Weeknight Wonders: 2 Quick and Simple Recipes for any Meal

How many times have you come home and not known what to eat or what to cook? If you’re looking to spice up your weeknight routine and have leftovers you can freeze, try these easy recipes!

How many times have you come home and not known what to eat or what to cook? If you’re looking to spice up your weeknight routine and have leftovers you can freeze, try these easy recipes!

1. Pesto Salmon

[Photo Source: Pinterest]

Serving Size: 1-2

Ingredients:

• 1 fillet of Salmon (grocery store fish section, small portion works!)
• 1 small jar of pesto
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• Pinch of Salt
• 15 green beans (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. On a cookie sheet, place a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around your salmon.
3. If you like green beans, feel free to place these on the aluminum foil. If not proceed with the salmon on the foil.
4. Take 3 tablespoons of pesto and create a thin layer on top of the salmon.
5. Chop your garlic into tiny bite sized pieces.
6. Sprinkle the garlic on top of your salmon.
7. Drizzle your olive oil on top of the fish.
8. Sprinkle your lemon juice on top of the dish.
9. Lastly, add your salt!
10. Wrap your salmon as if you’re making a cone shape with the aluminum foil.
11. Curl each end to the center, so your fish looks like a parcel.
12. Cook for 30-40 minutes depending on how well done you like your fish. I recommend you check your fish at 30 minutes by taking a fork and cutting through. If the fork goes through easily, you’re good to go!

Notes:

– This dish is heart healthy, includes MUFA foods, and has the good fats we all need to consume.
– If you’re looking to eat healthier or are on a diet, feel free to give this a try. You can sub any fried dish with this salmon and eat guilt free.

2. Chicken Mushroom Casserole

[Photo Source: Pinterest]

This is one of my favorite dishes. It is easy, delicious, and you can either freeze it or use it to impress your friends/roommates. Whenever my family wanted a non-desi comfort food, my mom would make a dish like this. Since then, the recipe has evolved but the fundamentals are still there. So go ahead and get cooking! And there’s a bonus: you don’t have to break the bank with this recipe!

Serving Size: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 1 pack Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 can of French’s Fried Onions
• 1 small can of French green beans (you can also use fresh if you prefer)
• 3 cloves garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop your chicken and garlic into bite size pieces.
3. Place your chicken in a medium sized baking dish.
4. If you are using a can of green beans, be sure to drain the water out of the can before you pour the beans into the dish. If you’re using fresh beans, wash them, break off either end, and then toss into the fish.
5. Next put in your cream of mushroom cans. It will be thick and creamy at this point, that’s normal.
6. Pour your milk into the dish.
7. Stir chicken, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and milk together.
8. Add pepper. (This is to taste, I tend to like a lot of pepper so I add more.) Mix in half a can of French’s Fried Onions.
10. Mix in your garlic.
11. Once everything has been mixed in, sprinkle the rest of the fried onions on top of the casserole.
12. Place the dish in the oven for 20 minutes.

Notes:

– All ingredients can be substituted with non-fat or low fat.
– If you want to use whole breasts, that also works, just be advised cooking time will increase.
– This dish can be served over rice to soak up some of the cream of mushroom.