Immune-boosting kale, squash, purple cabbage, arugula, almonds, basil and pears are all tossed in a tangy-sweet dressing. To add more protein, you could add grilled shrimp or salmon.
This healthy vegetarian main dish salad is inspired by Sweetgreen’s Winter Squash Salad loaded with lots of nourishing, colorful fruits and veggies. Yesterday I shared this Warm Curry Roasted Butternut Squash and Veggie Salad. Today’s salad is enjoyed cold with hearty vegetables that last a while in the refrigerator.
If we could sum up how we felt about spring in one GIF prior to March, it would be this one: via GIPHY And then COVID-19 happened, and it’s been more like this: via GIPHY So, while we’re still happy to see warmer temps and the sun, we all know that things are just different. via GIPHY And we don’t know for how long. So, whether you’re working out inside your home or outside — but six feet away from people — we’ve got some new workout tracks to hopefully cheer you up. Spring Workout Songs Physical, Dua Lipa Get…
This healthy, Warm Curry Roasted Sheet Pan Vegetable Salad with Honey Curry Dressing is a delicious vegetarian, gluten- and dairy-free dinner or make-ahead lunch.
Warm Curry Roasted Sheet Pan Vegetable Salad
Roasted sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and broccoli form the foundation of this delicious, hearty salad which is made all on one sheet pan.
My Egg Foo Young recipe is a fantastic portable savory Whole30 and keto-friendly meal that can be eaten with your hands and made with leftover meat and veggies!
I knew that Melissa Joulwan’s awesome site featured a great recipe for Paleo Egg Foo Young, but to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really know what egg foo young was actually supposed to taste like. After all, I grew up with the understanding that no self-respecting Chinese person ever orders this dish at an authentic Chinese restaurant.
Henry, on the other hand, grew up in the kitchen of his parents’ Chinese restaurant in the 1970s, which served up all the Westernized dishes that many Americans know so well: pot stickers, chow mein, deep-fried wontons, sweet-and-sour pork. To him, egg foo young was just a childhood favorite.
I didn’t encounter egg foo young until after I met Henry in college, and he took me to visit his family’s restaurant. But as soon as I took my first bite of these savory egg patties, I knew I had to have the recipe.
What is Egg Foo Young?
Egg Foo Young is a Chinese American dish that was created when resourceful restaurant cooks served up pancake shaped omelets filled with random meat and vegetable scraps, often topped with a savory brown gravy. It can be filled with bean sprouts, water chestnuts, scallions, roast pork, shrimp, or ham. There really isn’t a standard recipe because it was a leftover makeover!
(By the way, eagle-eyed readers will note that I edited this recipe to reflect the latest version from our cookbook. The recipe I originally posted here back in 2011 was a bit different. If that’s the version you crave, just use 2 teaspoons of Penzeys Sunny Paris seasoning in place of the scallions and cilantro.)
What are some filling options?
Although this recipe uses diced ham and frozen spinach, you can add any cooked protein or veggies you have in the fridge or freezer! For example, some great protein options are leftover Paleo Char Siu, Kalua Pig, and diced cooked chicken. Any leafy green (fresh or frozen) works great in this recipe—just make sure you squeeze out any excess liquid if you are using thawed frozen greens.
Can you substitute the coconut flour?
For sure! You can make these paleo egg foo young pancakes coconut-free by using double the amount of cassava flour. Both versions taste great, but the coconut flour version a lower carb version of this recipe.
You can keep the leftover egg foo young pancakes in the fridge for up to for days or freeze them for up to 4 months. I reheat them by popping them in a toaster oven or air fryer (375°F for 5-8 minutes or until heated through).
All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut flour (or cassava flour), fish sauce, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
Mix in the ham, spinach, scallions, cilantro, and baking soda, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Melt a tablespoon of ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Use a large disher (3-tablespoon size) to plop the batter in the pan, and flatten the pancake to ½-inch thick with the back of a spoon. I can comfortably fit 3 pancakes in my 12-inch skillet at a time – don’t overcrowd them!
Fry without disturbing the patties for 2 minutes before flipping the pancakes over and cooking it on the other side for about 1-2 minutes more. The pancakes are cooked through when the centers bounce back when you press down on them with your finger.
