Healthy Dinner Recipes Week One

Healthy Dinner Recipes

Healthy Dinner Recipes Week One

This week’s healthy dinner recipes include meals that can be eaten with your hands (kids always love that). From burritos to burgers and even kebabs, the variety is deliciously interesting!

Enjoy a full week worth of healthy dinner recipes including entrees and side dishes.

Day One Healthy Dinner Recipe

RICE & BEAN BURRITOS
BUTTERED CORN

Rice & Bean Burritos

Makes 4 servings of burritos

Each serving contains:
416 calories
12g protein
76g carbohydrate
8g total fat

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1 ½ teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly slice diagonally
1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
4 (10 inch) fat free flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Combine the rice, beans, and chipotles in microwave safe bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power until hot, about 4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. Combine the bell peppers, carrot, and oil in another microwave safe bowl and toss to coat. Add the chili powder and salt, toss to mix. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.

3. Warm the tortillas as package label directs and lay out on a work surface. Spoon the rice mixture across the center, and top with the vegetable mixture.

4. Fold the bottom end upward, covering the filling by 2 inches. Tightly fold both sides inward, overlapping slightly. Wrap the top side over.

Serve with lightly buttered corn.

Day Two Healthy Dinner Recipe

GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICHES
COLESLAW

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Makes 4 servings

Each serving contains:

231 calories
11g protein
30g carbohydrate
10g total fat

Ingredients:

1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning mix
4 (2 ounce) sandwich rolls, split
1 small bunch arugula or watercress, trimmed
2 medium tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine the lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise, and basil in a small bowl and mix well.

2. Grease a ridged grill pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.

3. Cook the chicken until marked from the grill, about 4 minutes. Turn over the chicken, sprinkle with the seasoning mix, and cook until no longer pink inside, about 3 minutes longer.

4. Cut the chicken into thin slices. Open the rolls on a work surface and spread the cut sides with the mayonnaise. Top with half of the arugula, then the tomato and chicken, and then the remaining arugula. Cover with the roll tops.

Serve with homemade coleslaw (bagged coleslaw mix with light dressing).

Day Three Healthy Dinner Recipe

BAKED ZITI WITH MUSHROOMS
GARDEN SALAD

Baked Ziti

Each serving contains:

477 calories
20g protein
64g carbohydrate
16g total fat

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, split, quartered lengthwise, rinsed, and drained
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 (8- ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon marjoram
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 cups skim milk, warmed
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound ziti, mostaccioli, or elbow macaroni, cooked to al dente as package label directs, omitting salt and oil, drained
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

2. Add the leeks, celery, mushrooms, and marjoram and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until blended and cook 1 minute.

3. Gradually stir in the milk. Heat to boiling and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

4. Add the pasta and cheese and toss to coat.

5. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add the pasta mixture, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs.

6. Bake until the top is browned and the juices bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes.

Day Four Healthy Dinner Recipe

BARBECUED PORK TENDERLOIN KEBABS
BAKED BEANS

Barbecued Pork Tenderloin:

Makes 4 servings

Each serving contains:

147 calories
18g protein
12g carbohydrate
3g total fat

Ingredients:

½ cup low sodium ketchup
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon molasses
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 (12 ounce) pork tenderloin, silver skin removed, cut crosswise into ½ inch thick slices

Directions:

1. Combine the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, and cayenne in a small bowl, mix well.

2. Preheat the boiler. Thread the pork slices lengthwise onto 4 metal skewers, dividing evenly, and place on an aluminum foil-line baking sheet.

3. Place ½ cup of the ketchup mixture in a serving bowl, and brush the remainder over the skewered pork.

4. Broil the pork 4 inches from the heat source until cooked through and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes, turning the skewers after 3 minutes. Serve with the reserved ketchup mixture for dipping.

Serve with baked beans.

Day Five Healthy Dinner Recipe

HEARTY CLAM CHOWDER
STEAMED VEGETABLES

Clam Chowder:

Makes 4 Servings

Each serving contains:
245 calories
18g protein
29g carbohydrate
7g total fat

Ingredients:

1 (6 ½ ounce) can minced clams
½ cup water
1 medium white potato, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium turnip, finely chopped
½ cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 cups skim milk
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Directions:

1. Drain the clams, pouring the juice into a medium saucepan. Set the clams aside.

2. To the saucepan add the water, potato, turnip, onion, and pepper, and heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Combine ½ cup milk with the flour in a jar, seal with a tight fitting lid, shake to blend, and set aside. Add the remaining milk to the chowder and heat to boiling over medium-high heat.

4. Stir in the flour mixture and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the soup has thickened, about 5 minutes.

5. Stir in the clams, oregano, and thyme and heat through for 1 minute (do not boil).

Serve with steamed mixed vegetables.

Day Six Healthy Dinner Recipe

BEEFY DEEP DISH PIZZA

Deep Dish Pizza:

Makes 6 Servings

Each serving contains:

385 calories
22g protein
22g carbohydrate
20g total fat

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 pound ground beef
1 ½ cups jarred low-sodium, sugar free, spicy mushroom pasta sauce
1 ¼ cups (4 ounces) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Unroll the pizza dough, press it over the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared dish, and bake for 7 minutes.

3 .While the crust bakes, sauté the beef in a large skillet until browned, breaking the meat up into small pieces using a wooden spoon.

4. Drain the meat in a colander, rinse with hot water, and shake the colander to drain out as much water as possible.

5. Turn out the meat onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet and roll up the meat in the towel to blot up any moisture.

6. Pour the meat into a bowl, add the sauce, and toss to mix.

7. Spread the meat over the crust and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake until the crust is browned and the cheese melts, about 8 minutes longer.

Day Seven Healthy Dinner Recipe

TURKEY BURGERS
GRILLED TOMATOES
ROASTED POTATOES

Turkey Burgers

Makes 6 servings

Each serving contains:

200 calories
22g protein
6g carbohydrate
10g total fat

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey
½ pound lean turkey sausage, casing removed and crumbled
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, finely grated
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3 ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into ½ inch slices
6 Boston lettuce leaves, washed and drained

Directions:

1. Combine the turkey, sausage, green onions, celery, zucchini, garlic, oregano, ½ teaspoon pepper, and soy sauce in a bowl and mix gently. With wet hands, shape into 6 (½ inch thick) patties.

2. Prepare a grill for barbecuing or preheat the broiler and place the burgers on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Grill or broil the burgers 4 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 8 to minutes, turning after 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 3 minutes.

3. Place the tomatoes on the grill or baking sheet and grill or broil until charred and hot, 5 minutes, turning once and sprinkling with the remaining ½ teaspoon pepper.

4. Place the lettuce leaves on dinner plates and top each with a burger. Top each burger with a tomato slice.

Serve with roasted potato wedges.