If your pesto is in the refrigerator, get it out and let it come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Now rinse your asparagus and trim/snap off the woody ends. Place in a 9 x 13 dish. Drizzle with olive oil (~1 Tbsp per 2 servings) and balsamic vinegar (~1 tsp per 2 servings). Add salt and pepper to taste (~1/4 tsp each to start). NOTE: Make a little extra for tomorrow’s dinner.
Rinse, dry, and slice the red pepper into long strips, discarding the seeds and stem. Add to asparagus and mix around to get seasoning to coat them. Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Now get your salmon ready. If it’s frozen, make sure it’s thawed per package instructions or place in the refrigerator in the morning to thaw during the day. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper (you won’t need much) and spread about 2 tsp pesto on the top of each piece. Pop in the oven for ~15 minutes until it reaches desired doneness. NOTE: Make enough for tomorrow’s salads.
Now slice or tear your bread into servings. I serve with a bit of high-quality olive oil in the middle of the table for dipping. NOTE: Save some for tomorrow.
Once your salmon and veggies are finished (about the same time), place on your plate. Top your salmon again with 1 Tbsp pesto and serve with your bread.
MEAL TWEAK: Do you have a family member who might not want a salad meal? Wrap it up! Grab a large tortilla and put the salad, veggies, and salmon inside. Now you have a Mediterranean Salmon Wrap.
Prep
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice your bread. Drizzle with olive oil and dust lightly with garlic powder. Pop in the oven for 5-8 minutes until crisp.
Now throw your salads together. In a large bowl or plate, place a large handful salad greens and top with chopped leftover salmon and veggies. I do not reheat them. Now add grape tomatoes, crumbled feta (~1/4 c), and pitted kalamata olives (4-6 per salad). I’ll be dressing it with olive oil (~2 Tbsp) and balsamic vinegar (~1 Tbsp).
Serve it up with your garlic toast. Easy and delicious!
Grocery Items
Salad Greens
Grape Tomatoes
Feta Cheese Crumbles
Kalamata/Black Olives (Pitted)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Spice: Garlic Powder
Tuesday Menu
Traditional Tacos
with Fixings
IT’S TACO TUESDAY!
I always make extra because these are great leftover as a reheatable taco or taco salad.
Prep
Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add your ground beef. Generally, one pound serves 3-4. Brown your beef and drain if too watery. Once your beef is done, add in 1/2 tsp each cumin and chili powder per pound.
As your beef is cooking, slice up your avocado and lettuce if you didn’t buy pre-cut. Get out your salsa, cheese, and sour cream.
Now, it’s taco bar time!! Build up your tacos and enjoy!
Grocery Items
Ground Beef
Lettuce
Salsa
Cheese, shredded
Avocado
Sour Cream
Spices: Cumin, Chili Powder
Wednesday Menu
Sausage & Cheese Plate
Veggies with Ranch Dip
MEAL NOTE: This is one of our favorite easy meals. Pick up sausage links of your choice like chicken sausages, Italians, etc. I like to cut them into circles to cook because they cook faster and have crispy edges.
Prep
Slice your sausages into bite-sized rounds. Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add in your sausages. I cook 1-2 per person depending on how big the sausages are.
While your sausages are cooking, slice up your veggies if they’re not precut and cut your cheese into small cubes.
Now put it all together. Place your veggies on half your plate with a small portion of ranch dip. Now add your cheese cubes and sausages. If desired, sprinkle your cheese and sausage with a bit of dry rub seasoning.
Grocery Items
Sausage of choice (Chicken/Italian)
Cheddar Cheese
Fresh Veggies like Broccoli florets, Tomatoes, Carrots
Ranch dressing of choice
Spice: BBQ Dry Rub (optional)
Thursday Menu
Grilled Chicken with Pesto Drizzle
Bowtie Pasta
Sauteed Peppers & Zucchini
PASTA BALANCE: I love to blend pasta with sauteed veggies. It gives your eyes a big portion, your mouth great flavor, and your tummy a nice balance.
Prep
Get your water boiling for your noodles and your grill/grill pan heated to medium heat. Season your chicken breasts. I like to coat with olive oil and season with Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil, Garlic Blend plus salt and pepper to taste. Get the chicken on the grill. You’ll cook it about 6-7 minutes per side depending on thickness. NOTE: Make extra for tomorrow.
Put your noodles in the boiling water and boil according to package instructions. I like bowtie pasta for this one. I generally make about 1/2 c dry pasta per serving.
Let’s slice up your zucchini and bell peppers (any color you like…I prefer red/orange). You’ll want about 1/2 pepper per person and 1 small zucchini per person. We’ll blend the veggies half and half with the pasta. I slice the zucchini into circles and then again in half. The peppers I like to slice into strips and then in half as well. NOTE: We’ll need extra veggies for tomorrow’s dinner.
Preheat a large skillet to medium heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Start sauteing your veggies until tender, about 8 minutes.
Once your chicken is done, slice into strips. Drain your noodles and mix with veggies making sure you pull out your extra veggies for tomorrow. Toss with pesto to coat veggies and pasta (~2 tbsp per person). Top with sliced chicken and drizzle with more pesto. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve it up!
Start by getting your rice cooking per package instructions. I like to buy it frozen and just reheat it.
Now, get out your leftover chicken, zucchini, and peppers from yesterday. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place it all in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a wet paper towel to reheat. Once reheated, mix in approximately 1/2 Tbsp each of butter and lite soy sauce per serving you’re making.
Serve mixture over your rice. Voilà!
Grocery Items
Rice, quick cooking or frozen
Butter
Lite Soy Sauce
Saturday Menu
Marinated Flank Steak
Roasted Potatoes
Caprese Salad
MARINADE can be done 2-8 hours in advance.
LEFTOVER NOTE: I always make extra potatoes. They’re delicious with breakfast.
Prep
Start your marinade by getting out a gallon-sized Ziploc or large dish with a cover. Put the following in the bag–> 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 c olive oil, 1/4 c lite soy sauce, 1/4 c balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, and ~1 Tbsp black pepper. Now add your flank steak and shake in bag to mix marinade. Place in the refrigerator and let it marinate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Get out your steak and bring it to room temp while you prep your potatoes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash, dry, and slice your small red potatoes in half and then into quarters. Place in a mixing bowl and toss with olive oil (1-3 Tbsp depending on how many potatoes) plus salt and pepper to taste. Spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 40 minutes, tossing half-way.
Now, preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Place your steak on the grill (discarding marinade) about 5-6 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Let it rest about 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
While your steak is cooking, thinly slice your tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Layer tomato, cheese, basil leaf, repeat… At least two layers. Drizzle with olive oil as your side along with the potatoes. This is a restaurant quality meal!
