Sometimes a good bowl is where it’s at! This is the prefect lunch to prep on Sunday and then eat all week. Prep all the components and then just assemble as you eat each meal. A little meal prep ahead of time will keep you eating for your goals – and perfectly satisfied all week long!
This bowl is loaded with some of my most favourite things…a base of massaged kale, topped with oven roasted butternut squash, grilled chicken, chewy, nutty farro and smooth, creamy avocado.
If you haven’t used farro before give it a try. I love it!
Dinner
Peanut Chicken Stew
Peanut Chicken Stew 🥣
So, I’m totally against giving up the foods I love in order to meet my fitness goals. BUT sometimes compromises have to be made. This stew is a great example. Traditionally this dish has more sweet potato and peanut butter, and often is served vegetarian over rice. In my take, I’ve lowered both the carbs and the fat, and added (more) chicken. It’s still 💯 amazing. No missing out on favourite foods here!
To make 4 servings: Dice 1 large red onion and 3 cloves garlic. Sauté in a stock pot sprayed with avocado oil. Once softened, add 1/4c tomato paste, 1/4c PB2, 1/4c crunchy peanut butter, 2c cooked, cubed sweet potato and 4 c chicken stock, and hot sauce to taste (I used about 1 tsp). Simmer for about 40 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to purée the stew. If you don’t have one, carefully purée in batches using a traditional blender. Once blended return to heat and add 1 bunch of collard greens (washed, ribs removed and cut into bite sized pieces). Stir through to wilt well. Add 6 cooked diced chicken thighs and you’re ready to go! Add salt & pepper to taste.
This would also work well with shredded chicken breast in place of the chicken thighs. Feel free to adjust the amount of chicken stock you use to get the thickness you like best! 😁
Broccoli Slaw Power Bowl
Broccoli Slaw Power Bowl
Sometimes you just need your meal to be quick and easy, right? You can get broccoli slaw at most grocery stores. I love the fresh crunch it adds to this bowl and the fact that it’s ready to use right out of the bag. No cooking, chopping or washing needed! This bowl comes together in about 3 minutes flat if you’ve cooked a batch of farro and grilled some chicken ahead of time. But it tastes awesome and is super satisfying. That’s a win in my books!
Put broccoli slaw in a bowl, and drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp tzatziki seasoning powder. Mix through. Top with cooked farro and grilled chicken. Crumble feta over top of that farro and chicken. Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon and enjoy! 😋
Turkey & Wild Rice Soup
I’ve promised you ideas of how to use up your leftover turkey…so let’s start with what’s quick and easy – turkey and wild rice soup! This is one of my favourite leftover spins, especially if I’ve taken the time to make the broth myself. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make turkey broth just use prepared chicken stock. 😁
In a heavy bottomed stock pot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, sauté 2 diced carrots, 1 diced yellow onion and 4 diced celery ribs until softened. Add 8 c turkey (or chicken) stock, and 1 c wild rice. Simmer until rice is cooked through. Before serving add cubed leftover turkey and diced fresh herbs (thyme and rosemary are perfect).
For the stock, use either homemade turkey stock to purchased chicken stock. To make turkey broth, simmer your turkey carcass with lots of water and a few roughly chopped carrots, onion, celery ribs and garlic cloves on low heat for 5h. Strain and use the clear broth.
Sweet Potato & Turkey Sammie
Okay, so the cranberry aioli isn’t isn’t very photogenic, but these little sammies still taste awesome and will help you along with getting all that leftover turkey used up. As a bonus, you’ll use up some cranberry sauce too!
Slice a sweet potato into 1/4” thick rounds. Set the sweet potato slices on a cooling rack set over a cookie tray and roast in the oven at 425F for 30 minutes.
To make the cranberry aioli, mix 1 tbsp cranberry sauce with 1 tbsp light mayo.
Top a slice of sweet potato with a bit of the cranberry aioli, leftover sliced turkey breast, and some kale. Top with another slice of sweet potato.
Cobb Salad
Happy Hump Day! I’m still using up leftover turkey here! 🤷♀️
Today I’ve got a healthy Cobb salad coming at ya. I’ve swapped the bacon for turkey bacon and used some apple cider vinegar instead of dressing. To keep the flavour quotient high I used some good quality blue cheese, and of course some leftover turkey.
