Easy Healthy Weeknight Recipes

[Lynnea]

Hello I was wondering if anyone had any favorite recipes that were healthy and easy to prepare during the week? Lately I feel like I'm rotating through the same things and I'd like to change it up. I enjoy having dinner planned for the week, so I can make my SO a nice meal when he gets home from school.
I would like to post one of my favorites for weeknight meals that is easy and can be used for leftovers the next day for lunch, etc.

Clean Eating Honey Mustard Chicken over a Green Salad!

Honey Mustard Chicken:
1 package chicken breast or tenderloins, cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 C Honey
1/3 C Yellow Mustard

Salad (can use any ingredients you like, but these are my personal favorites):
Salad greens
Cherry tomatoes
Cucumber
Avocado
Cheese (we like the baby bell individual rounds cut up)
Pecans
Hard boiled egg

Instructions:
To prepare the chicken, once cut up, heat up some coconut oil or olive oil in a large fry pan and brown chicken on both sides. While chicken is cooking, whisk together the honey and yellow mustard. Once chicken is browned, poor the mixture over the chicken and let it reduce down over medium heat until the sauce has thickened and has started to stick and brown over the chicken, stirring occasionally (usually takes 5-10minutes or so depending how hot your pan is).

Prepare the salad as you like, we usually make two, individual salads so we don't waste anything, and then use the leftover chicken to put on fresh salads the next day! Dress with your favorite dressing (although you don't need much because the honey mustard sauce on the chicken gives a great flavor!)

[alotofyarn]

I do pesto chicken sometimes - take a chicken breast, cover it with pesto, and either cook it in a pan on the stove or in the oven. I also like to add some mozzarella to the top at the end, and sometimes some tomatoes.

Chili, spaghetti, or burritos are staples - when I cook regularly, we usually have one of these each week, especially since I usually have a pound of ground beef in the freezer that I can quickly brown, and you can keep most of the remaining important ingredients in the pantry, just add cheese, sour cream (not the spaghetti) and a few items of produce if desired. For cornbread, I do 2 boxes of Jiffy with 1 can of creamed corn, and that makes about 12 muffins, so I can sometimes freeze half for the next time we do chili.

[Lynnea]

I do pesto chicken sometimes - take a chicken breast, cover it with pesto, and either cook it in a pan on the stove or in the oven. I also like to add some mozzarella to the top at the end, and sometimes some tomatoes.

Chili, spaghetti, or burritos are staples - when I cook regularly, we usually have one of these each week, especially since I usually have a pound of ground beef in the freezer that I can quickly brown, and you can keep most of the remaining important ingredients in the pantry, just add cheese, sour cream (not the spaghetti) and a few items of produce if desired. For cornbread, I do 2 boxes of Jiffy with 1 can of creamed corn, and that makes about 12 muffins, so I can sometimes freeze half for the next time we do chili.

That sounds great! Do you make your own pesto or buy one that's pre-made?

[alotofyarn]

That sounds great! Do you make your own pesto or buy one that's pre-made?

Usually I buy pre-made, but I have made it before. You can also freeze pesto, so I almost always have some of that around too.

Here's how I make the pesto, when I do have the basil and the time:

• 4 tbsp shredded parmesan
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2-2.5 cups (packed) basil
• 1/3 cup olive oil

1. Process parmesan and pine nuts, then set aside.
2. Process garlic and sea salt.
3. Add in basil and olive oil, then process.
4. Add back in parmesan and pine nuts, and process.

[rufflesanddots]

I use my crock pot at least once per week. This week I made beef chili that provided six dinners and probably could have been stretched to eight:

-2lbs cubed stew beef, browned
-1 medium onion, roughly chopped
-28oz can diced tomatoes (plain or pre-seasoned, whatever)
-(2) 14oz cans of beans (whichever you prefer)
-Seasonings to your taste: I salt and peppered the beef, then added approx 2T chili powder, 1T oregano, 1T minced garlic, and then a few teaspoons each of cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne.

Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, etc.

Put all of that in the crock pot and cook on low for 7ish hours. The first night we just had that and biscuits, but the second night we added rice. We'll finish it up tonight with more rice. If we'd added rice the first night, it would have definitely lasted four dinners (8 meals). If I remember correctly, the entire meal cost me about $13.00. Not bad for 8 servings of food.

[fluffhead]

We always have some steamed brown rice sitting in the fridge, and this week (through the suggestion of my 9 YO son), I've discovered that if you throw in some shredded mozzarella/cheddar mix, it's totally killer for the kids. They used to eat it with roasted sunflower seeds. I guess that was healthier
I also (about 1x/week) make scrambled eggs with tofu hot dogs cut up. I'm not much for gourmet cooking.

