30 Days, 30 Ways: Make Dinner at Home

All throughout January we’re bringing you 30 Days, 30 Ways to Good Health, a series of easy strategies for overall wellness (and because we love food, it’s focuses on the foods and cooking techniques to add into your life instead of what to take away.)  Read on for our latest eat well strategy: make dinner at home.

 

Eating out for dinner can be a convenient option for busy lives, but more often that not, restaurant meals are loaded with fat, calories and sodium. A healthier–and just as easy–option is to make dinner at home at least nights a week. Not only is cooking relaxing and a great way to unwind, you can control what goes into your food. Try the recipes below for easy weeknight meals.

 

Quick Kabob Pita Sandwiches with Tzatziki The entire family can help prepare this simple kabob recipe, which cooks on an indoor grill. Then everyone assembles their own pita sandwiches, adding whatever garnishes they please.

Cauliflower-Kale Soup with Crispy Kale Topping Kale lends a beautiful green color to this silky cauliflower soup, while a garnish of crispy kale chips and pine nuts adds a satisfying crunch.

Stir-Fried Tofu with Mushrooms and Greens Steamed rice is perfect for serving with this Asian-inspired dish — it will soak up all the savory sauce. Put the rice on to cook just before starting to prepare this dish, and both will be ready at about the same time.

Pumpkin Lasagna with Fontina This hearty lasagna is perfect for that transitional time, when fall vegetables are starting to appear at the farmers’ market. Combining yellow squash, zucchini and pumpkin, the dish comes together quickly, thanks to our ready-to-use pasta sauce.

Apple and Cheddar Panini with Onion Jam Looking for a quick but nutritious meal for the most hectic weeknights? Think soup and a sandwich! This apple and cheddar panini paired with our carrot soup will be a hit with kids and adults alike.

Sweet Potato and Green Chili Quesadillas with Arugula A perfect balance of flavors, this fresh dish combines sweet and spicy vegetables with crisp, cool arugula leaves. It’s a great way to use up any leftover sweet potato.

Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens This tangle of noodles and garlic-laden ribbons of kale and chard is a delicious way to eat your greens.

Pork Medallions with Roasted Figs Here’s a meal that’s elegant enough for company, but quick and easy enough for a weeknight. The savory pork pair perfectly with sweet, ripe figs.

Chickpea, Cauliflower and Potato Curry Curry spices flatter chickpeas, cauliflower and potatoes alike. Serve this zesty meatless dish over brown basmati or jasmine rice.

Pan-Roasted Clams with Potatoes and Fennel Nothing could be easier and tastier than this one-pan meal of tender red potatoes, anise-tinged fennel, toasty garlic and briny littleneck clams. Red pepper flakes and dry white wine finish the dish, mixing with the clams’ juices to create a sauce with just a hint of heat.

Golden Beet and Blue Cheese Risotto Exceptionally sweet, golden and pink beets won’t stain as much as their dark garnet cousins, which helps to preserve the pretty color of this risotto. Blue cheese complements the earthiness of the dish.

Pasta with Lamb and Rosemary Ground lamb and zucchini cooked with fresh rosemary and tomatoes create a succulent—and unexpected—sauce for pasta. Slightly salty pecorino cheese is the perfect garnish.

Mushroom and Manchego Quesadillas A cherry tomato salsa brings a bright flavor to this quick dish. Round out the meal with a salad of baby lettuce, radishes and red onion. For a special treat, replace the creminis with wild mushrooms such as chanterelles or morels.

Spice-Crusted Tuna with Fresh Pear Chutney Fragrant cumin and coriander seeds give this fish a crunchy coating and contribute exotic flavor. Sweet pears mixed with lime juice, fresh ginger and spicy chili form a quick relish; serve with steamed rice and green beans.

Seared Scallops with Greens and Orzo Chard stirred into the rice-shaped pasta provides a vegetable component to this risotto-like dish, transforming it into the perfect base for quickly browned sea scallops. The quick pan sauce gains bright flavors from sherry vinegar.

 

See more simple weeknight dinners here!