favorite meals & grocery guide
I have been brainstorming the best ways to share meals & so this week I figured I would just share a week of meals that I made and ate. Since I am a college student and am generally just cooking for myself I will often repeat meals or adjust the meal for meal prep the next day.
Note on Salads: Through out my culinary life, I have fallen in and out of love with salads. Salads often get a bad rap for not being filling enough, and a lot of the time I would agree. Not all salads are made equal. For a salad to be filling it needs the proper combination carbs, fats, and protein. People will often view salads as a “diet” food, limiting the amount of dressing (fats), and It can be tempting for many to leave the dressing off their favorite salad for the motivation of less calories. However I would like to challenge this common thought that salads need to be low calorie, low fat. There is a reason that so many people are left unsatisfied after eating salads! Do not skip the dressing! Salads will be much more satisfying when they contain appropriate amounts of protein, fat, and carbs.
Apple Kale Salad with Cilantro Dressing
When mapping out my meals for the week, I had originally planned making a miso kale salad, however, after leading a ski trip over the weekend I found myself left over with a great deal of Trader Joes Cilantro salad dressing. So I adapted. This was such an easy lunch meal to make before school. If time is not on your side or you are just not a fan of chopping kale, then I would recommend using the Trader Joes pre chopped kale mix.
Ingredients:
1-2 kale bundles or one bag pre chopped kale
an apple
handful almonds & pumpkin seeds
fresh chopped cilantro or other fresh herb to add additional flavor
Cilantro salad dressing or homemade salad dressing (olive oil, chopped cilantro, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt & pepper)
Directions:
Thinly slice all ingredients and mix in a large bowl, toss with salad dressing. Optional: soak kale for 10-15 mins to tenderize and loose some of the chalky texture that kale sometimes has.
Another way to make this salad;
Another way that I have made this salad is with switch the cilantro salad dressing for a dill dressing & switching the almonds for pistachios. I also love adding grilled chicken and fresh parsley. This recipe is simple and customizable I would highly recommend messing around with various toppings and dressings!
Lentil Curry with Arugula and Lime (gf) (v)
This is definitely one of my top five favorite meals to cook. This is a vegetable packed mellow curry & it can be eaten for multiple days. The lentils can very eastly be substituted for chickpea, chicken, or other protein of choice. I would highly recommend making this for a dinner & saving some for the following days. I will take this for lunch topped with arugula, bean sprouts & lime juice (as pictured).
Ingredients:
yellow onion
stalk bok choy
half stock celery
two bell peppers
one can of coconut milk
one can precooked lentils
4-5tbps curry powder to taste
two sweet potatoes
Toppings: lime juice, bean sprouts & arugula
Directions:
Heat Oven to 350 degrees and cook sweet for 30-40 mins.
Sauté onions, bell peppers, & celery. Add curry seasoning & mix until veggies are coated & add coconut milk. Cook for 30 mins, add thickening agent if needed. *may need cornstarch to thicken
Serve with sweet potato and top with arugula and sprouts, lime, salt and pepper.
Seared Ahi & Yogurt Citrus Slaw (gf)
This is a super simple seared ahi recipe for any day! In addition I adapted a citrus salad recipe from The First Mess, and the two made a perfect combination. I ended up eating this for two dinners out of the week and the second night almond crusted the ahi, which I would highly recommend.
Ingredients:
Fish and Seasoning: 1lb fresh tuna, seasoned with olive oil, lime, salt & pepper.
Citrus Slaw: carrots, golden beet, cabbage of choice, radish, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, 1/4c orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, 1/4c plain yogurt & black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dress fish with lime juice, olive oil & lime. Place fish on a baking sheet and cook for 5-7 mins, then pan sear for 2 mins. For a good plating, spread yogurt on plate and top with parsley.
Ribbon or thinly slice all vegetables. Mix salad dressing, toss with vegetables and top with fresh cilantro and pumpkin seeds.
Grocery list for the week:
Vegetables
Parsnip
Various kales
Yellow onion
Baby bok choy
Radish
Celery
Bell peppers
Bean Sprouts
Sweet Potato
Red cabbage
Golden beet
Carrots
Asparagus
Cilantro
Parsley
Fruits
Apples
Lemon
Limes
Orange
Meats & Other Proteins
Ahi Tuna!
Lentils & or Chickpeas
Dairy
Plain Yogurt of Choice
Seasonings & Dressings
Cilantro dressing from Trader Joes
Curry Powder or Paste
Happy Cooking!