November has arrived and the hustle and bustle are getting real! The thought of Thanksgiving and other holidays is sneaking up on us and can be stressful for most. So this week, we created a meal plan with recipes that take less than 20 minutes and take minimal effort so that you can focus your time on other important tasks and still stay on top of healthy eating.
Menu Breakdown
Breakfast Recipe One: Turkey and Veggie Scramble
This turkey and veggie scramble is such an easy breakfast meal that can be done in less than 5 minutes. All you need are eggs and leftover veggies. We used bell peppers, onions, and turkey deli meat since we were using those ingredients in our other recipes this week. Talk about streamlining ingredients so that nothing goes to waste.
Breakfast: Peanut Butter and Apple Quesadilla
An apple a day keeps the doctor away! And what better way to pair it with peanut butter inside of a crispy golden tortilla. Heating it up in a skillet gives that creamy goodness from the peanut butter with the crisp and fresh bite of a fresh apple. If you want to keep this gluten-free, try almond flour tortillas, and there are also plenty of low carb options as well. You can also use any kind of nut butter and also use pears instead of apples.
Lunch Recipe One: Deli Style Cheesesteak Sandwich
If you love deli sandwiches and cheesesteak sandwiches, then this combines the best of both worlds and requires almost little to no cooking. We filled whole wheat bread with roast beef deli, cheddar slices, and sauteed peppers and onions. Place it in a toaster and you are looking at a tasty, but the lighter version that takes no time to prepare, but plenty of flavors you would enjoy from the classic cheesesteak sandwich.
Lunch Recipe Two: Air Fryer Turkey Deli Taquitos
Air Fryers just make things easier to prepare and also taste better. This lunch recipe couldn’t be any easier. All you have to do is roll up cheddar slices and turkey deli in between a tortilla and let the Air Fryer do all the work making it golden crispy. Enjoy it with your choice of topping such as salsa, guacamole, or with your favorite dip, along with a fresh, crisp side salad.
Dinner Recipe One: Salmon Chowder
This warm and comforting soup is made with fresh salmon, hearty potatoes, aromatics, herbs, and simmered in a creamy dairy-free broth. We used coconut milk to thicken the soup, but you can easily use heavy cream. The great thing about chowder is that you can make it with simple ingredients, make it in one pot, and it’s a meal all by itself. We used salmon, but you can also substitute it with other seafood such as shrimp, or make it vegetarian with beans. This easy salmon chowder recipe definitely hits the spot.
Dinner Recipe Two: Instant Pot Beef Ragu
Let’s just say that we can’t get enough of our Instant Pot. It is definitely a time saver and keeps the stress out of the kitchen. We love beef stew and we love ground meat marinara sauce, so we decided to combine both worlds. We pressure cooked the beef stew meat in the instant pot to get it soft and tender, at the end, we poured in marinara sauce. This week, we are enjoying it on top of a bed of steamed squash spirals, but you can easily serve this with your choice of sides such as brown rice, regular pasta, or even a side of roasted veggies.
Tips for Leftovers
- The Salmon Chowder and Beef Ragu are recipes that you are probably going to want to have again during the cold weather. So feel free to make a large batch and keep them in your freezer.
- You can freeze the extra tortillas, bread slices, and cheese for later use
- Keep the nut butter in your refrigerator after opening it. Use it as a dip for snacks with other fruit or even celery sticks throughout the week.