To create this salad yourself, chop and wash romaine lettuce. Line a large salad bowl with the romaine and top with 1 tbsp diced onion, a few quartered cherry tomatoes, 1 slice of cooked diced turkey bacon, 1 sliced hardboiled egg, a handful of diced leftover turkey, 1/2c black beans, 1/4c crumbled blue cheese and toss with apple cider vinegar or your favourite dressing.
If you don’t have leftover turkey hanging around in your fridge, just swap the turkey for diced grilled chicken!
Kale Caesar with Chic Pea & Turkey
Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Turkey
One last leftover turkey idea for this week! I love chickpeas…so much! I’ve replaced the croutons from a traditional Caesar salad with roasted chickpeas, which are crunchy and delicious. Enjoy!
To roast the chickpeas ➡️ Drain and rise a can of chick peas. Add all of the chickpeas to your air fryer along with 1 tbsp oilve oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set the air fryer for 20 minutes.
To make the caesar dressing ➡️ I used @gourmetduvillage dried caesar mix in 1c greek yogourt, along with 1/2 of a freshly squeezed lemon and 1/4 c almond milk. This dressing is yummy and makes for a super quick prep.
To assemble ➡️ massage 1 head of ribbed and chopped kale with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Mix the dressing into the kale. Divide into four portions. Top each salad with 1/4 of the roasted chickpeas, diced leftover turkey breast, and parmesan pieces.
Pad Thai
It’s Fri-yay! Does that mean treat dinner at your house tonight? It does at ours! But treat dinner doesn’t have to equal “overdoing it” dinner.
I love Pad Thai so much. I do not so much love how overstuffed I feel after eating way too many rice noodles. (Which inevitably happens because I love Pad Thai so much.). In this version, I’ve replaced the rice noodles with spiralized zucchini noodles, and amped up the veggies. I like to peel my zucchini before I spiralize it, because I think it makes the zucchini do a better job of passing for “real” noodles, for but the choice is entirely yours.
To make one generous serving of this healthy Pad Thai ➡️ Spiralize 2 medium zucchinis and set aside. Saute 1/2 lb shrimp and 1 finely diced clove of garlic in a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium heat until the shrimp are cooked. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
To make the Pad Thai sauce whisk together 1/2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp zero cal brown sugar replacer, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, the juice of 1/2 fresh lime and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Add the sauce to the pan and stir over low-medium until the sauce thickens. Add the zucchini, 1 red pepper sliced into matchsticks, 1 cup bean sprouts, and 1 green onion sliced into 1” segments. Stir constantly. Once the zucchini and peppers are warmed through, stir in the shrimp, and move this deliciousness onto a plate! Top with chopped peanuts, cilantro and fresh lime juice.
Turkey, Kale & Spaghetti Squash Bowl
Turkey, Kale and Spaghetti Squash Bowls are on my Wednesday menu. These are decidedly not that photogenic, but they taste amazing! This dish is totally veggie packed and oh so good. Don’t skip the parm on top – it really helps bring all of the flavours together.
To make 4 servings:
Gently score a line lengthwise around each spaghetti squash, and then pierce with a knife along the line. Microwave each squash for 3 minutes, then allow to cool. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, cut through the squash so that it’s been halved. Roast the squash face down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 30 minutes at 400F.
On the stovetop over medium heat cook 2 diced shallots, 4 diced cloves of garlic, salt & pepper, and 2 lb extra lean ground turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once cooked, drain and set aside. In the same pan, wilt 1 head of ribbed, cut and washed kale with 1 tsp salt.
To assemble, shred the spaghetti squash into strands, and put 1/4 of the shredded squash into each bowl. Add ground turkey and kale to each bowl, then top with shredded parmesan cheese and crushed red peppers.
Steak, Potato & Arugula Salad
Sooo…this salad…it’s good! Maybe a little more suited to a summer day, but it’s nice and fresh and the peppery arugula is 👌🏻
This salad is super simple to put together. Grill the steak however you like and then thinly slice. (I’m soooo in for just a little over rare!) Boil and then quarter mini potatoes and allow to cool. Put your salad together by topping a bed of arugula with grape tomatoes, diced red onion, crumbled blue or goat cheese, the steak and potatoes. Top with a bit of balsamic vinegar and dig in!
If you’ve been following my Instagram stories, don’t worry – I’ve got your back!! Better photos of & recipe for steak and potato wedges coming up soon!