Three healthy and delicious meals without the extra dishes from local dietician Denise Coots.
What’s for dinner tonight?
The question we sometimes loathe to hear. Rather than give in to the frustration associated with trying to come up with healthy ideas for dinner, why not try a different approach? Instead of getting take-out or going through the drive-thru, stop by the grocery store, pick up some ingredients, and make a delicious sheet pan dinner!
Whether you’re a registered dietician, busy parent, or are just looking for a great way to meal prep for the week, you’re sure to love sheet pan meals for several different reasons. Sheet pan meals are, as the name implies, typically made on a single sheet pan. Many of us simply hate doing dishes, so the fewer pots and pans to wash, the better.
The versatility of sheet pan meals is unbelievable. Say you don’t have broccoli, but you happen to have cauliflower — go ahead and sub it out. Basically, you can sub out similar items on sheet pans as long as you make sure you have some sort of solid food items. You can use vegetables and a meat of choice along with your choice of seasonings and a small amount of oil or dressing to coat the items. Sometimes, the fat that cooks out of certain items, like bratwurst, can be used to coat the other items on the sheet pan, so you don’t need the additional oil. You just need to be sure to shake that pan to distribute the ingredients.
You can also make them super healthy. Take whatever vegetable combination you may like and drizzle it with a teeny amount of olive oil and lemon juice and have yourself a tasty combination in no time. Pair that with some lovely rice or orzo for a superb vegan dish. The possibilities are endless.
Sheet pan dinners are also extreme time savers. Turn on your oven, get your items prepped, throw your items on the sheet pan, and voila, dinner is served. While some sheet pan dinners may take a bit more time, some of them are ready in as little as 30 minutes total. If you can do your prep work ahead of time, throwing a sheet pan dinner together in the evening can take less time than it takes to fold a load of laundry.
Lastly, everyone in the house can get involved when it comes to sheet pan dinners. Check out these recipes and discuss them with your family. Choose one together. Get the kids involved in making choices when it comes to meal time. Kids love to participate in food prep. Whether it’s helping make the recipe choices, grocery shopping, or cutting up ingredients, giving them some responsibilities will let your child eat meals they’ve had a role in creating.
Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cubed
4 scallions, chopped
2 roasted peppers, jarred
1 cup kale, spines removed
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
4 eggs
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Toss sweet potato cubes with 2 teaspoons olive oil and roast until soft. Season with salt to taste. (You can do this step up to 4 days before).
- Chop scallions, drain and slice peppers, and shred kale.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with olive oil.
- Evenly space out roasted sweet potato, peppers, scallions, kale, and goat cheese on the pan.
- Add 4 eggs and 2 egg whites to bowl with salt and pepper and whisk.
- Pour eggs over vegetables and push around the pan to coat.
- Bake until eggs are set, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and cut into eight squares (One serving = two squares).
(Recipe from Living Plate Teaching Kitchen)
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Shrimp Fajitas
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Spice Blend
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Fajitas
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, large, peeled, and deveined
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 poblano pepper, sliced
1 white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Wash and cut all vegetables.
- Spread shrimp, peppers, onion, and garlic on the sheet tray. Pour the olive oil and spice blend over the pan and toss together.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from oven.
- Finish with cilantro and serve with lime-yogurt sauce and pico de gallo.
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Lime-Yogurt Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, plain
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 lime, juiced and zested
DIRECTIONS
While fajitas are cooking, combine all ingredients in a bowl and reserve until service.
Pico De Gallo
INGREDIENTS
3 tomatoes, diced
1/4 white onion, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/4 jalapeno pepper
1/2 lime, juiced and zested
1 clove garlic, minced
DIRECTIONS
- Wash and cut vegetables.
- While fajitas are cooking, combine ingredients in a bowl and reserve until needed.
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Quick Chicken Creole
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
2 tablespoons creole seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 zucchinis, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 pound green beans
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut chicken into 2-inch pieces, then rub chicken pieces with creole seasoning and let stand while you prep other ingredients.
- Chop zucchini, pepper, onion, and green beans into 2-inch pieces.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss all vegetables with chicken, olive oil, and an additional tablespoon of seasoning.
- Place on a lined sheet pan and spread out evenly. (For easy clean-up, line sheet pan with foil first, and then a sheet of parchment paper).
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Serve with brown rice or cauliflower rice.
(Recipe from Living Plate Teaching Kitchen)