Thursday, March 5, 2015

Healthful Dinner Go-To's

Healthful Dinner Go- To's... Do you have a list of a few go to meals that you can always turn to when you know you'll be crunched for time or you know you just have to put something healthful and palatable down your throat to keep yourself alive? I have a bunch of those, they aren't exciting but they work. They're sort of meals I can do on auto pilot, they involve some chopping, some sauteing or in the best case scenario they just involve roasting in the oven. But they don't include lots of measuring or 25 ingredients, and they certainly don't involve more than 30-40 minutes.

For better or worse 2015 has flown by - with hectic work schedules and tons of trips (both planned and last minute) the roomie and I are like ships crossing in the night and I often find myself Mondays-Thursdays cooking meals for one - fitting it into that sweet little time slot of post work out pre Bachelor or post workout pre late night work call. There are some nights when I wish I was one of those people who was totally fine to scramble up some eggs for dinner but I just can't get through the night without a proper meal - it's something I crave.

So between trips back the West Coast for dual purposes (work & family time) as well as a Tropical Vaca to the Dominican Republic I've been using a lot of these "go-to" meals for the days in between when I'm home. Here are some of my top favs:

Grilled Filet Mignon with Veggies (featured here fresh corn off the cob & sauteed kale)



Roasted Chicken & Roasted Veggies (featured here crispy cauliflower & brussel sprouts)

Chicken in the oven at 425 for 30-40 min & veggies in for about 20 min same temp

World's Easiest Tortilla-less Tortilla Soup




Baked Salmon & Roasted Veggies (featured here cauliflower & asparagus)


Everything in the oven at 425 for about 20 min - maybe 15 for the asparagus depending on thickness


Tofu Stir Fry - 2 versions

Featured here grilled tofu with sauteed asparagus & red bell peppers with homemade soy/lime/sriracha/cilantro sauce




Featured here crispy sauteed tofu with broccoli and butternut squash



Then to be a little less glamorous I'll show you the terrible decadent things I've been indulging in on trips and weekends - which are the major force behind needing to eat protein and veggies during the week. And it doesn't even include the Portillo's Italian Beef and the Soho House Sunday Feast... oops!

Dominican Surf n Turf
Salad, Grilled Chicken, Paella, Red Beans... vacation lunch - why not?

Wishbone take out - Roasted Turkey, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Vinegar Cole Slaw, Collard Greens

Soho brunch - Porchetta Eggs Benny and Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes

Lou's thin crust with plenty of ranch for dippin... and some salad