Kids are making their way back to school, decorations are coming down, and homes are getting back to normal. I like to slide into the new year swing of things with good-for-you dinners that are still easy to pull together (hey, I haven’t recovered yet) and will feed my family well as they come down off their holiday chocolate highs.
| MONDAY |
A great use of squash, a classic winter vegetable, paired with mushrooms, peas, onions and celery, these individual pot pies are a great meatless main dish.
Photo credit: Maya Visneyi, Sweet Potato Chronicles
| TUESDAY |
A simple midweek dinner, this is cheaper than take out, and every bit as tasty. Boost the veggies if you like, or swap broccoli for your favourites.
Cashew Chicken & Broccoli
Photo credit: Brooke of Cheeky Kitchen
| WEDNESDAY |
Total comfort food, pasta carbonara comes together in as much time as it takes to cook dry pasta – any shape will work. It’s real fast food, and comfort food to boot.
Photo credit: Gwendolyn of Patent and the Pantry
| THURSDAY |
Tasty assemble-yourself beef and lettuce wraps won’t weigh you down – they’re light and crunchy, and the kids will love stuffing leaves with seasoned strips of beef, crunchy veggies and sticky rice. It’s an easy way to take a stab at Asian cuisine in your own home.
Photo credit: Aimee of Under the High Chair
| FRIDAY |
Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with lamb; in North America we’ve made the switch to beef. Ground lean beef or bison works well here – bison is far leaner, with about a quarter the fat of beef. If you use ground lamb, call it shepherd’s pie – if it’s beef, it’s cottage pie.