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• All meals can be prepared very quickly this week, especially if you do a few ahead-of-time preps (see “NOTES” for each meal).
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RECIPE 1: FISH TACOS
NOTES: • I chopped up the veggies for the salsa (I made the corn salsa) the night before and then sautéed them when preparing the fish.
Ingredients – for Fish
• 2 pounds fresh or frozen skinless cod
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp mayo or salad dressing
• 1 tsp lime juice
• About 1 ½ c. shredded cabbage (you can use the coleslaw mix if you prefer)
• 8 corn taco shells (either hard or soft)
Ingredients – for Salsa
(Choose either the corn or mango depending on preference):
Corn salsa (Sauté the following ingredients (through salt) in a skillet for 5 min then place in bowl. Add avocado and lime to corn mixture and toss gently):
• 1 c. yellow corn kernels
• ¼ c. finely chopped red bell pepper
• ¼ c. finely chopped red onion
• 1 ½ tsp. minced jalapeno pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 avocado, cut into small pieces
• 2 tsp lime juice
Mango salsa (mix together the following ingredients in a bowl):
• 1 ½ c. chopped, peeled mangoes
• 1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped fine
• ¼ c. thinly sliced green onions
• 1 jalapeno, chopped fine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
Directions
1. Choose which salsa you’re going to make and assemble. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Rinse and pat fish dry with paper towels. Cut into ¾-inch slices. Place in a single layer in a greased shallow baking pan lined with foil. Combine melted butter, cumin, and garlic powder and brush over fish. Bake fish for about 6 min or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together mayo and lime juice. Add cabbage and toss to coat.
3. Heat tortillas. If using hard corn tortillas, heat according to package directions. If using soft corn tortillas, place in a damp kitchen towel in a stack and heat in microwave about 45 seconds.
4. Place hot fish in warm tortillas. Top with cabbage mixture and either the corn or mango salsa.
RECIPE 2: Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
• 1-2 eggplants, sliced ½ inch thick
• ½ c. flour
• 1 can/jar marinara sauce
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Two beaten eggs
• Parmesan cheese, grated (about ½ c.)
• Mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 c.)
• Cooked pasta to serve with extra marinara sauce, if desired
Directions
1. Cut eggplant and let soak in salted water (use about 1 tsp salt) for 10 min. This helps remove bitterness. Remove them, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Beat eggs in a bowl. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.
3. Put several tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, then in flour, shaking off extra. Place in hot skillet and cook until browned on one side. Flip and brown the other side. Slices should be soft in the center when done frying.
4. Grease a rectangular baking and spread enough sauce to cover bottom of pan in a thin layer. Spread browned eggplant over sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.
5. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min or until cheese is browned.
RECIPE 3: Easy Beef Enchiladas
NOTES:• Make the sauce and cook the beef mixture (through step 2) the night before and store in fridge. Reheat the meat mixture before filling tortillas.
Ingredients
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine (optional)
• 1 recipe homemade enchilada sauce (see below) or canned enchilada sauce
• Corn or flour tortillas (depending on your preference)
• Shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese
For homemade sauce (Recipe 3.5):
Sauté the onions and garlic in oil then add chili powder, red pepper flakes (if using), flour and about 2 c. water and cook until bubbly and slightly thickened. Add more water and chili powder if you want extra sauce. Salt to taste (you’ll need at least 1 tsp). I usually let the sauce simmer over low heat while I prep the enchiladas.
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 tbsp red chili powder
• 3 tbsp flour
• Salt to taste
• Water
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions
1. In a skillet, cook meat about 5 min. Add the onions, garlic, and peppers and cook several minutes more.
2. Add tomatoes (if using) and cook 1 min longer.
3. In a greased rectangular baking dish, spread some enchilada sauce on the bottom to coat with a thin layer.
4. Fill tortillas (either corn or flour) with meat filling. Roll and place seam-side down in baking dish. If needed, place extra rolled tortillas on top of the first layer.
5. Top enchiladas with rest of sauce and shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min or until cheese is lightly browned.
RECIPE 4: Chicken Curry
NOTES:• Cut up chicken, onion, pepper and carrot the night before and store in a container in fridge until ready to use (store chicken in a separate container).
Ingredients
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 onion, chopped into bite size pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• ½-3/4 c. water
• ½-1 can coconut milk (do not use the light kind – you lose too much flavor). Add at least ½ can then decide if you need more to adjust the thickness of the sauce
•2-3 tbsp red curry paste (the Thai Kitchen brand found with the Asian food is good)
• ¼-1/2 tsp salt
• Red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Cooked rice
Directions
1. In a saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in oil on medium heat for a few minutes. Add curry paste and a little water and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
2. Add chicken, ginger, and water and cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, adding more water if necessary to keep sauce to a medium-thick consistency.
