Weeknight Dinners: January 30-February 3, 2017

Happy Chinese New Year! To celebrate, we’re starting Monday off with tofu egg roll bowls full of Chinese cabbage, bok choy, red peppers and carrots. Longevity noodles, veggie lo mein or sesame noodles sound tempting, but after a few days at Cal-a-Vie Spa in San Diego I’m planning to stay focused on lean protein and plenty of greens and vegetables. I’m banishing pasta, bread and processed carbs for a while (if you see me reach for it, please smack me). That’s basically the eating plan the rest of you decided to embrace after New Year’s, but it took a few days of some seriously healthy and delicious meals to reset my carb addiction. Let’s hope it lasts.

MONDAY

I’m making Gina Homolka’s recipe for Egg Roll Bowls from her new book Skinnytaste: Fast and Slow. I’m substituting 8 ounces organic firm tofu for the pork. But you can make it with ground pork, chicken or turkey if you prefer.

TUESDAY

Chicken with leeks and dijon-white wine sauce. This is a recipe from the New York Times that I’ll be tweaking. I don’t care for tarragon, so I’ll add a teaspoon of minced fresh thyme. We have leeks to use up, so I’m substituting three leeks (white and light green parts sliced thin) for half the shallots. The sauce looks absolutely mouth watering.

WEDNESDAY

Turkey mini meatloaf with sautéed spinach and garlic roasted potatoes. This is a recipe I did for Cooking Light; I recommend doubling or tripling the ingredients because it’s intended to serve 2-3 people. Bake these mini loaves in a muffin pan.

THURSDAY

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon with roasted asparagus or sautéed greens, cauliflower rice and brown rice for kiddos. This is an old Cooking Light gem that I want to re-test and update for the site.

FRIDAY

Weeknight chili made with grassfed beef, bacon, peppers and two types of beans. I will post this recipe soon. It’s a meaty chili that is super fast and full of flavor. Make a double recipe and freeze half, or better yet use leftovers for Super Bowl chili cheese fries or chili nachos.