Weekly Recipe Planner: Weeknight Meals
Some families are just starting their summer holidays, but for a lot of us it’s time to head back to school and work. Ho hum. Let’s console ourselves with some quick and tasty weeknight dinners to look forward to. Check these out for inspiration:
Grilled Salmon with Creamy Pesto Sauce
Brimming with essential nutrients like protein and omega 3 fatty acids, which is especially good for brain development, salmon also makes for an easy dinner. Season simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper then grill the fillet for 10 minutes on each side. Serve with a generous slather of creamy pesto sauce, prepared with a mix of pesto, cream cheese, and milk, and a side of rice and vegetables.
Roast Chicken and Pea Risotto
Got some leftover chicken in the fridge? Here’s a great way to whip up a hearty, delish risotto with it. The recipe suggests adding in a small glass of white wine, but that can substituted with stock if you like. Use fresh green peas if you can, otherwise snap frozen is fine. Sprinkle with parmesan.
Angel Hair with Shrimp and Peas
The thin, delicate alternative to spaghetti is much quicker to cook and great if you wish to prepare a pasta dish under 15 minutes. Boil the pasta and peas for three minutes before draining the mix and tossing in olive oil. Stir-fry the shrimps with a little olive oil, while you bring full cream to boil in a separate skillet. Combine the mix of pasta, peas, and shrimp and cream, and serve with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Chicken Fajitas
If you’re like us and love your Mex, try this yummy chicken fajita recipe. The secret lies in the marinade, which is concocted with a mix of lime juice, olive oil, garlic, ground cumin, chilli powder, minced jalapeno, and chopped coriander. Rub the marinade into the chicken breasts before popping it into the fridge to set. Once that’s done, you’ll realise that the actual cooking portion – cooking chicken breasts well on each side and stir-frying onions and peppers – is a total breeze.
Beef, Oregano, and Tomato Meatballs with Quinoa
The new ‘It’ super food, quinoa is a gluten-free grain that registers high on the protein-meter. Introduce this super food to the kids by serving it with home-made beef meatballs in a tangy tomato sauce. Preparing your own meatballs is simple; just combine beef mince, chopped oregano, parmesan, cheese, egg, garlic and mix well. Use a tablespoon to help you scoop out enough mix for a bite-size meatball, then pop the meatballs in the fridge for 20 minutes before pan-frying them.