When TJ and I got engaged, someone gave us a cookbook that was titled “30 Minute Weeknight Meals.” I thought it was brilliant. Until I attempted a few of the recipes… and realized that they took much longer and had too many ingredients. I think I’ve made one recipe out of the book (still have it though!). All that to say, over the years, I’ve become adept at making meals that are on the quicker side, with ingredients I regularly have in my refrigerator…. because, often I don’t know what we want for dinner until the afternoon. So, today, I put together some of our favorite easy, tasty, and nutritious weeknight dinners (based on this grocery list– which needs some modifying for the soup)… you can make these for one person or they are easily multiplied for a larger family. And while I’m not making any of these this week due to vacation, they will all likely be on heavy rotation next week when it’s back to clean eating!
Monday Night: Salmon Bowls
Ingredients:
Salmon filets (6oz sizes)
Lentils (I prefer Trader Joe’s)
Arugula
Asparagus
Tomatoes (plum)
Arugula
Lemon
Dill
Salt
Dressing
Directions:
Marinate the salmon in lemon juice, salt, + dill, add a handful of tomatoes to the grill pan. Prep the asparagus with some avocado oil spray, garlic powder, and salt. Grill both. Prep the lentils. In a bowl combine 2 cups of arugula and some dressing (you don’t need much at all, probably less than a tsbp). Top with asparagus, roasted tomatoes, 1/2 cup lentils, and salmon.
Tuesday Night: Taco Night
We love these salsa verde tacos (featured above). An easy “set-it + forget it” option for the middle of the week. You will likely have leftovers, which makes lunch the next day pretty easy!
Wednesday Night: Breakfast Tacos
Ingredients:
Cabo Chips Corn Tortillas (So.Good. Found at Sprouts)
5 Eggs, 1 Cup Egg Whites
Guacamole
Mango Salsa (or a fruit based salsa)
Salsa Verde
Micro Greens
Black Beans (can)
Bell Peppers (chopped)
Onions (chopped)
Meat Option: Bacon (prefer this one) cut into small pieces
Directions: Make guacamole. Scramble eggs to your liking. Sauté peppers + onions. Cook the tortillas. Place a dollop of guac on your tortilla. Add eggs. Top with salsa, micro greens, black beans, bell peppers/onions, and bacon (if you choose). I ate two tacos, and also had some more eggs on the side with salsa and guac.
Thursday Night: Healthy Fried Rice
Another favorite in our house is this healthy fried rice recipe. I love that you can top it with any protein. Last Sunday evening we marinated some skirt steak for about 6 hours in pepper, salt, + soy sauce and cooked that with some bell peppers. We added this friend rice to the meal and it was so tasty.
Friday Night: Protein Burgers
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef (we prefer Bison, or Trader Joe’s has a great organic, grass fed option)
Butter Lettuce Cups (Trader Joes + Sprouts)
Red Onion
Tomato
Mustard
Ketchup
Pickles
Sweet Potato Fries (it’s Friday!)
Directions: Cook the fries accordingly. Assemble the hamburger patties. We grilled ours, along with the red onions, on the BBQ. Wash butter lettuce leaves, slice tomato and pickles. Assemble burger to your liking.
Saturday Night: Order Out
We always like to give ourselves a break and order out on the weekends…..
Sunday Night: Lentil Soup
This is my all time favorite lentil soup recipe (that I shared 3 ago…. I apologized for the poor quality….). I love making it on a Sunday evening because we always have leftovers and it’s often better the day after. Plus, with the temperatures cooling down, and football on Sunday evenings, it’s the quintessential fall meal!
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