5 THINGS TO MAKE THIS WEEK

Transcription

1 5 THINGS TO MAKE THIS WEEK No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil. Fast food is technically defined as food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away. DAY RECIPE Monday DINNER: Chicken Marsala Pasta with Green Beans (or Asparagus) Tuesday SNACK: Whole-Grain Pumpkin Muffins (make these ahead on Sunday) Wednesday DINNER: Easy Slow Cooker Steak Chili + Mixed Greens with Simple Mustard Vinaigrette Thursday BREAKFAST: Overnight Oats (mix them up the night before) Friday DINNER: Weeknight Mushroom and Kale Pasta!1

2 RECIPES CHICKEN MARSALA PASTA Serves: 4 1 pound whole-grain pasta 1 pound (local and/or organic) chicken breasts 2 tablespoons olive oil Whole-wheat flour, spread on a plate Salt and pepper, to taste 1 ½ cups dry Marsala wine 1 cup heavy cream, preferably organic ¾ lb green beans (or 1 bunch asparagus), steamed Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving Other optional additions: sautéed mushrooms and/or roasted garlic 1. Boil pasta according to package directions. (Don t forget to steam your veggies!) 2. Cut chicken into strips and season with salt and pepper. 3. Spread flour on a plate and put olive oil into sauté pan over medium-high heat. 4. While the oil is heating up, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour until well coated. 5. Sauté the coated chicken until brown and cooked all the way through (about 5 10 minutes depending on how thick your chicken pieces are). 6. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm. 7. Turn heat off (very important if you have a gas stove and don t want the wine to catch on fire!) and carefully add Marsala wine to pan. 8. Turn heat back onto high and boil down the wine for a few minutes. Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan while it s cooking. 9. Keep the heat on high, add cream to pan, and stir sauce until it is bound together and starts to thicken (about 5 8 minutes). 10. Put the chicken pieces back in the sauce to heat them up again and coat them with sauce. Evenly divide pasta among bowls and top with chicken, extra sauce, and veggies. Serve warm and enjoy!!2

3 WHOLE-GRAIN PUMPKIN MUFFINS Makes: 12 muffins 1½ cups whole-spelt or whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend (found in the spice aisle) 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs ½ cup honey ⅓ cup melted butter 1 cup pumpkin puree 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside. 2. Using a whisk or fork mix together the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 3. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and drop in the eggs, honey, and melted butter. Mix together until well combined. Fold in the pumpkin puree. Do not overmix. 4. Pour the batter into the muffin pan so it s evenly distributed. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes clean, about minutes. Store at room temperature or freeze for a rainy day.!3

4 EASY SLOW COOKER STEAK CHILI Serves: 4 to 5 1½ pounds stew beef, cut in 2-inch chunks (grass-fed recommended) 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper - double this if you like it hot! ½ onion, diced 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice Optional toppings: grated cheese, sour cream, diced avocados, and/or fresh cilantro 1. Put the stew beef chunks in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Top with onions, beans, and tomatoes. 2. Turn the slow cooker onto high and cook for 5 to 6 hours. Shred beef with a fork before serving, if desired. Top with garnishes of choice and serve warm.!4

5 SIMPLE MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE Makes: About 5 ounces ½ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon yellow mustard ¼ teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, minced Pinch paprika Black pepper to taste 1. Pour all ingredients into a small mason jar. Put on the lid and shake vigorously (i.e. emulsify) until well blended. Store the dressing in the jar in the fridge - the oil will harden when cold so be sure to let it sit out or warm it up a bit each time before using. Note: In addition to this dressing, we love to add toasted, sliced almonds and freshly grated parmesan cheese to our salads!!5

6 OUR FAVORITE OVERNIGHT OATS Serves: 1 ½ cup rolled oats ½ cup milk 1 tablespoon plain yogurt ½ teaspoon honey 1 to 2 tablespoons raisins (depending on how much you like raisins!) ⅛ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 to 3 pinches cinnamon 1. Mix together all ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours before eating. We love to mix ours into 8-ounce jelly jars and triple or quadruple this recipe.!6

7 WEEKNIGHT MUSHROOM AND KALE PASTA Serves: 3 to 4 8 ounces whole-wheat pasta, boiled and drained according to pasta directions 1 ounce dried mushrooms 2 tablespoons butter 2 shallots, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup white wine 2 cups loosely packed kale, with big stems removed and cut into strips ¾ cup heavy cream ¼ teaspoon salt Pepper, to taste ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1. In a small pot, add the dried mushrooms and cover with water (minimum of 1 ½ cups). Bring to a boil and cook until the mushrooms have softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain while reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Dice the cooked mushrooms (I do this by using culinary scissors). 2. In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook while stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. 3. Pour in the white wine and turn up the heat so the mixture comes to a boil. Cook until the wine almost completely boils off, about 3 to 4 minutes (if you are doubling this recipe, it will take longer). 4. Pour in the 1 cup of the reserved mushroom cooking liquid and cook until reduced by half. 5. Turn the heat back down to medium and add the heavy cream, kale, salt, and pepper to the pan 6. Cook until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 more minutes. Fold in the noodles, garnish with Parmesan, and serve.!7

8 GROCERY LIST Shopping List Produce ¾ pound green beans (or 1 bunch asparagus if you prefer) 1 bunch fresh kale (need 2 cups leaves) 1 bag/box mixed greens 1 bunch cilantro (chili topping) 1 avocado (optional chili topping) 1 onion 1 head garlic 2 shallots 1 ounce dried mushrooms (might also be located in interior aisles) Dairy/Eggs Eggs (need 2) Butter (need 1 stick) Cheese (chili topping, we prefer Monterey Jack or cheddar) 1 block parmesan cheese Sour cream (chili topping) Milk 1 pint heavy cream 1 small container plain yogurt Pantry Items Baking powder Baking soda Black Pepper Chili powder Cinnamon Cumin Olive oil Paprika Pure vanilla extract Red cayenne pepper Salt White wine vinegar Yellow (prepared) mustard Meat 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 ½ pounds stew beef (ask the butcher to cut it into chunks if it isn t already) Interior Aisles 1 pound (16 ounces) whole-grain fettucini or spaghetti noodles 8 ounces whole-grain penne (or other small) pasta Whole-wheat flour (need 1/2 cup) Whole-spelt flour (optional need 1 ½ cups and can substitute whole-wheat flour) Rolled oats Raisins Pumpkin pie spice mix (found in spice aisle) Honey 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree 1 15-ounce can kidney beans 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes Dry Marsala wine (need 1 ½ cups) White wine!8