Meg's Meal Planning

Vegetarian

Roasted Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Kale

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Roasted gnocchi and butternut squash with kale mixed in a creamy, healthy Alfredo sauce. A hearty, vegetarian dinner that is perfect for the winter months.

gnocchi and butternut squash

Everything about this dish, I just love. From the roasted gnocchi to the soft and tender kale to the healthier Alfredo sauce, I’m pretty positive you will fall in love with this meal. It’s the perfect family dinner for a cold winter night. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine or curl up under a blanket on the couch and enjoy this seasonal meal.

Roasting the gnocchi gives the pasta a slight crispiness, but if that’s not your thing, you can always boil them instead. Roasting them is just one less pan to wash! Using precut butternut squash is a huge time saver, which is what I did for this recipe. If you choose to use a whole butternut squash, just make sure to peel and cut into bite size pieces and adjust your baking time.

Butternut squash gnocchi

Almost every time I see a recipe that calls for traditional Alfredo sauce or heavy cream, I stay away. I prefer something lighter and healthier. That’s what makes this Alfredo sauce the perfect in between – you get the taste of the traditional sauce without the heavy cream. This sauce is made with milk; I used whole milk to make it a little richer.

If you really want to get fancy and make homemade gnocchi, find my recipe here! But for the sake of time, I used store bought gnocchi.

Gnocchi with butternut squash

Roasted Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Kale
 
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Roasted gnocchi and butternut squash with kale mixed in a creamy, healthy Alfredo sauce. A hearty, vegetarian dinner that is perfect for the winter months.
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Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, separated
  • 12 oz butternut squash, cut into bite size pieces
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1.5 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup milk
  • 17.5 oz package of gnocchi
  • 2 cups kale washed and chopped
  • Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast butternut squash on baking sheet with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
  2. Meanwhile melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat, whisk in flour for about 3 minutes.
  3. Whisk in chicken broth and milk, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. It will continue to thicken once you let it sit and once poured over the gnocchi. Careful not to let sauce boil over.
  4. In large pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil over low heat, add gnocchi and cook 4-6 minutes or until tender. Transfer gnocchi to a plate.
  5. In the same large pan, add kale and cook until welted, add the Alfredo sauce, stir to combine.
  6. Add butternut squash and gnocchi to pan and stir well. Remove from heat.
  7. Top with parmesan cheese.

 

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kale, butternut squash, gnocchi

Smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich

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Vegetarian chickpea and avocado sandwich is a quick and simple lunch to throw together. Diary free, plus full of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. 

smashed chickpea sandwich

Day four of eating gluten and dairy free in the month of February. Today was definitely the hardest to stay on course. I’m not getting cravings, but it’s because I’m home and not at work. Does anyone else find they snack more when they are doing stuff around the house? At lunch I wanted to reach for a yogurt or make a ham and cheese sandwich. I like to eat lighter for lunch – a salad or sandwich – so that’s why this smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich was the perfect choice.

This smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich is diary free, without any mayo or yogurt to bind the ingredients together; instead the creamy avocado does the trick. The cranberries and lemon add a fun tang and the spinach adds some healthy greens! The recipes makes two servings – I used gluten free bread which is much smaller than regular bread. If you aren’t using gluten free bread, it will make one serving.

Smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich
 
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Vegetarian chickpea and avocado sandwich is a quick and simple lunch to throw together. Diary free, plus full of protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ cup chick peas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp dried cranberries
  • Four slices gluten free bread
Instructions
  1. Add the chick peas to a bowl, smash with a fork
  2. Add in the avoacdo and stir together
  3. Add the lemon juice and dried cranberries
  4. Toast your bread and add the smashed chick peas and avocado mix
  5. Top with your favorite toppings-spinach, sliced tomato, etc

 

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Smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich

Oven Baked Pork Schnitzel

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Super easy oven baked Pork Schnitzel is an easy week night recipe. Pair it with potatoes and a salad for an easy and satisfying dinner.  

Pork Schnitzel

Looking to get in the fun of celebrating Oktoberfest? Then try this easy oven baked Pork Schnitzel. It’s healthier than pan frying, but tastes just as delicious. It also is a great make ahead meal and stores well in the freezer.

Pork schnitzel is a popular German dish prepared by breading and frying thin pork cutlets. Although there are many varieties of schnitzel like chicken, veal, and turkey. Pork is one of my personal favorites. The key to a good schnitzel is a meat mallet. You need to pound the pork very thin.  Skip the gym and have this be your arm work out!

Baked port schnitzel

Oven Baked Pork Schnitzel
 
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Super easy oven baked Pork Schnitzel is an easy week night recipe. Pair it with potatoes and a salad for an easy and satisfying dinner.
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless pork chops, pounded until ¼ inch thick
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp roasted garlic powder
  • 2 eggs whisked
  • 1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Combine flour and spices in shallow bowl. Eggs in another, and breadcrumbs in another
  3. Dip each piece of pork into flour, shaking off excess. Then dip into egg, then bread crumbs. Place pork on a lightly oiled wire rack over baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip and bake another 5 minutes.

