Meal Plan Monday
Week 7 Introduces My Favorite Healthy Meals
Meatless Monday: Parmesan Baked Popcorn Shrimp Recipe
This shrimp recipe is quick to make and a favorite in my house. The Panko makes it extra crispy. The original recipe from RasaMalaysia serves two as a snack so I tripled the recipe to make the serving size more substantial.
Ingredients:
- 18 oz small peeled and deveined shrimp
- 3 cups panko (bread crumbs)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten cooking spray
- Ketchup
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinsed the shrimp and pat dry. Set aside.
Spread the panko in a thin layer on a baking sheet and toast for 3 minutes, until light brown.
Transfer the panko to a shallow dish and mix in the Parmesan and coarse salt. Drizzle the oil and mix well.
Set out the flour and eggs in separate dishes.
Increase the oven to 450°F. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray.
Coat the shrimp in flour, then dip in egg, and then coat well with panko.
Transfer to the rack. Bake the shrimp for 3 minutes on one side, and turn to the other side and bake for another 3 minutes.
Serve with ketchup.
Tuesday: Easy Fajita Chicken Bake
This recipe consists of ingredients I almost always have on hand. And it’s so quick to throw together that I find myself turning to this dish in times of chaos. We all have them. Those days when unexpected events have us reeling. So, reel if you must but use this easy recipe form The Pinning Mama to still get dinner on the table!
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1-2 tsp Taco seasoning
- 2 bell peppers in assorted colors, deseeded and thinly sliced. I prefer red and yellow.
- 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup Shredded Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese
Directions:
Trim the chicken breasts then lay them in a single layer in a glass baking dish.
Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the top of the chicken breast to taste.
Lay your thinly sliced onions and peppers on top of the chicken breast, spread out evenly over the top.
Drizzle the olive oil over the peppers and onions.
Sprinkle cheese over the top of the dish.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked though and the juices run clear.
Wednesday: One Pot Italian Chicken and Orzo Pasta
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup dried orzo pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 can (15 oz) Italian diced tomatoes
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- Minced fresh basil for topping
Rub chicken completely dry. Then, rub chicken breasts all over with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Toast orzo in the hot, dry skillet until orzo begins to turn golden. Remove orzo from skillet and set aside.
In same skillet, heat oil until shimmery. Cook chicken in hot oil 2-3 minutes on first side, then flip and cook on opposite side until golden. Remove from skillet and set aside for a moment (chicken will not be entirely cooked—this is ok)
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan until shimmery. Saute garlic and onion until just tender. Add diced tomatoes and chicken broth to pan and bring to a boil. Stir in toasted orzo and reduce heat to medium-low. Nestle browned chicken breasts in among the orzo/tomato mixture. Cover pan and let cook at medium-low 15-20 minutes or until orzo is tender and chicken registers 165 degrees F. Sprinkle chicken and orzo with fresh basil.
Thursday: Balsamic Glazed Steak Rolls
This particular favorite healthy meal from Picture the Recipe is so beautiful it makes me feel like a pro! This website does what the name implies-takes you through each recipe picture by picture. Awesome! My husband really loves this. He’s a steak man. I feel great about serving it because of all the healthy vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 to 2 pound flank steak
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 carrot
- 1 bell pepper
- 1/2 zucchini
- 5-6 green onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 Tbsp finely minced shallots
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup beef broth
Directions:
Cut the steak into 3 inch wide strips. Feel free to tenderize the meat with a meat hammer to thin it out and make it more pliable.
Season the meat on both sides with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, although longer is better.
While the steak is marinading, cut the carrot, bell pepper, zucchini, and green onions into very thin slices slightly longer than the steak. Crush the garlic with the side of your knife.
For the sauce, melt butter in a pan. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and beef broth and stir until mixed well. Allow this to come to a boil. The sauce will become thicker. Transfer to a bowl.
Add a touch of olive oil to that same pan and toss in the garlic. Allow the garlic to flavor the oil for a few minutes. Turn the heat up to high and stir fry the carrot, bell pepper and zucchini for 2-3 minutes. (Not the green onion though.) Season the veggies with Italian seasoning and transfer to a bowl.
Assemble the steak rolls by placing some of the veggies and green onion on the steak so they stick out on either side. Secure with a toothpick.
Add a bit more oil to that pan and cook the steak rolls seam (side down first) to desired doneness. Then turn the rolls and cook on the other side too.
Remove the toothpick and serve with the sauce served over them.
GROCERY LIST
And now for your grocery list! Always check to see what you’ve got on hand first; you’ll spend less at the grocery store.
Need a grocery printable? I’ve got a pre-filled out one or a blank one-to make life easier for you. And they’re FREE printables!
Produce
- Basil
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 carrot
- Garlic
- Green onions
- 2 onions
- Shallots
- 1 zucchini
Meat/Seafood
- 7-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 to 2 pound flank steak
- 18 oz small peeled and deveined shrimp
Canned/Jarred
- 15 oz can Italian diced tomatoes
Condiments
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Ketchup
- Vegetable Oil
- Worcestershire sauce
Spices
- Italian Seasoning
- Pepper
- Salt
- Taco seasoning (to make your own
Dairy
- Butter
- Eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- Shredded Mexican cheese
Other
- Beef broth
- Brown sugar
- Chicken broth
- Flour
- Orzo pasta
- Panko
And that’s it friends. Another week of meals planned for you. Meals you can feel good about eating and good about serving to your family. I’d love to hear what you think!
Happy (easy) cooking!
Daria