What’s for Dinner 5/21-5/25
Monday: Green Chili Chicken, Brussels sprouts and mixed berries
Recipe: Green Chili Chicken
2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
olive oil to baste
salt and pepper
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles
1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
dash cinnamon
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil and place chicken on top of broiler pan. Baste with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. While that’s cooking, process green chiles, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and cinnamon in a food processor. After chicken has baked for 45 minutes, remove from oven and baste generously with the green chili mixture. Increase oven to 325 degrees and return chicken to oven for 10 minutes, remove and flip chicken over. Turn oven to broil and broil for another 6 or 7 minutes.
Tuesday: Easy Peasy Tri-Tip, watermelon and green beans
1 (2 lb) tri-tip
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coconut aminos
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and let marinate for at least a 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 375 (or preheat grill) and bake in oven for about 20 minutes. Flip over and cook another 20 minutes or so, to desired doneness. Let sit for 10 minutes before carving.
Wednesday: Cajun Blackened Fish, pineapple and mixed green salad
Recipe: Cajun Blackened Fish
4 filets of mild fish (I used Ono, which I bought at Costco)
1 TBSP paprika
1.5 tsp salt
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
2 TBSP coconut oil
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine all the spices in a small bowl and coat one side of each filet with the spice mixture. Place into pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, flip over, sprinkle with the rest of the spices, and cook other side. Time will depend on how thick your filet is. Cook until blackened and fish easily flakes.
Thursday: Leftovers from previous days
Friday: Tuna Salad, mixed veggies and some type of fruit
3 cans of albacore tuna, no crazy added ingredients (THIS is an awesome brand, but is very expensive)
3/4 – 1 cup homemade mayo
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp dill
salt and pepper to taste
paprika to garnish
Combine all ingredients except paprika in a bowl. Serve over a bed of spinach and garnish with a bit of paprika.
Cheesy Potato Towers (with a non-dairy version as well)
This recipe doesn’t really have exact measurements. The reason is that it depends on how much cheese you want, how many spices you want, and how much butter you like. Just have fun with it, and stack those potato slices however high you like (except maybe not too high since it won’t cook as well)!
Recipe: Cheesy Potato Towers (with a non-dairy version as well)
Couple large sweet potatoes or 6-7 red potatoes
About a cup or more of the cheese of choice (I used raw sharp cheddar cheese) (optional)
Some butter (optional)
Salt and pepper
Herbes de Provence
Using a mandolin or food processor, slice potatoes very thin. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay a slice of potato down, sprinkle with a TINY bit of salt, layer another potato, sprinkle with pepper, layer another potato and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, then layer another potato and sprinkle with cheese. Then, repeat process 3 or 4 times. Top with a very small dab of butter and some more cheese. Repeat to make as many potato stacks as you like, then bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and browning (but not burned). Let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!
Note: If you choose to make this dairy-free, just stack them as noted above, and eliminate the butter and cheese. I will say these are much better with cheese, though, as it gets nice and crusty on top. You could change this up by chopping up some fresh spinach and layering that very thin in place of the cheese, or finding another vegetable that you would like to use.
Homemade Nutella Almond Butter Fudge
I based this recipe off my my Almond Butter Fudge recipe, but wanted to try using my Homemade Nutella in it. Enjoy!!
Homemade Nutella Almond Butter Fudge
1 cup Homemade Nutella
1 cup unsweetened almond butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut cream concentrate
Beat all ingredients together in a bowl and spread into an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Place in refrigerator to harden a bit, then enjoy! Store in refrigerator and eat within a few days (if it lasts!)
Chocolate Mint Cookies (with or without the mint!)
I’m on a bit of a mint kick right now, so I felt like coming up with a chocolate mint cookie recipe. If you’re not a big mint fan, you can eliminate it and just make chocolate cookies!
Recipe: Chocolate Mint Cookies
1/2 cup butter (softened) or coconut oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup melted coconut cream concentrate
1 tsp peppermint oil or extract
2 eggs
2.5 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together the butter (or coconut oil), syrup, vanilla, coconut cream concentrate, peppermint extract and eggs. Add remaining ingredients and beat until combined. Scoop onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes, until firm on the outside. Let cool on wire racks and store in refrigerator for best results.
What’s for Dinner 5/14-5/18
Monday: Zucchini Burgers, apples and Blueberry Muffins to Die For
3 pounds ground beef
3 zucchini squash (I used the green kind)
1/2 a red onion
1.5 tsp red chili pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp pepper
1 egg (optional–it’ll help hold the burgers together better, but it’s not vital)
Heat a large skillet, grill, or griddle over medium heat. Using the grating blade of a food processor, grate the zucchini and onions (they can be done together). Note: if you don’t have a food processor, you can do this with a hand grater. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and smoosh around (yes, that’s a technical term) with your hands. Then, form them into patties (whatever size you like). Place onto the heated grill or griddle and cook to desired doneness (5-7 minutes per side). Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
Tuesday: Chicken-Zucchini Stir Fry with Hot Chili Oil, bananas
Recipe: Chicken-Zucchini Stir Fry
2 lbs thigh meat, sliced kinda thin
4 TBSP sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 TBSP olive oil + 2 TBSP olive oil (separated)
3 green zucchini
1 small onion, sliced thin
1-2 cloves minced garlic
In a large Ziploc bag or bowl, combine the chicken, sesame oil, salt, pepper and 2 TBSP olive oil. Set aside to marinate for at least a 1/2 hour. Heat 2 TBSP oil in a large wok or skillet. Cook onion until tender, then add garlic and chicken. Cook chicken for a few minutes, then add zucchini. Cook until done, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, make hot chili oil (if desired):
Recipe: Hot Chili Oil
1 tsp red chili pepper flakes
1/4 cup sesame oil
3/4 tsp coconut aminos
Blend the ingredients with a hand blender or food processor until well combined. Drizzle over stir fry.
Wednesday: Macadamia-Crusted Salmon with homemade tartar sauce, broccoli, blueberries
Recipe: Macadamia-Crusted Salmon with Homemade Tartar Sauce
3 salmon filets
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1 egg
2 TBSP butter or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Grind macadamia nuts into crumbs with a food processor or coffee grinder:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk egg, add salt and pepper and dip each salmon filet in the egg mixture. Coat with macadamia crumbs and place directly into heated skillet. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, flip over, and cook another 4-5 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily. Serve with some homemade tartar sauce!
Thursday: Leftovers from Previous Days
Friday: Carne Asada Fajitas, grapes and cauliflower
Recipe: Carne Asada Fajitas
2 lbs carne asada steaks
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup coconut aminos
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP lime juice or lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 lb sliced bell peppers
1 small onion, sliced
1 head cabbage
couple TBSP olive or coconut oil
Lay the steaks flat in a 9×13 glass dish. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, and pour over meat. Cover and marinate for a few hours, flipping a couple times to ensure the marinade covers everything.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then turn off burner. Cut the head of cabbage in half and remove the stem and tough parts, keeping the leaves as intact as possible. Place the two halves into the hot water and let sit for about 10 minutes, until leaves are soft. Remove one leaf at a time with tongs and set aside onto a plate.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onions and a bit of the marinade and cook for a few minutes, until beginning to get tender and sprinkle with some salt. Remove from skillet and set aside. Cut carne asada into small strips and add to skillet, stirring constantly until meat is cooked through. It shouldn’t take long as carne asada is generally cut pretty thin. Add veggies back in and cook together for a few more minutes. Scoop into the cabbage leaves and top with salsa if desired.