Repeat until you’re out of batter. As each pancake finishes cooking, transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Then, plate ’em up and serve!
Like my mini egg frittata muffins, these pancakes can be eaten sans utensils, and are totally adaptable to whatever fillings you have in the kitchen. Remember: there’s no such thing as an “authentic” egg foo young, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
[Originally posted on May 17, 2016. Updated on March 29, 2020.]
My paleo Egg Foo Young recipe is a fantastic portable savory meal can be eaten with your hands, and are totally adaptable to whatever fillings you have in the kitchen. It’s perfect for gluten-free packed lunches!
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut flour (or cassava flour), fish sauce, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
Mix in the ham, spinach, scallions, cilantro, and baking soda, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Melt a tablespoon of ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Use a large disher (3-tablespoon size) to plop the batter in the pan, and flatten the pancake to ½-inch thick with the back of a spoon. I can comfortably fit 3 pancakes in my 12-inch skillet at a time – don’t overcrowd them!
Fry without disturbing the patties for 2 minutes before flipping the pancakes over and cooking it on the other side for about 1-2 minutes more. The pancakes are cooked through when the centers bounce back when you press down on them with your finger.
Repeat until you’re out of batter. As each pancake finishes cooking, transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Then, plate ’em up and serve!
I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy! We are practicing our social distancing and have rediscovered an old love of puzzles and it’s been nice to cook through some of my old cookbooks. I hope the pantry staples post was a helpful tool this week. Remember, especially during these times, it is OK to substitute items you don’t have on hand, and if in the process you create something fabulous, please share it! You will also notice that Saturday night says order in, not eat out. If you are in a position to help support a local eatery with a take out order, please do! Stay safe and healthy and wash those hands!
WW has changed their plan to now include a Blue, Purple and Green Plan. All the recipes on my blog are updated for the Blue plan. I’ve been updating all my recipes (over 2000) and have completed 2019 with the other two colors, and I am working my way down so please be patient.
Why Should Everyone Meal Plan?
Meal planning is a great way to organize your meals for the week ahead. You also save time and money in the supermarket! And of course, planning ahead helps you stick to your goals!
About The Meal Plan
If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. You should aim for around 1500 calories* per day.
There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.
Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing! If you wish to get on the email list, you can subscribe here so you never miss a meal plan!
Also, if you don’t have the Skinnytaste Meal Planner, now would be a great time to get one to get organized for 2020! There was a print error last year, but it’s perfect now! You can order it here!
THE DETAILS:
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated WW Blue SP for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!
The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.
And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them!
**This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits,
snacks, dessert, wine, etc.
This one-pot Instant Pot Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs is a fast and easy dish the kids and whole family will love!
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs
This spaghetti and meatballs recipe is sure to be a winner with your family. Because it’s made healthier with whole wheat spaghetti and turkey meatballs, you’ll feel good knowing it’s good for them too. Making it all in the Instant Pot is certainly a dinner game changer. The Instant Pot makes spaghetti and meatballs super easy!
How do you explain a global pandemic to kids? Well, that’s certainly a question we never thought we’d try to address in a post, but here we are. As the reality of COVID-19 sets in with all of us (and seems to change every day), it’s hard enough to come to grips to it with yourself, let alone your kids. But, right now, as always, our kids are looking to us for safety, comfort, love, and answers. And, because we are wondering how to speak to our kids about COVID-19 just like you are, we got tips from Florida International…
If you — like us — are suddenly co-working at home alongside your spouse, kids, and pets … you may be finding it to be a bit, ahem, challenging. We’ve got the guest post for you today. Margot Schulman is an activist, author, and facilitator as well as a love, sex, and relationship coach with more than 16 years of experience helping others to create peace, freedom, and love in their lives. Known as the “Love Activist” and as the founder of the Choose Love Movement, Margot is the author of Choose Love: A Simple Path to Healthy, Joyful Relationships.…
A list of pantry, refrigerator and freezer staples you should always keep stocked to whip up a healthy meal without a trip to the grocery store.
Basic Pantry Staples
I like to keep a well-stocked pantry, freezer and refrigerator so that I can throw together a meal at a moment’s notice. When life gets busy, it’s nice to know I have what I need to cook a quick dinner if I can’t get to the grocery store.
