By admin
Even after you’ve mastered basic cooking skills, figuring out what to make for dinner is a never-ending challenge. To help alleviate some of that stress, SELF is putting together weekly lists of seven recipes that will hopefully inspire your meal planning for the week ahead. You can check out past weeks’ recipes here.
All of the recipes have a healthy balance of protein, healthy fats, and healthy carbs; and, they’re filling, and simple enough for beginner cooks. Several ingredients appear in multiple recipes—sweet potato, kale, asparagus, chickpeas, butter lettuce, chicken thighs, herbs, and whole-wheat tortillas—which helps keep your grocery list short. There are two chicken recipes, one salmon recipe, one ground turkey recipe, and three meatless recipes, so you won’t get bored.
The number of servings per recipe varies, but you can easily halve or double each of them as it suits you. Plus, they all make for excellent lunch leftovers. If you cook one of the recipes, post a photo on Instagram and tag @selfmagazine and @xtinebyrne (that’s me!)—we love a good food pic as much as you do, and we’re always open to your feedback!
Oh, and if these recipes don’t do it for you? We have a whole archive of healthy, easy dinner recipes right here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell1 Kale and Sweet Potato Parmesan Quesadilla
Roasted sweet potatoes are delicious but take about an hour in the oven. In the microwave, though, a sweet potato takes about six minutes. You won’t get quite the same texture or caramelization, but the microwave trick is great if you’re going to mash the sweet potato to use in a flavor-packed recipe like this one. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell2 Skillet Chicken Thighs With Sweet Potato and Asparagus
Pan-roasted chicken thighs are my ultimate go-to, because rendering the chicken fat in the skillet on the stovetop before roasting everything in the oven means that the other ingredients—usually just a mixture of veggies, but sometimes I throw in a cooked grain—cook in that fat and soak up all the flavor. Be sure to slice the sweet potatoes thinly enough here, so that they cook all the way through. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell3 Sweet Potato Falafel Lettuce Cups
Full disclosure: These falafels are a little more involved than other recipes on the list, since you have to break out a food processor to blend ingredients, then shape the mixture into disks, then bake everything. That said, you could absolutely double or triple the recipe and freeze leftovers for later. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell4 Peanutty Kale With Chickpeas and Roasted Salmon
The thing about kale salads is that they’re either great or they’re garbage. The most important thing, in my opinion, is using a dressing that’s hearty enough to stand up to the fibrous kale, and to spend a little time massaging said dressing into the leaves. This dressing, made with peanut butter and lemon juice, absolutely fits the bill. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell5 Sheet Pan Tofu With Vegetables and Crispy Chickpeas
Done wrong, tofu can taste like a wet, flavorless sponge. I like to dice, season, and roast it, because that way it soaks up flavor while also losing excess moisture. This recipe also features sweet roasted tomatoes, slightly crispy chickpeas, and al dente asparagus. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell6 Lettuce-Wrapped Herb Turkey Burger With Sweet Potato Wedges
The secret ingredient in these turkey burgers is canned beans, which serve as an inexpensive way to stretch ground turkey a little bit further. (Bonus: They add a little extra fiber!) Other mix-ins, like feta and herbs, add flavor and make the burgers interesting. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell7 Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
There’s nothing quite like having a waiter deliver a still-sizzling platter of fajita fillings to your table. This recipe admittedly isn’t quite as dramatic as that, but it comes together on a single sheet pan and works with whatever garnishes you have on hand. Get the recipe here.