3. Add bell pepper, carrots, coconut milk, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes or until carrots are tender. Serve over rice.
RECIPE 5: Easy Skillet Lasagna
NOTES:
• Make meat mixture the night before (steps 2-3) and store in fridge until ready to assemble.
Ingredients
• 1 28 oz can (or two smaller ones) diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
• 1 lb ground beef or sausage
• 10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• ½ c. grated parmesan cheese
• 8 oz (1 c.) whole-milk ricotta cheese
Directions
1. Pour the tomatoes with their juice into a quart measuring cup and add enough water to the tomatoes to measure 4 cups.
2. Heat the oil in your largest skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, pepper, mushrooms and ½ tsp salt. Cook about 5 min or until vegetables are softened.
3. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 15 sec. Add beef and cook, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces until no longer pink, about 5 min.
4. Place the broken up noodle pieces over the beef and pour the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce over the pasta. Cover skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer about 20 min. Check the pan at 15 minutes to make sure that the pan still looks watery. If not, add another ¼ c. water.
5. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in ½ c. parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste (stir again) and dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles. Cover, and let stand off heat for 5 min before serving.
Shopping list:
NOTES:
• I have organized the shopping list by category and then within each category by meal. After each item you’ll see a number in parenthesis which corresponds to the meal number. That way you can easily pick which recipes you want to try and then find those items (or cross items out) on the list.
• Under Veggies/Fruit I have italicized anything that is a veggie or fruit but NOT found in the fresh fruits and veggie area of the supermarket.
• For Sides: Add sides to the meals as necessary. Suggestions: Mexican or Spanish rice to meal (1), garlic bread and a veggie for recipes (2), refried beans with (3), a salad or green veggie with (4) and sautéed spinach (or asparagus now that it’s starting to come into season) with garlic, salt and pepper and/or garlic bread with (5).
Meat/Fish
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless cod (1)
• 1 lb ground beef (3), 1 lb (5) (or you can use ½ lb ground beef and ½ lb ground pork for (5))
• Chicken: 1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces (4)
Veggies/Fruit
• 1 ½ c. shredded cabbage (the coleslaw blend with carrots will work well if you don’t want to buy cabbage and shred it yourself) (1)
• 1 lime (1)
• If making the corn salsa with fish tacos you need the following veggies (1):
• 1 c. yellow corn kernels (canned or frozen)
• Red bell pepper – ¼ c. chopped
• Red onion – ¼ c. chopped
• Jalapeno – 1 ½ tsp. minced
• 1 avocado
• If making the mango salsa with fish tacos you need the following veggies (1):
• 1 mango
• Red bell pepper
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 jalapeno
• 1-2 eggplants (2)
• Onion – 1 (3), 1 (3.5) (3.5 = homemade enchilada sauce), 1 (4). 1 (5)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes with green chilies (3)
• 1 jalapeno (if making either the corn or mango salsa for the fish tacos, you’ll have enough leftover to use for this recipe) (3)
• Garlic – 6 cloves (3.5), 3 cloves (4), 3 cloves (5)
• Bell pepper – 1 any color (4), 1 any color (5)
• 2 large carrots, chopped (4)
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger (4)
• 1 small pkg mushrooms (5)
• 1 28 oz can or 2 smaller ones of diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings (5)
• 8 oz tomato sauce (5)
Breads & starches
• Tortillas – 8 hard or soft corn tortillas (1), 1 pkg corn or flour tortillas (3)
• Pasta of your choice to serve with eggplant parmesan - optional (2)
• 2 c. rice (4)
• 1 pkg curly-edged lasagna noodles (5)
Spices/Sauces/Vinegars
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin (1)
• ¼ tsp garlic powder (1)
• 3 tbsp mayo or salad dressing (1)
• Vinegar – 1 tbsp (if making the mango salsa with fish tacos) (1)
• Oregano – 1 tsp (2), 1 tsp (5)
• Basil – 1 tsp (2), 1 ½ tsp (5)
• Chili powder – 4 tbsp (3.5)
• Red pepper flakes (3.5), (4), (5)
• 2-3 tbsp red curry paste (the Thai Kitchen brand in a little jar found with the Asian food is good)
Dairy
• Butter – 2 tbsp (1)
• Parmesan cheese, grated – ½ c. (2), ½ c. (5)
• Mozzarella cheese – 1 c. (2)
• Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese to top enchiladas (3)
• 1 small container whole-milk ricotta cheese (5)
Other
• Oil
• Flour – small amounts for recipes (2) and (3.5)
• Eggs – 2 (2)
• Marinara sauce – 1 jar or can (2)
• Large can enchilada sauce (if not making your own – see recipe 3.5)
• 1 can coconut milk (not the light kind!)
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