[rufflesanddots]

Brinner is a mainstay for us, too!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[Lynnea]

We always have steamed brown rice in the fridge too! Another super easy delicious and healthy weeknight staple in our house is Dijon Salmon.
It's very easy, get a piece of salmon, we usually do around 1lb for the two of us, brush with olive oil and your favorite spices, then brush with dijon mustard, enough to cover the top of the fish. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes. We usually eat this with the brown rice and veggies- mostly steamed or frozen chopped spinach or asparagus sautéed with olive oil and salt and pepper. Just thought I'd share
I currently don't have a crock pot, when I got divorced and moved out of my previous house I left it there (and I'm kicking myself in the butt because of it!) So as soon as I get another one, I'll have to try that chili and look at the crock pot recipe thread!!

[ides]

I do a lot of pasta with sautéed veggies, beans and sauce. Sauce can be marinara, pesto or garlic/oil/parm.

[rufflesanddots]

We just did brown rice, sauteed zucchini and squash, and fried eggs. Not exciting, but pretty healthy and easy.

[MAPPLEBUM]

When we're able we take Sunday afternoons to grill lots of chicken and vegetables then eat it throughout the week. We probably have red meat about once a month. I've been thinking about going pescatarian but it really doesn't make much difference since I'm not even sure I eat meat every day.

This is one of my absolute favorites right now. I've been really into broccoli. Have a great 'broccomoli' recipe and am planning to make broccoli tots this weekend.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/me...illed-50174615

[MAPPLEBUM]

We just did brown rice, sauteed zucchini and squash, and fried eggs. Not exciting, but pretty healthy and easy.

I loooove egg ontop of rice and veggies. I worked at a Vietnamese restaurant in high school, the first time I had that was when they served it to us after shifts. I've done it so many times since then.

[Lynnea]

I loooove egg ontop of rice and veggies. I worked at a Vietnamese restaurant in high school, the first time I had that was when they served it to us after shifts. I've done it so many times since then.

How do you prepare the veggies and the eggs? Fry the eggs? What type of veggies do you use (I like the squash idea too)? Do you use any sort of spices or oils?
I love the idea and how easy and light it sounds!

[MAPPLEBUM]

How do you prepare the veggies and the eggs? Fry the eggs? What type of veggies do you use (I like the squash idea too)? Do you use any sort of spices or oils?
I love the idea and how easy and light it sounds!

well the one awesome thing about this is you can really just throw it together. If I were to make it this week I'd use as many frozen veggies as I could (because I'm obsessed with frozen vegetables right now) -- broccoli, corn, peas -- and then fresh sugar snap peas and maybe a zucchini or pepper. Start with fresh garlic of course. Seasoning with soy sauce, garlic and onion powder, maybe sesame seeds, sriracha or plum sauce if I don't mind the calories and then whatever else seems good. Eggs over easy prepared in a different pan. Rice on bottom, then veggies, egg on top. Yum!

I made these yesterday. They're pretty good, not as healthy as I'd hoped with all the bread crumbs. Did use vegan cheese*

http://gimmedelicious.com/2015/05/17...broccoli-tots/

[Lynnea]

I wanted to include this recipe for fresh Spring Rolls, as this is a favorite of ours and so perfect for a warm summer day or when you do not feel like turning on the oven.
I've seen many different recipes, but basically you just fill rice paper with your favorite veggies and protein and then dip in your favorite sauce (thai, sweet and sour, peanut, etc.)
Here is one recipe I've used which is great, but again it is very versatile to your likes. My mom says shrimp is delicious in these rolls, however I'm allergic to shellfish so I have yet to try it! Avocado as one of the veggies is also amazing!
Spring Rolls three ways
1 handful of uncooked vermicelli rice noodles
1 packet of spring roll sheets
Shrimp and veg spring roll
1 handful of cooked shrimp, roughly chopped
2 small carrots, finely julienned
1 small handful of fresh cilantro – leaves still on the stalks
1 small handful of peanuts, lightly toasted in a pan, and chopped
Vegetable spring roll
1 large parsnip, jullienned
2 sticks of celery, jullienned
small handful of fresh basil – chiffonade
small handful of green cabbage, finely sliced
Smoked salmon roll
1/2 green lettuce, sliced
smoked salmon
small handful of fresh basil – chiffonade (parsley would work here too)
juice of 1/2 lemon
finely ground black pepper – fresh
1/2 large cucumber, finely sliced
Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Start by getting a medium pan of water boiling. Remove from the heat, and add the noodles. Let these cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Plunge these into an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain.
Fill your sink a few inches high with warm water. Lay out a damp kitchen cloth on a work surface. Make sure you have all your ingredients to hand. Put one of the spring roll sheets in the warm water for a couple of minutes – until soft. Carefully lift out of the water and lay it out on the damp kitchen cloth. Put some noodles in a line, in the middle of the spring roll sheet. Top this with the ingredients for whatever roll you are making.
Now comes the fun part – rolling it up. Fold the side of roll sheet closest to you up and over the top of the roll ingredients. As you do this gently push the roll ingredients towards you, thus making this first fold tight. Now tuck the ends in to the middle of the roll, as far as you can. Simply roll the whole thing up away from you, and you have a spring roll.