Who says you have to be a great cook to be healthy? I hear this statement and “I am just too busy to eat healthy” countless times in my studio each week. Let’s shift our thoughts to the positive! Start today and plan your menu for next week. As always I asked for input from my kids and they truly enjoy the opportunity to decide what will be on their plates for the next few days.
Try cooking just two meals next week and that alone can help your healthy lifestyle! For these two meals I decided to try out some new recipes, keeping in mind that I wanted good sources of protein as well as the opportunity to use some fresh seasonal veggies.
The first recipe up was Caprese Chicken. I love, love, love fresh basil and tomatoes so when a friend passed this recipe along to me I had to give it a try! Delicious!
Caprese Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup large basil leaves, finely chopped (the more basil the better)
- 8 oz fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced in 1/2 inch thick slices
- balsamic vinegar, to taste
Directions:
- Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken, cover pan, and cook for about 10 minutes. Flip chicken breasts and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked thoroughly (or has reached an internal temp of 165°F).
- While chicken is cooking, in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and continue sautéing until tomatoes skin starts to soften/wrinkle, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Set aside.
- Top each chicken breast with 1-2 slices of mozzarella. Pour tomato mixture on top. Cover pan with lid once more and let the mozzarella melt, about 1-2 minutes.
- Lastly, drizzle with a splash of balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.
The next recipe I wanted to try was turkey meatballs. The kids love meatballs, and by serving them over spaghetti squash instead of traditional pasta we can get in an extra serving of veggies! Honestly, I had the spagetti squash, they had whole wheat angel hair pasta! But they had 3 polite bites of spagetti squash which is a start!
Terrific Turkey Meatballs
Serves: about 5 (makes 26 small meatballs)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh ground turkey
- 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs (can substitute crackers or GF breadcrumbs)
- 1/2 teaspoon red chile pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
- 1 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 3 cloves garlic, minced fine
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (plus extra for pan)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3-3 1/2 cups marinara pasta sauce
- pasta or spaghetti squash to serve over
- Parmesan and herbs to garnish
Directions
- In a medium bowl with your hands, mix ground turkey, breadcrumbs, red pepper, herbs, onion, Parmesan, garlic, oil, egg, plus salt and pepper.
- Line a baking sheet with foil, use tablespoon and portion out approximately 26 meatballs. Gently roll them into round balls.
- Drizzle a little extra olive oil (about 1-2 teaspoons) into a large non-stick pan. Over medium heat, cook meatballs on all sides until lightly browned, turning as needed.
- Pour marinara over the top and bring to a strong simmer, until bubbling hot, turn heat down to low, cover and cook until turkey is barely pink when you cut open a meatball, about 8-10 minutes.
- Serve over whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash with the sauce and a garnish of grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs if desired.
If making two meals seems daunting, try making one small change each week to drastically change your future. Last week we focused on adding in an apple a day. This week let’s focus on getting in one extra serving of veggies per day. Let it be raw carrots, or celery- you pick your favorite and add it in daily! Serve it as a snack or instead of bread with dinner have an extra serving of veggies. Adding in just one extra serving of vegetables can give you the essential nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and fight cravings!
For those of you who still feel a little overwhelmed with planning healthy meals and snacks, I would love to offer you some guidance on this journey. Enough clients and friends have come to me asking for weekly meal plans that I have decided to expand my service offerings and include weekly meal plans! For just $10 per week, I will send you a pdf meal plan for the week including every meal and snack recipe you need for a well-balanced diet! I can also customize these plans based on vegetarian needs or other dietary restrictions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at transfitathens@gmail.com
If you are interested in purchasing a weekly plan, you can do so by clicking on the Buy Now button below.
Blessings,
Caroline