 

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Healthy oven baked pork schnitzel

Lemon herb Mediterranean quinoa salad

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Lemon herb quinoa salad combines all the tastes of a fine Mediterranean dish – cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon, and avocados. Served over kale for a delicious and simple dinner. 

Herb mediterranean salad

Mediterranean flavors are my jam lately. What’s not to love!? It’s all simple ingredients that are just good for you! Although if I had my way, I would add a ton of olives! But I know everyone isn’t a fan of them (especially in my house), so I didn’t include them in this recipe. But if you’re a fellow olive lover, feel free to add kalamata or black olives!

This lemon herb quinoa salad is chock full of yummy tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado. To make sure you stay satisfied and full, it also has quinoa for some protein. All on top of kale! Remember, don’t skip the step where you massage the kale leaves. It sounds strange but really makes a difference.

Lemon mediterranean salad

Lemon herb Mediterranean quinoa salad
 
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Lemon herb quinoa salad combines all the tastes of a Mediterranean dish - cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon, and avocados. Served over kale for a delicious and simple dinner.
Author:
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 cups of kale, washed and chopped
  • Extra virgin olive oil (for kale)
  • 1 mini cucumber, quartered
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
  • ¼ cup red onion, sliced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
  1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, make the salad dressing. Whisk together in a small bowl olive oil, lemon juice, water, red wine vinegar, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Add kale leaves to a large bowl, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste. Massage kale with hands for 1 minute.
  4. Add cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado to kale. Add in quinoa.
  5. Drizzle lemon herb dressing on top.

 

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Lemon herb mediterranean quinoa salad

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Corn Salad with a Lime Tahini Dressing

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End of summer salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, avocado with a tangy lime tahini dressing. This easy salad is healthy and refreshing!

spinach salad with Tahini dressing

The end of summer is always a sad thing. Fortunately for me, I live in New England and love all four seasons, especially fall. Actually, I love the start of every new season. But knowing my beach days are ending is a little upsetting!

This summer salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, and avocado makes the transition a little easier! The roasted cherry tomatoes taste so amazing you might just want to pick them out of the salad and eat them all.  Click here for the garlic roasted cherry tomatoes recipe.  I had them made in advance, so if you aren’t doing so, making the salad will take a little longer.

Roasted tomatoes and corn salad

Best part of this healthy salad recipe is the homemade, tangy lime tahini dressing. Only five simple ingredients elevate this salad to another level of salad greatness!

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Corn Salad with a Lime Tahini Dressing
 
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End of summer salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, and avocado with a tangy lime tahini dressing. This easy salad is healthy and refreshing!
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 8 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 cup garlic roasted cherry tomatoes (see above for recipe)
  • 1 ear of corn, cooked and cut from the cob
  • ½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup red onion, sliced thin
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup Tahini
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tbsp cilantro
  • ½ tsp lime juice
  • ¼ salt
Instructions
  1. Add spinach to a large bowl.
  2. Add garlic roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, red onion, and avocado. Stir together.
  3. Add tahini, water, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to a food processor or Nutri bullet. Blend together.
  4. Pour dressing over salad.

 

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Roasted tomatoes and corn salad with lime tahini dressing

Week of August 20th

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Week of Aug 20th

Summertime and the livin’s easy! Right?! Now that summer is winding down, my diet is starting to catch up. When it’s warm outside, I don’t mind sitting on the deck with 1 or 2 glasses of wine, (Rose all day!) or taking an impromptu trip to Tree House Brewing Co. when they are pouring drafts, or getting ice cream for dessert a few nights out of the week. So this week is all about healthy eating – cauliflower rice, quinoa, chicken, shrimp.

Monday – Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Kale, Chickpeas and a Lemon Tahini Dressing

Quinoa for blog

Tuesday – Garlic butter chicken with parmesan cauliflower rice.

keto chicken recipe

Photo by eatwell101

Wednesday – Shrimp tacos with mango salsa

Mango shrimp tacos

Thursday – Enchilada chicken meatballs served over quinoa.

gluten free enchilada chicken meatballs

Photo by Isabel Eats

Friday – Creamy kale and turkey sausage pasta with sun dried tomatoes.

creamy kale and sun dried tomatoes

Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

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Zesty marinated shrimp tacos with a mango, cherry tomato, and avocado salsa. This is an easy and quick weeknight dinner!

Mango shrimp tacos

Long, sweet summer days are what we look forward to all…year…long. Warm nights when there is still daylight at 8pm and every night seems to end with a freeze pop! When I think of those nights, I also think of citrusy, fresh shrimp tacos. I know I can technically make shrimp tacos year round, but there’s something about those summer nights that go hand in hand with shrimp tacos.

