Week 2

Sunday Menu

• Orange Chicken
• Quinoa
• Chili Garlic Broccoli

This is such a fun, fresh, and tasty dish! Enjoy this “take-out” type of dish with quality ingredients from home.

LEFTOVER TIP: If you have some leftovers, take some for lunch. Warm up and put in a lettuce wrap. Your coworkers will be jealous!

Prep

• Get your quinoa cooking per package instructions. I use chicken stock instead of water. NOTE: Make enough for tomorrow as well.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get out a baking sheet.
• Let’s get our orange chicken going by slicing the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Place your cut chicken in a Ziploc bag or container with a lid. Add about 1/4 c  flour and shake to lightly coat.
• Preheat a large skillet to medium heat with 1 tbsp olive oil & 1 tbsp butter (helps chicken brown without burning). Once melted, add chicken to the pan to brown. You may need to add a little extra butter and oil if you’re cooking more than one batch. Once the chicken is browned, place on a foil-lined pan and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes to finish cooking.
• Now deglaze your pan over medium heat (scrape up the tasty bits with a little liquid help). Add 1/4 c chicken stock and scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Now add 2/3 c orange juice and a mixture of 1 tbsp cornstarch & 1 tbsp soy sauce. Stir well and bring to a quick boil to thicken. Once thickened, reduce heat to a simmer and mix in 1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce (1 tsp=a little heat, 2 tsp=a little kick, it’s up to you). Keep sauce warm.
•  Now steam your broccoli florets with about 2 tbsp water in a microwave-safe dish with a lid for about 4-6 minutes depending on desired doneness. Drain and toss with 1 tbsp butter (let it melt) and 1 tsp chili garlic paste.
• Now remove your chicken from the oven and toss with your orange sauce. Serve with your quinoa and broccoli. Top your orange chicken with sesame seeds and sliced green onion (optional). Yummy!

Grocery Items

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Orange Juice
• Green Onions (optional)
• Broccoli Florets, fresh or frozen
• Garlic
• Quinoa (2 meals)
• Chicken Stock
• All-Purpose Flour
• Cornstarch
• Olive Oil
• Butter
• Chili Garlic Sauce (HERE’S a PIC)
• Lite Soy Sauce
• Spice: Sesame Seeds

Monday Menu

• Italian Sausages
• with Parmesan, Tomato, & Zucchini Quinoa (leftover)

Prep

• You’ll have this flavor bomb ready in a flash. Start by slicing your washed zucchini lengthwise and then into half circles. Discard the ends. I cook at least 1/2 of a medium to large zucchini per person. Heat a medium-large skillet to medium heat with 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Once heated, add your zucchini and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• While your zucchini is sauteing, coarsely chop about 1 tomato per person (discard stem). Add to zucchini to saute. Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add about 1/4 tsp oregano per person and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to a simmer.
• Now slice your sausages into circles or slice in half lengthwise. Preheat another skillet to medium heat with 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Add your sausages and cook until browned and cooked through. NOTE: Make enough for tomorrow night as well.
• Add your leftover quinoa (~ heaping 1/2 c per person) to your veggie saute and warm through. Serve your veggie and quinoa mixture with Parmesan and your sausages on top. This is some serious skillet goodness.

Grocery Items

• Italian-Style Sausages of choice – pork, chicken, etc. (2 meals)
• Zucchini
• Tomatoes (Campari or Roma)
• Parmesan (shaved/grated)
• Olive Oil
• Spice: Dried Oregano

Tuesday Menu

• Italian Power Bowls (leftover sausages)
• with Crusty Bread

I wonder how you say easy peasy in Italian? 😉

Prep

• Get out your leftover sausages and chop into bite-sized pieces if they’re not already sliced. Warm in the microwave slightly.
• Now get your power bowl ready. Place 1 large handful of arugula in a large salad bowl. Slice your fresh mozzarella into grape-sized chunks and sprinkle over arugula (one 8 oz ball of mozzarella will cover about 4 power bowls).
• Top with your warmed sausages and dress with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
• Serve with a piece of warm crusty bread. It’s okay to soak up that delicious olive oil with your bread. Molto bene!

Grocery Items

• Arugula
• Fresh Mozzarella Ball (like THIS)
• Crusty Bread (like bakery)
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar (2 meals)

Wednesday Menu

• Grilled Greek Chicken
• Tomato, Cucumber, and Feta Salad
• Pita Points & Hummus

Prep

• Season up your chicken breasts. NOTE: Make enough for tomorrow night as well. Start by drizzling the chicken breasts with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with a Greek Seasoning blend and salt and pepper to taste (If your blend has salt in it, skip adding extra salt).
• Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium heat. Once heated, get your chicken on the grill. Grill about 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through and juices run clear.
• While your chicken is grilling, slice up your tomatoes and cucumbers into small bite-sized cubes (I slice 1 medium tomato and 1/2 a cucumber per person). Slice a little red onion if you’d like. Place your veggies in a large mixing bowl and add olive oil (1 tbsp per person) & red wine vinegar (1/2 tbsp) per person. Toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper and top with crumbled feta cheese (2-3 tbsp per person).
• Now slice up your pitas. I quarter and serve 2-3 quarters per person with about 1/4 c hummus.
• Serve your grilled Greek chicken with your hummus, pita, and tomato salad. Enjoy!

