There's something so wonderful and comforting about a warm, healthy dinner in the winter when it's freezing cold outside. For the past couple of months I've been trying to cook dinner (almost) every weeknight, and in the process I've discovered some really amazing, healthy recipes. There have been some recipes we've fallen in love with (and some we haven't), but today I thought I'd share mine and my boyfriend's top three meals. My boyfriend Chris is a typical guy and loves any recipe with lots of meat and lots of flavor - so all three of these have his stamp of approval. And the best part is - all three are very easy to make and very healthy!
Let's get started...
The first recipe is mine and Chris's favorite of all time. The thing that makes this meal so easy is that you basically put all of the ingredients on a sheet pan (even the raw chicken) and it all bakes together. I cook everything on aluminum foil so I don't even dirty the pan. The chicken is SO FLAVORFUL I can't even put it into words! It hardly needs any toppings. We both add Greek yogurt to ours, but you don't even need cheese - they're so flavorful on their own. This recipe makes enough for two people, so if you're cooking for an entire family you'll want to double the recipe. Chris asks me to make this almost every single week - it's his favorite!
Skinny Baked Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas via The Cookie Rookie
Ingredients:
- 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
- 3/4 cup diced roma tomatoes (or 1/2 can drained diced tomatoes)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 large bell peppers (you can use green, red, yellow, or all three)
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (plus extra for topping)
- 1 (1 oz) packet Fajita seasoning
- 4 medium tortillas
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place a sheet of aluminum foil over a pan or 9x13 baking dish
2. Mix together the tomatoes, onion, and peppers and place on the pan
3. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, fajita seasoning and chopped cilantro. Toss in the chicken and stir until fully coated.
4. Place the coated chicken into the baking dish with the vegetables. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked fully and vegetables are fork tender.
5. With about 8 minute left, wrap the tortillas in foil and place them in the oven to warm them.
6. Serve with warmed tortillas, greek yogurt and cilantro. (You can also add shredded cheese but we think they are flavorful enough on their own!)
This next recipe is another Winter favorite - slow cooker turkey chili! I like using turkey because it's a little leaner and healthier - and Chris can't taste the difference at all (the first time I made this for him, I didn't tell him it was turkey and he never knew!). You can literally throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and then forget about it all day - and then at dinnertime, voila! It's ready. I love making this on cold or rainy days because it's extra comforting and delicious. AND it makes tons of leftovers! I freeze half the leftovers and put the rest in the fridge for lunches.
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili via Allrecipes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 (10.75) can low sodium tomato soup
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Pain Greek yogurt (for topping)
- Shredded Cheddar cheese (for topping)
Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the turkey in the skillet and cook until evenly brown; drain.
2. Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray and mix in turkey, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans and onion. Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper and salt.
3. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
4. Top with Greek yogurt and shredded cheese. Enjoy!
source
This next one I discovered through my mom. She made it for dinner a few weeks ago when I was visiting Charlotte, and I knew I had to make it for me and Chris! This recipe is another slow cooker one, you put all the ingredients in and then let it simmer all day. It's incredibly healthy and filling, and also reheats really well for leftovers. It has 10 grams of fiber and 29 grams of protein per serving - that's incredible. The only "complaint" that both Chris and I had was that we thought it could use a few more spices, even some jalapeños (both Chris and I like spicy foods). I'm putting the original recipe down below, so feel free to experiment by adding more spices or some diced jalapeños on top.
Slow Cooker Fajita & Quinoa Soup via Eat Yourself Skinny
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 3 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (4.5 oz) can green chiles
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- Cilantro, chopped (for topping)
- Avocado, sliced (for topping)
- Shredded cheese (for topping)
Instructions:
1. In a 6-quart slow cooker, place raw chicken breasts at the bottom of the dish and add the rest of the ingredients on top. Cover and place on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
2. Remove chicken and shred with two forks, then add back to slow cooker. Season with additional salt and seasonings if needed.
3. Spoon soup into bowls and top with favorite toppings. Enjoy!
If you have any other easy dinner meals for Winter, let me know in the comments! :)
xoxo