Sautéed shrimp marinated with olive oil, chili powder, ground cumin, and lime juice mixed with a citrusy mango salsa with avocado and cherry tomatoes. This quick dinner is the perfect hassle-free meal. Be prepared: it will go fast and there will be no leftovers!

Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
 
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Zesty marinated shrimp tacos with a mango, cherry tomato, and avocado salsa. This is an easy and quick 30 minute weeknight dinner!
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ lb shrimp (around 18-20)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 mango, washed, peeled, and cubed
  • ½ avocado, cubed
  • Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 lime
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 6 (5-inch) corn tortillas
Instructions
  1. In large bowl, combine the shrimp, olive oil, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, garlic, and lime juice. Mix together. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile in small mixing bowl combine the mango, avocado, cherry tomatoes, salt, juice from half a lime, and cilantro. Mix together.
  3. Heat large skillet over medium heat, add shrimp, and cook about 3 minutes/side or until pink.
  4. Heat tortillas according to package directions.
  5. Spread 3 shrimp per tortilla and top with mango salsa.

 

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Shrimp tacos with mango salsa

Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Kale, Chickpeas and a Lemon Tahini Dressing

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This power quinoa bowl is bursting with flavors that your taste buds will love! Roasted kale and chickpeas are mixed with a garlicy lemon tahini dressing and topped with avocado and green onions. 

quinoa with roasted kale

Thursdays have slowly become my favorite day of the week! Crazy right?? But I’m fortunate enough to have Thursdays off from work and they have become my recipe testing, cooking, and food photography day. For countless Thursdays I have created quinoa power bowls for lunch/dinner from whatever I have left in my fridge. This vegetarian quinoa bowl with roasted kale, chickpeas, avocado, and a lemon tahini dressing is definitely in the top five!

Roasted kale chips are probably my all time favorite thing to snack on. My sister and I will clean out my garden and sit around devouring them all day. I’m not even kidding; sometimes we don’t even make it to the couch, we just stand over the tray on top of the stove grabbing handfuls!

quinoa for blog

For this recipe I used homemade roasted kale, but store bought chickpeas. You can use store bought of both or roast both yourself! But the recipe will take longer if you roast chickpeas at home.

Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Kale, Chickpeas and a Lemon Tahini Dressing
 
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This power quinoa bowl is bursting with flavors that your taste buds will love! Roasted kale and chickpeas are mixed with a garlicy lemon tahini dressing and topped with avocado and green onions
Author:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 3 large kale leaves
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • ¼ cup roasted chickpeas
  • ½ avocado, cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • Pepper
  • Pinch of roasted garlic seasoning
  • 1 green onion stalk, diced
Instructions
  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions, set aside to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and rip kale leaves into bit size pieces.
  3. Layer on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and salt. Bake about 10 minutes or until browning, tossing halfway through.
  4. Once quinoa has cooled, transfer to a medium size mixing bowl, add in the kale, chickpeas, and avocado.
  5. In small mixing bowl stir together the tahini, water, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and roasted garlic seasoning.
  6. Pour dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir together. Top with green onion.

 

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Vegetarian quinoa bowl with roasted chickpeas

Vegetarian Quinoa Bowls with Cilantro Lime Dressing

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This cilantro lime dressing is tangy and just a little sweet. You’ll want to use it on top of everything, like this easy and healthy vegetarian quinoa bowl. 

Quinoa bowl

Finally the weather is getting nice and the only thing my son wants to do when we get home at the end of the day is “PLAY OUTSIDE” as he nicely tells me in his sweet two-year-old voice. I love it; we easily stay out until 6 or 6:30 pm, but just like a typical two year old, he has no patience to let me cook dinner. Insert easy vegetarian quinoa bowl to the rescue!

My favorite part about these quinoa bowls is many of the items can be prepped in advance or cooked a day or two before with another dinner. Having a baked sweet potato another night? Cook an extra one to use in this recipe.

cilantro lime dressing

The cook time for this recipe assumes you already have the sweet potato cooked. If you don’t, remember to allow for an extra 45 minutes for that to bake in the oven or you can cook it in the microwave.

Easy Vegetarian Quinoa Bowls with Cilantro Lime Dressing
 
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Recipe type: Quinoa Bowl
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • ½ cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup baked sweet potato, cubed
  • 1 cup avocado, diced
  • For the cilantro lime dressing:
  • ½ cup vanilla greek yogurt
  • 6 tbsp mayo
  • 6 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 garlic gloves, minced
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
  2. In a large bowl combine the red onion, red bell pepper, sweet potato, and avocado.
  3. In a small bowl combine the greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  4. Once the quinoa has finished cooking, add it to the large bowl. Then add the cilantro lime dressing. Toss together.

 

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Vegetarian quinoa bowl with cilantro lime dressing