Healthy Menu Plan – Week 4

Healthy Menu Plan Week 4

Breakfast:

Your Favorite Recipes

Mixed Berry Smoothie

Basic Chocolate Shake

Chocolate Almond Smoothie

Blueberry Smoothie

Lunch:

Repeat Shakes or Dinner Leftovers

Salads are a Great Meal Too!!

Dinner:

  1. Chilled Carrot Ginger Soup
  2. Shrimp Ceviche
  3. Make Ahead breakfast Casserole
  4. Thai-inspired hydrating Cucumber Salad
  5. Easy Baked Chicken
  6. Spring Quinoa Salad
  7. Leftovers or Dinner Out

Snacks:

Almonds

Apples with Almond Butter Berries

Hummus w/Raw Veggies or Veggie Chips

Fizzies & Chews (Arbonne)

Sliced Cucumbers with Lemon Juice and a Dash of Sea Salt and Cayenne Pepper

Chilled Ginger and Carrot Soup

        (can be heated too!)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

12-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated

1 clove garlic, sliced

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for garnish, optional

½- 1 can coconut milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Warm oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, sauté until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Raise heat to medium-high, stir in carrots. Pour broth into pot, cover and bring to a simmer. Remove cover. Reduce heat to medium to maintain a simmer and cook until carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove soup from heat and let cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Just before serving, stir in lime and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chilled, garnished with lime wedges, if desired.

Easy Baked Chicken with Tomatoes, Basil and Red Chilies

Served with a side of quinoa and your favorite spring vegetable

Ingredients:

3.5 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 8)

1 pint grape tomatoes

1-2 red chilies, sliced

15 large basil leaves (torn up a bit) plus 10-12 smaller ones for garnish

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in a large rimmed pan or baking dish. Topple in the tomatoes. Scatter everything with the chili slices and the 15 large basil leaves. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until chicken is cooked through. About 45 minutes to an hour. Scatter the remaining 10-12 basil leaves over the top before serving.

Make Ahead Mexican Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

12 eggs, whisked

½ medium onion, diced

1 pound ground beef

1 sweet potato, shredded with skin on

1 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)

2 cups fresh spinach (or chard or any leafy green you can choose)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 9×13” baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break into crumbly pieces using a spatula. Drain off extra grease. Add onion, shredded sweet potato, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, salt and paprika into a skillet. Cook until onions are translucent (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add tomatoes and spinach into skillet and cook for about 2 minutes or until spinach begins to wilt.

Pour beef and sweet potato mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly along the bottom. Pour whisked eggs over the top, making sure to mix the eggs into the sweet potato mixture with a spoon or spatula. (The casserole may be made ahead 1 day in advance up to this point just cover and refrigerate. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before cooking.) Place in preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until middle of casserole is set and edges are lightly browned. Enjoy!

 

Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas

½ teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F and line a medium baking sheet with a couple pieces of paper towel. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and place onto paper towel. Add a couple paper towels on top and roll the chickpeas around until completely dry. This helps them crisp up in the oven. Add the chickpeas into a medium mixing bowl and stir in the oil until coated. Now stir in the rest of the seasonings. Discard the paper towel and line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Add chickpeas back onto the baking sheet. Roast at 400F for 20 minutes. Give the pan a gentle shake to stir the chickpeas and roast for another 15-20 minutes, until golden and lightly charred on the bottom. Cool for 5 minutes or so then top on your salad. They will lose their crispiness quickly so these are best enjoyed immediately. You can also freeze the chickpeas once fully cooled and reheat them in the oven for 5 minutes or so to bring back the crispiness.

Shrimp Ceviche

Serve with toasted brown rice tortillas or a bed of romaine lettuce

Ingredients:

1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1 cup fresh lime juice

10 plum tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, or to taste

2 avocados, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

Chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place shrimp in a glass bowl a cover with lime juice to marinate for about 10 minutes plus, or until they turn pink and opaque. Meanwhile, place the plum tomatoes, onion and jalapeno, and avocados and celery in a large, non-reactive (stainless steel, glass or plastic) bowl.

Remove shrimp from lime juice, reserving juice. Dice shrimp and add to the bowl of vegetables. Pour in the remaining lime juice marinade. Add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to mix.

Spring Quinoa Salad:

Ingredients:

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 small bunch asparagus, about 15 spears, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup frozen peas

1 avocado, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup chopped basil

Directions:

In a small or medium jar, combine the dressing ingredients. Whisk to combine or shake with the jar lid on tight. Set aside. Add water, quinoa, and salt to medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with fork. While quinoa is cooking, cook the asparagus. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add asparagus and fresh lemon juice. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook for an additional 2 minutes. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, asparagus, peas, and avocado. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until well coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the fresh basil and serve.

 

Thai-inspired Hydrating Cucumber Salad

                    With roasted chickpeas

Ingredients:

Dressing:

½ cup lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (optional)

½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Salad:

2 medium cucumbers

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup diced red onion

¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro

¼ cup chopped roasted cashews, for garnish

Roasted spiced chickpeas (look at previous recipe)

Directions:

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and adjust to taste. Feel free to add more sweetener if you prefer. Set aside. Peel cucumbers, slice of the ends, and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Slice halves into 1/8-inch “half moons” and toss into a large bowl. If your cucumbers are really big, you can slice the half-moons into half as well. Dice the red pepper and red onion and add into bowl. Roughly chop cilantro and add into bowl. Pour in all the dressing and toss to combine. Let this salad sit for about 30 minutes in the fridge, tossing every 10 minutes or so to help the dressing soak in. Meanwhile, prepare the roasted chickpeas (if desired). Recipe follows. Portion into bowls and top with cashews and optional roasted chickpeas. Serve immediately.