Editor’s note: This post was written before the insanity and reality/tragedy of COVID-19 set in. As you read through, please consider doing the following: Wipe down your own equipment with a disinfectant before and after use, even if it’s just you. Be sure to wash your hands before and after, too. We don’t recommend you working out with others, but if you do, keep at least six feet apart. Remember that very intense exercise can decrease your immunity, so go at a moderate to mild pace where you can talk (reference here). If you just started working out at home,…
Wondering what to cook when you only have some ground meat, a head of cabbage, and some curry spice blend? Make my Garbage Stir-Fry with Curried Cabbage! You can magically transform all the odds and ends in your fridge and pantry into a simple and delicious one-pan supper!
I rarely have time to make a big production out of weeknight meals. Between work and parenting, my cup runneth over and I’m not about to make a special weeknight trip to the market to hunt down some exotic ingredients for a complicated new recipe.
Instead, when pressed for time (which is just about always), I rummage through my pantry and fridge and MacGyver something together. With a fridge and pantry stocked with paleo staples, you can make a clean-out-your fridge dinner (a.k.a. garbage stir-fry) in a jiffy.
Keep a defrost bowl in the fridge
Over the years, I’ve gotten lots of questions about my Defrost Bowl, but there’s really nothing all that magical about it. It’s just a big bowl in my fridge that I use to thaw a bunch of frozen meat. (Note: It’s a bowl – not a colander. I certainly don’t want to clean up the bloody goo that inevitably oozes out of my packages of meat.) Ever since I was a nightshift hospital pharmacist, I would routinely transfer some frozen protein from my freezer to my trusty Defrost Bowl; then, when it was time to get cooking, I’d grab whatever protein’s no longer icy, and then decide on a cooking method.
My Defrost Bowl serves another purpose, too: It forces me to cook my meat before it spoils, and keeps me from stuffing my face with take-out. Win-win!
Curry Powder + Ground Meat + Cabbage = Magic!
This fragrant and zesty Garbage Stir-Fry—made with ground meat, curry powder, and cabbage—is one of my go-to one-pan recipes when I’m craving Indian food. Don’t worry about the name, by the way; I call it Garbage Stir-Fry, but once you taste it, you won’t want to throw any of it away!
I always keep ground meat in my freezer. It’s budget-friendly, versatile, and perfect for stir-frying. Combine it in a hot, greased skillet with alliums, spices from the pantry, and whatever vegetables you have lingering in your refrigerator, and you’ll soon have a big batch of food that you can shovel into your mouth whenever necessary.
Other Garbage Stir-Fry Variations
The whole point of a garbage stir-fry or clean-your-fridge-out meals are to use what you have on hand. Any ground meat (e.g. beef, pork, chicken, turkey, bison, etc.) will work and you can substitute any green leafy vegetable (fresh or frozen) for the cabbage. Although I prefer Madras Curry Powder for the seasoning, it also tastes fantastic seasoned with Magic Mushroom Powder or my All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce. If you’re using a spice blend, don’t forget to add a splash of acid at the end, either with citrus or vinegar, to add some extra zing.
What side dishes can you serve with it?
This one-pan dish is already filled with meat and veggies, so you can eat it as is! If you insist on making another dish, you can serve it with these vegetable side dishes:
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the ghee when the pan is hot.
Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook the onions, stirring frequently until they’re soft and translucent.
Plop in the ground meat and break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Cook the ground meat, stirring frequently, until it is no longer pink.
Sprinkle the curry powder on the beef and onions and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to incorporate the seasoning.
Toss in the cabbage, and cover and cook for 2 to 5 minutes or until the cabbage softens to your desired consistency.
Add a spritz of lime juice, and taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Top with the minced cilantro and scallions.
Notes
Remember: this is just one example of how you can throw together a Garbage Stir-Fry. You could easily substitute your favorite seasoning blend for the curry, or a couple of cups of fresh or frozen vegetables for the cabbage. Don’t be afraid to improvise. Just sample the food as you cook, and stop seasoning when it tastes right.
Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days or up to four months in the freezer!
