Here’s this week’s lineup! The feature food is broccoli!
Broccoli has gotten a bad rap as the poster child for the food kids notoriously and universally dislike. While it can be bitter, there are many ways to tone that bitterness down!
- smother it with cheese, like in this mac and cheese recipe you’ll be making this week
- when boiling/steaming, don’t overcook it! In this mac and cheese recipe, the broccoli gets added to the cooking pasta right at the end so that the broccoli retains a good al dente texture instead of becoming mushy
- roast it above 400 degree F. High temps results in caramelized veggies. Low temps actually bring out more bitter compounds. Try my roasted veggie method that uses an all-purpose seasoning that tastes great on pretty much any veggie!
SNACKING TIP: Don’t throw out those broccoli stalks! They’re great dipped in peanut butter as a snack! Don’t knock it until you try it 🙂
Grocery Shopping List
This Week’s Lineup!
If you have an hour or two on the weekend to take some time to prep parts of your meals, then you can get dinner on the table so much faster during the week! Here are some meal prep ideas:
1. Chop your veggies
Chop your veggies and then place each meal’s worth of veggies in a ziploc bag.
Turkey Quinoa Chili: Dice the onion and red pepper.
Broccoli Cheddar Mac n Cheese: Chop the broccoli.
Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Noodle Bowls: Chop the broccoli and bell peppers, slice the mushrooms and green onions, and shred the carrots.
Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole: Chop the onion.
2. Prepare your sauces
Make the sauce for the Broccoli Cheddar Mac n Cheese. Prepare the sauce for the Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole.
3. Prepare your protein
Cook the black beans (unless you are using beans from a can).
Happy meal prepping!
To increase the veggies in the Tuna Noodle Casserole, heat up an extra 2 cups of green peas to serve on the side! My family enjoys them as is, but feel free to season with salted butter if you prefer.
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