.

4. Meanwhile, boil rice wine and rice wine vinegar until reduced by half.

5. Mince t T lemon grass, cut the rest into 3 in. strips.

6. Add minced lemon grass to rice wine mixture, reduce heat to medium and then add onion, garlic, juices and zest. Cook 3 minutes. Add chili sauce and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.

7. As sauce cooks, prepare the side salad and portion on each plate.

8. While the sauce is still cooking, put lemon grass stalks and ginger in the steamer which should be boiling now.

9. Place fish on lemon grass/ginger and sprinkle thyme on top. Cook, covered, until just opaque in center, 8 minutes.

10. Spoon some sauce in the bottom of your serving bowls. Place salmon on top and finish with a generous drizzle of sauce.

Pre-Prep Opportunities

1. Blanche asparagus up to a day ahead.  Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Make chili sauce up to a day ahead. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Recipe

Black Bean Burgers on Whole Wheat Buns, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Apple Slices

Source: Principalchef.com

Serves 2 adults and 2 kids plus ~3 lunches

Rating: 9

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes

1 T butter

2 Apples

1-2 carrots

1 15 oz. can black beans

1/4 t chili powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 t cumin

1/2 C whole wheat flour

3 green onions finely chopped or 1/4 C chopped onion

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

1 C salsa

1 C bread crumbs or gluten-free equivalent

Pinch Salt

Instructions

1.  Pull remaining cooked sweet potatoes out of the refrigerator and peel skin off while they are still cold. Set sweet potato “meat” aside.

2.  Slice and steam carrots until soft.

3. Combine carrots and black beans and mash with potato masher.

4. Add remaining ingredients (except sweet potato, butter, or apple these make up your side dishes).  If you need to thicken up the patty mixture, add more bread crumbs; If it’s too thick, add more salsa.

5. Shape into patties. (depending on how big you make them you can get 6-8 patties,  I got 8.)

6. Cook on a lightly sprayed griddle on medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side or until a little crisp on the outside. You can cook on the grill but you may want to do on an iron skillet or another grill friendly surface just to make sure they stay in one piece.

7. While the patties are cooking, warm the sweet potatoes with 2 t butter or margarine and a pinch of salt. Portion across plates.

8. Slice an apple and divide among plates.

9. Put on a bun (or 1/2 of a bun or even a 1/4 of a bun), add your favorite condiments, and you are living the vegetarian dream.

Pre-Prep Opportunities

1. Make the sweet potatoes ahead of time. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Make the bean mixture ahead of time and form into patties.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Recipe

Asian Chicken Soup

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids

Rating: 9.5

Ingredients

3/4 C white or brown rice, cooked

6 C Chicken Stock

1 minced onion

2 carrots chopped

1/2 C chopped celery

1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded

1/4 C Braggs Liquid Amino Acids

2 slices of ginger, about the diameter of a nickel

one half lime, juiced

one half lime, cut into 4 pieces, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make rice up to a day ahead and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Try to use brown rice if making ahead as it has more nutrients than white rice.

2. Put chicken stock in a soup pot.

3. Add remaining ingredients except for limes reserved for garnish.

4. Bring to a boil and serve!

Pre-Prep Opportunities

1. Make rice up to a day ahead and store in refrigerator.

2. Make entire recipe ahead of time and store in refrigerator.  Let the flavors marinate!

3. Hopefully the chicken was cooked earlier in the week so all you had to do was shred it. Otherwise cook the chicken ahead of time and store in refrigerator.

Shopping List

Entrees

2.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1.25 lbs. Salmon

Vegetables

3 sweet potatoes

1 bunch asparagus

4 garlic cloves

1 onion minced

2 stalks lemon grass

1″ piece fresh ginger

3 green onions, chopped (or 1/4 C chopped onion)

4 carrots, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 C chopped celery (optional, only if you already have it left over from something else)

Fruit

1 orange

2 limes

1-2 Apples

Dry Goods

canola oil spray

salt, pepper

2 t rosemary

1 C quinoa

3/4 C brown rice or white rice

1/2 C rice wine

1/4 C rice wine vinegar

1/4 C sweet chili sauce

1 t thyme

1 T sesame seeds

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/4 t chili powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 t cumin

1 15-oz Can Black Beans, Drained

1 Cup Salsa (Thicker is Better)

1 Cup Bread Crumbs

6 C Chicken Stock

1/4 C Braggs Liquid Amino Acids

Dairy

3 T butter

Frozen

10 oz. pkg green beans