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This week I didn’t do too well in the planning dinner department.  Well, I did plan it out, but I didn’t account for somehow not having enough leftovers for us to have the next night, oops!  So I had to figure out some quick, easy and cheap dinner ideas which included

Roasted Tomato Panzanella Salad

Serves:  6

• 16 oz cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 loaf TJ’s roasted garlic ciabatta or any of your favorite bread, cubed
• 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 package of prosciutto, chopped (about 1.5 oz, optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (we like our dressings with more vinegar)
• 1 tsp of honey
• sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese
• pepper to taste

Simply saute the cherry tomatoes in a large pan until slightly charred on the outside (you could also bake them at 400 F).  Place them in a strainer and squeeze out all the juice into a bowl.  Saute the cubed bread in a little olive oil until crispy (you could also bake these too)

While the tomatoes are straining, saute the prosciutto in a pan until crispy and add to a large bowl, along with the bread, romaine, carrots, and chickpeas.

Once all the juice has been drained, add the olive oil, vinegar and honey to the juice and stir.  Add the vinaigrette to the salad bowl, stir and sprinkle with parmesan.  Easy!!  We also had a little grilled cheese along side with the roasted garlic ciabatta used for the croutons.

This one we did have some ready for lunch leftovers.  I always try to assemble leftovers for lunch the next day while making dinner because it makes it so much easier to have it ready to go!

The next quick recipe for the week . . .

Omelets

I’m a huge fan of eggs for a quick and satisfying meal.  These ones we made individually, but the ratio is usually always the same and you can add pretty much anything you like!

For mine:

• 2 eggs + 1/4 cup egg whites, whisked together
• sprinkling of dried oregano (we love this with eggs!)
• 1/2 cup sauteed veggies (I had mushrooms, zucchini, leftover prosciutto, tofu and spinach)
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 sliced avocado

Place eggs in a heated saute pan and immediately start shaking the pan back and forth in quick movements horizontally over the burner until slightly set.  This technique makes the eggs nice, fluffy and tender.

Once it’s slightly set you can add the oregano and fillings; fold two sides over gently and cook until fully set.  Top with cheese and avocado.  Yum!

And last but not least . . .

Salmon Salad

Because I don’t tend to get enough fresh salmon in my diet, I love to use canned salmon as a great alternative.  It also is a good source of calcium because it contains the bones (don’t worry they are super tender and can’t be noticed).  This recipe is also very versatile and can be adjusted by ingredients you have on hand.

I like to use TJ’s canned red salmon which is also wild.

• 2 cans wild salmon
• 2 light garlic and herb laughing cow cheeses
• 1/3 cup NF greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup grapes, chopped
• 1/2  red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• few good glugs of rice wine vinegar or lemon juice
• I also added mrs. dash garlic and herb

I chopped up some romaine and topped it with whole wheat cous cous, chopped pistachios and dried cranberries and then I topped that with a dollop of the salmon salad.  Refreshing and packed with protein!

You can check out my other version of Persimmon Pistachio Salmon Salad too 🙂

It can be tough juggling everything and still get a meal on the table, so these recipes are pretty quick and fairly easy to do.  I hope you enjoy them as is or you can make adjustments to your liking!

Boy, is anyone else glad it’s Friday tomorrow??

I am!  6am spin in the morning woo-hoo!