4 Healthy Weeknight Dinner Recipes

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Hello everybody and welcome to this week’s blog post! As we are now in the second week of 2019, and New Year’s Resolutions are all the rage, I thought I’d give you all four healthy dinner (or lunch) recipes to help you out if eating well is one of your resolutions ;) I posted three of these recipes on my Instagram (@alexandratempletonfit) but thought I’d consolidate them here, as well as add a vegan one for any of you non meat-eaters our there. 

These three recipes are simple and clean and look a lot like the ones I’ve included in my e-cookbook which is releasing at the end of this month! The book includes twenty five of my go-to meals that I make every week. Check the tab on the top of this site titled “e-cookbook” to sign up to be notified when it’s released :)

So, on to the recipes. The only special piece of equipment you’ll need for one of them is a crockpot though I think the recipe could be adapted to be made in the oven. If you try it out in the oven, please let me know how it goes :) I got a crockpot for Christmas and have been going a bit crazy with all of the recipe possibilities. It’s amazing how easy cooking becomes when all you have to do is throw everything in a pot and wait- revolutionary :)

The first recipe is courtesy of Pinch of yum who has an amazing blog and drool-worthy instagram feed full of scrumptious and easy meals. Roberto is a huge fan of her recipes and is always excited when I tell him we are going to have one for dinner. This chicken primavera utilizes the crockpot, which means you can throw everything in together and leave it to cook for 4-5 hours- the best for a busy weeknight. 

Side note: this recipe calls for asparagus which is a summer veg. When shopping for the ingredients, I was quite disappointed with the asparagus selection in the store (it was shipped from Peru and was soft and brown) so I subbed fresh green beans and it was great!

Crockpot Quinoa Chicken Primavera

Serves 8

Ingredients

In the crockpot:

  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

  • 4 cups + 3 cups chicken broth (SEE NOTES)

  • 4-6 cloves garlic

  • salt and pepper, other dried herbs you like (I tossed in 1/2 teaspoon each dried parsley, thyme, and basil)


Before serving:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 bunch asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces (or fresh green beans. See note above)

  • 6 ounces pesto

  • 2 1/2 cups frozen peas

  • squeeze of lemon juice

  • watercress, fresh parsley, chives, or any other herbs for topping

  • Parmesan or Asiago cheese for topping

Instructions:

  1. Rinse the quinoa. Cut the chicken if you want – you can either cut it into small pieces (it will cook faster) or leave it whole and shred it after cooking.

  2. Place the quinoa, chicken, 4 cups broth, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and seasonings in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

  3. When the quinoa and chicken are done, the mixture should be very thick and sticky. Add the remaining 3 cups broth or water and stir to combine (see notes) – now the mixture should resemble a creamy risotto or casserole. Stir in the pesto, peas, and lemon juice and cover to heat through. While the peas are heating in the crockpot, heat the oil in a skillet – add the asparagus and sauté for 5-10 minutes, until the asparagus is lightly browned and tender-crisp. Add the asparagus back to the crockpot and stir to combine.

  4. Top each serving with fresh herbs, shredded cheese, watercress, olive oil, or anything else you want.

Stuffed Bell Peppers 

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 6 whole bell peppers any color

  • 3/4 to 1 pound lean ground beef (I used minced turkey)

  • 1 white onion diced

  • 3 cloves garlic minced

  • 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

  • 1 cup cooked white rice

  • 1 cup frozen corn

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan or line with parchment paper.

  • Trim the tops off each bell pepper and remove seeds and membrane from inside. Place the bell peppers into the prepared pan.

  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Drain any excess fat or liquids. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute more.

  • Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes, cooked rice, corn, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 cup pepper jack cheese.

  • Spoon mixture into bell peppers until full. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

  • Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling and browned.

Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

    • 1 T olive oil

    • 1 small red onion, diced

    • 1 clove of garlic, minced

    • 500 g minced turkey

    • 1 small zucchini, spiralized 

    • 3 T spaghetti seasoning (or 1/2 tsp of dried oregano, basil, garlic powder, parsley, chili powder, salt and pepper, each)

    • 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes

    • 250 g gluten free spaghetti (I used pea pasta that I found in Belgium- high in fiber and protein)

Directions:

      • Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until slightly translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and minced turkey and cook until the meat browns. 

      • Add in the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, for another 5-7 minutes until the juices start to reduce. Add in the spiralized zucchini and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until just soft. 

      • Meanwhile, cook the pasta separately according to the package directions. Drain the water and add to the sauce. 

      • Serve immediately with parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy!

5 Minute Vegan Daal 

(recipe courtesy of The Happy Pear, another great website full of easy vegan recipes. They have a Youtube channel too and an entire playlist dedicated to healthy 5 minute dinners- so cool! 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

    • 3 cloves of garlic

    • 1 nub of ginger

    • 5 scallions

    • 1 tin of chickpeas

    • 1 tin of cooked lentils

    • 1 handful of spinach

    • 1 tin of coconut milk

    • Juice of half a lime

    • Coriander

    • Wholemeal pitas

    • 10-15 cherry tomatoes

    • 2 tbs curry powder

    • 1 tsp Turmeric

    • 2 tsp ground cumin

    • 1 tsp salt

    • Half tsp black pepper

Directions:

    • Drain and rinse the chickpeas and lentils

    • Heat the oil on a high heat

    • Finely chop the garlic and ginger and add to the pan

    • Put pitas in the toaster

    • Chop scallions and add them to the pan along with the cherry tomatoes

    • Add the tin of coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas, and stir well

    • Add in the spices, salt, black pepper, spinach and the juice of one lime

    • Add the coriander stalks

    • Serve with your pittas, along with some fresh coriander and chili flakes. Phew!

So what do you all think? Any recipes here you could see yourself making this week? What are some of you favorite meals that you would like to see made healthy? Let me know down below or on my Instagram and I’ll see what I can do ;)

See you all here next week for another fun blog! 

Bon appetit!

Alexandra