5 Quick & Healthy Weeknight Meals

I don't know about you but my work weeks are always CRAZY busy.

And as much as I love cooking, honestly it becomes one my least favorite things to do during the week simply because it doesn't feel as though there enough hours in the day to wake up, workout, get to the farm office early, run through all of my calls, prioritize vendor meetings, plan the next day, AND get home early enough that I'm not starving. 

Since I figured I wasn't alone in all this, I wanted to share the steps for some of my go-to weeknight meals that are quick to pull together with some seasonal ingredients off the farm. I even prep a few of them on Sunday with some pre-chopping of veggies & meat to make things a little quicker. These are tasty dishes that I never get tired off. What's more, they're packed with the nutrients and protein to help kick-start my health. 

Scroll down to download a complete shopping list to make things even easier. 

Monday: Beet & Goat Cheese Arugula Salad

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Wrap each beet in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast until tender (you can insert a fork or knife through the foil to test), about 1 hour. Let sit until cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into wedges.
2. Meanwhile, make vinaigrette: In a jar, shake together olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper.  
3. Place arugula in a large serving bowl and lightly dress with vinaigrette. Top with beets, avocado, goat cheese, and walnuts. Toss gently and add more vinaigrette as needed.

Tuesday: Homemade Lentil Soup with Sourdough

1. Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
3. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

Wednesday: Crockpot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

1. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until golden, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. Uncover and stir in pasta; cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender.
4. Stir in spinach until wilted. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Serve immediately.

Thursday: Buddha Bowl

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F  and arrange sweet potatoes and onions on a bare baking sheet. Drizzle both with a bit of oil, making sure the flesh of the sweet potatoes are well coated and placed skin side down on the sheet.
2. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven flip sweet potatoes and add broccolini. Drizzle broccolini with a bit of oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper.
3. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven and add kale. Drizzle kale with a touch more oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper. Bake for another 4-5 minutes then set aside.
4. While vegetables are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with seasonings.

5. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp oil (amount as original recipe is written // use half of total amount if altering batch size) and chickpeas and sauté, stirring frequently. If they’re browning too quickly, turn down heat. If there isn’t much browning going on, increase heat. I found 10 minutes total at slightly over medium heat was perfect.

6. Once the chickpeas are browned and fragrant, remove from heat and set aside.
7. Prepare sauce by adding tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Add hot water until a pourable sauce is formed. Set aside.

8. To serve: slice sweet potatoes into bite size pieces. Divide vegetables between 3 serving bowls and top with chickpeas + tahini sauce.

Friday: Salmon Burgers

1. Cut three-quarters of the salmon into 1/4-inch pieces. Put in a large bowl. Cut the rest of the salmon into chunks; transfer the chunks to a food processor along with the mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest and cayenne. Pulse to make a paste. Add the pureed salmon mixture to the bowl with the diced salmon. Add the scallions, 2 tablespoons panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Gently mix until just combined. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Divide the salmon mixture into 4 mounds on the parchment paper. With damp hands, pat into 4-inch-wide, 3/4-inch-thick patties. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 
3. Preheat the broiler. Spread the remaining 1 cup panko on a plate. Press both sides of the salmon patties in the panko. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties (in batches if necessary) and cook until browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes, adjusting the heat if necessary. Turn and cook until the other side is browned and the patties feel springy in the center, 3 to 4 more minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; season with salt. 
4. Meanwhile, arrange the buns, cut-side up, on a broiler pan and broil until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the patties on the buns; top with tartar sauce and arugula.