This week has been incredibly busy with work, but as always, I find time to make delicious easy meals for my husband and I. We went grocery shopping together on Sunday and when we came home we got a lot of prep work done for meals for the week. Alex made a big batch of hard boiled eggs (he literally makes them perfectly) that I made a yellow curried egg salad with. I also made crab and cucumber salad with spicy mayo for lunches. Lastly, I made a big casserole dish of baked oatmeal with bananas, raspberries, and blueberries for quick and easy breakfasts. Here are some of the meals I made for dinner this week:
Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
Listen – I am a sucker for a Philly cheesesteak … if I wanted to, I could eat a whole one with the big Philly roll, the steak, onions, and all of the cheese (I prefer American) however I choose not to do this for obvious reasons. If you are in Philly, you order this type of steak by saying “cheesesteak wit” and this is how it will come. In order to still get the great taste I decided to healthify this dish a bit. I bought fresh shaved steak from the grocery store (ask the butcher to do this if it is not pre-packaged) and cooked this in a skillet with chopped onions and fresh garlic. While the steak is cooking, halve bell peppers and bake them in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Season the meat with salt and stuff this mixture into halved peppers (I like red peppers). Top the peppers with a piece of slender American cheese and bake for another few minutes until the cheese is melted atop the peppers. I love this dish because you get all the yummy flavors of a Philly cheesesteak without all the extra calories. I served this with brussel sprouts tossed in a chunky tomato vodka sauce. The meal was fast, easy, and delicious after working a long day.
Butternut Squash Soup with Kale, White Beans, & Turkey Meatballs
I made this Wednesday afternoon before going to work at 3pm so dinner could be ready for when Alex got home from work. I know it may sound silly to some of you – but I enjoy having food for him after he works all day too … even if I am going to work as well. I know he would do the same for me, it is just that we both prefer my cooking ;) In a large pot sprayed with olive oil cooking spray, sauté half of a red onion. Add a fresh bay leaf and a few sage leaves into the oil and onions to add flavor (if you do not have fresh ingredients – dry would be fine) . Peel and chop a butternut squash into cubes and add to the pot. Then, add 1 large and 1 small container of chicken stock and simmer until the squash is tender. At this point, add 2 cans of drained and rinsed white beans and 1 large bunch of kale chopped up. Allow the soup to continue to simmer for about 45 minutes and remove the fresh herbs. While the soup is cooking, mix turkey ground meat, lots of fresh garlic and parsley, salt, 1 egg, and panko breadcrumbs until the mixture is a good consistency for meatballs. Shape the mixture into tiny balls and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Add the meatballs into the soup and enjoy! The soup is very hearty and perfect for this time of year. The impact of flavor from the meatballs makes the soup so good!
Salmon Fish Tacos with Slaw & Sriracha Ranch
I am sitting here with a very full belly as I write this but the best part is … it isn’t one of those overly-full-you-feel-like-you-could-throw-up kinds of feelings. We both loved it, it was healthy, satisfying, and delicious. Combine coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) with thinly sliced red onion in a bowl. In a small bowl, add 2 tbs white vinegar, 2 tbs honey, juice from half of a lime, salt, garlic powder, and fresh cilantro. Pour this mixture over the slaw and mix together … set this aside for now. Next, add light ranch dressing with sriracha sauce to your liking – again set this aside. Slice up avocado and squeeze lime juice over them to prevent them from turning dark, have shredded cheese ready, and sour cream if you would like in addition to any other toppings (these are enough for us as they are packed with flavor). Season salmon however you would like (I used salt, cumin, and paprika) and sear on the stove in olive oil. Once the salmon is cooked, serve everything up with some warmed corn tortillas. Flour tortillas would be fine or any other - but the corn tortilla gives an authentic taste. Layer the tortilla with salmon, cheese, slaw, avocado, siracha sauce, and a squeeze of fresh lime. These are delicious … I also just had slaw with all of the toppings as a salad opposed to the tortilla and it was equally delicious.
I hope you like these meals as much as we did. I look forward to the other meals I am making this week and weekend and look forward to sharing them soon. Have a great rest of the week … and take some time to hug someone or tell them you love them … just for good measure !
