When it comes to getting down and nerdy in the kitchen, holistic nutritionist, Kelly LeVeque is one of our go to gals. We’d happily sip on her functional smoothies all day, but as solid food needs to happen too, we’ve asked Kelly to share a few of her go-to healthy meals for your average weeknight dinner. Below are five – one for every day of the week – perfect for getting back on track after a season of Christmas cookie overload.
From cauliflower rice to Asian-inspired beef and broccolini, bookmark these balanced healthy meals and get cooking! Still hungry? Find more recipes and healthy eating insights from Kelly here.
Stuffed Delicata Squash
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 delicata squashes
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 Tbsp organic garlic salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp chives
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Wash, dry, cut lengthwise in half and de-seed squashes.
Cover squashes in olive oil with your hands and season flesh with salt and pepper.Place squash halves cut side up on a baking dish and roast for 35 minutes.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add ground turkey, garlic salt, smoked paprika and cumin. Fork and cook until done. Then add kale cook for 1-2 minutes.
Take pan off the heat and stir in tahini and season with salt and pepper.
Generously fill each delicata with turkey mixture and top with chives.
Coconut Cauliflower Rice Bowl with Sweet Chicken + Broccoli
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 cups of cauliflower rice
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp coconut milk or coconut crème
1 rotisserie chicken or 2 baked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cups broccoli florets
2 Tbsp chopped green chives
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
4 Tbsp coconut aminos
2 Tbsp melted ghee
Directions:
For the bowl:
In a large sauté pan, blanch broccoli in water for 4-6 minutes until fork tender. Drain and set aside.
In same large sauté pan, add coconut oil, coconut milk (or crème) and cauliflower. Stir-fry on medium heat until cauliflower is done to your liking, 4-6 minutes.
Either:
Add broccoli and shredded chicken to the pan and stir to incorporate and warm
or
Add cauliflower to bottom of bowl and top with shredded chicken and broccoli.
For the sauce:
In a small bowl, mix melted ghee, coconut aminos and sesame seeds. Dress bowl with half.
Top with chives. Enjoy.
Serve with gluten-free sriracha sauce (optional).
Cauliflower Avocado Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 cups organic purple and orange cauliflower
1-2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1 avocado, thinly sliced
2 cups arugula micro greens
4 Tbsp roasted garlic hummus
2 Tbsp water
For the garlic cashew crème sauce:
4 cups water (for soaking)
2 cups cashews
1¼ cup water
1-2 cloves garlic (roasted cloves optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss cauliflower with ghee or coconut oil until cauliflower is covered.
Place cauliflower on baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, flipping cauliflower occasionally until tender and caramelized.
Plate over arugula micro greens, top with avocado.
For the garlic cashew crème sauce:
Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water and soak for about 2-4 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly, transfer cashews to a food processor or blender with the water, garlic, and salt. Puree until smooth and drizzle on salad.
Optional: Swap hummus for a garlic cashew crème sauce. In a small bowl, mix hummus with water to thin and drizzle to dress
Broccolini + Beef
Serves 2
Ingredients:
8 oz grass-fed steak thinly sliced and salted
8-10 broccolini stalks
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 coconut oil
4 Tbsp coconut aminos
2 Tbsp chopped chives
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Tip: Frozen steaks are easy to slice and defrost very quickly.
Directions:
In a large fry pan, add water to halfway point. Add broccolini and bring water to a rolling boil for 6 minutes. Remove broccolini, set aside and drain pan.
In the same pan add coconut oil, ginger and garlic stir on medium heat for 2 minutes.
Bring to medium high heat and add thinly sliced salted steak. Quickly sauté steak 3 -4 minutes.
Bring to low heat add coconut aminos and blanched broccolini.
Serve warm and garnish with sesame and chives.
Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken bone broth (vegetable broth optional)
2 Tbsp avocado oil or algae oil
1 Tbsp grass-fed butter or ghee (avocado oil optional)
1 cup of chopped onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups chopped Tuscan kale (ribs removed)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (chopped with seeds removed)
2 cans cannellini beans
1 lemon, juiced
salt to taste
Directions:
Heat the avocado oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add thyme and oregano and salt and stir for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the kale, tomatoes, carrots, white beans and the broth. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are warm, approximately 20 minutes.