Grocery Items

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (2 meals)
• Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Red Onion, if desired (2 meals)
• Feta Cheese (2 meals)
• Hummus
• Pitas
• Red Wine Vinegar (if you need more)
• Olive Oil
• Spice: Greek Seasoning Blend Like this ONE (2 meals)

Thursday Menu

• Greek Chicken (using leftovers) on
• Loaded Baked Potatoes with Spinach & Feta

Prep

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your washed and dried potatoes on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 40 minutes or until tender. NOTE: Make extra… we’ll be using them tomorrow night.
• Once your potatoes are cooked, slice your leftover Greek chicken into bite-sized pieces and warm in the microwave covered with a wet paper towel.
• Now slice open your potatoes and open them up so we can stuff all the goodness in. Stuff like this-> drizzle with olive oil, add salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of Greek Seasoning. Now press about 1 cup of spinach in the potato, top with 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, your chicken, a little diced red onion (if desired) and top with feta crumbles. I like to give it another drizzle of olive oil. That’s one nutrient-packed flavor-rich spud!

Grocery Items

• Medium Baking Potatoes (2 meals)
• Red Onion (if desired & you need more)
• Feta (if you need more)
• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Spinach, fresh
• Olive oil

Friday Menu

• Pan-Seared Grouper with Balsamic Butter Sauce
• Green Beans
• “Fried” Potato Rounds (leftover potatoes)

Cooking fish can freak people out. This recipe is simple and delicious. I tweaked it for us to make it even easier!

CAUTION: Make sure you’re keeping your pot holders handy since we’re transferring and using hot pans.

Prep

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. We’ll save the fish for last so we can serve it hot and awesome. Get your leftover potatoes out and slice into about 1/2 inch rounds. Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tbsp butter. Once melted add your potato rounds and cook until golden brown. Add dried parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Keep warm. You can place them on a baking sheet and pop in the oven if needed.
• While you’re starting your potatoes in the skillet, get out your fish and set on the counter to warm up. Next, steam your green beans with 2 tbsp water in a microwave-safe dish with a lid for about 6-8 minutes or until they reach your desired doneness. Drain, add butter  (~1/2 tbsp per person), salt, and pepper to taste.
• Let’s do this fish! The amounts for the fish are based on 4 servings. Tweak as needed. Get out a large ovenproof skillet (like cast iron, stainless, etc). If you don’t have a skillet that is oven-safe, you can transfer the fish to a baking sheet instead. Just place the baking sheet in the oven to heat up while you start the fish on the stove top. Preheat your oven-safe skillet to medium-high heat with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season your fish with salt and pepper and place in the hot skillet.
• Now cook the fish in the skillet for about 4 minutes and flip. Transfer to the oven for about 5 minutes (use your heated baking sheet if needed). Once cooked through (white all the way through), remove from the skillet or baking sheet and place on your plates. Now add 2 tbsp butter to your pan and melt. Once your butter is melted, add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon. Spoon sauce over fish and place your green beans and potatoes alongside. Boom! Fish is served.

Grocery Items

• Grouper Fillets (or halibut, sea bass, similar)
• Lemon
• Green Beans, whole, fresh or frozen
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Spice: Dried Parsley

Saturday Menu

• Traditional Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
• Side Salad

Prep

• Sometimes you just want a traditional dish. There’s nothing more comforting to me than spaghetti with meat sauce and a salad. Let’s get the water started for boiling your noodles.
• This is my standard meat sauce. Brown 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground Italian sausage (you can do all ground beef if you prefer). Once browned, add a jar of your favorite pasta sauce and 1 can/box of diced tomatoes. If you have extra sauce, freeze it. It’s great to have on hand.
• Now get those noodles boiling per package instructions. While your noodles are boiling, get your salad ready. Place your salad greens on half of each person’s plate. Top with your desired veggies (like cucumber, tomato, carrot, etc) and your desired dressing.
• Once your noodles are ready, drain and serve on the other half of your plate. I like to drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of my noodles and then add my sauce. Top with Parmesan. Dig in!

Grocery Items

• Salad Greens
• Salad Veggies
• Pasta Sauce of choice
• ~12 oz Can/Box of Diced Tomatoes
• Ground Beef
• Ground Italian Sausage, if desired
• Parmesan
• Spaghetti Noodles (or pasta of choice)
• Olive Oil
• Dressing of choice