Easy, healthy recipes for the week: Black bean burgers, breakfast tacos and more
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Spring is right around the corner, and the bounty of seasonal produce invites you to try a new veggie or two. This week’s menu features seasonal MVPs, including snap peas, carrots, avocado, asparagus, and lettuce. You’ll find these ingredients in meals from Steak Caesar Salad to Black Bean Burgers, showing you how to enjoy foods and flavors you love in healthy ways.
What to Eat This Week This Week: March 11, 2024
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Monday
Breakfast: Avocado, Spinach and Egg Breakfast Tacos
Lunch: Cold Tahini Noodle Salad
Dinner: Steak Caesar Salad with Sugar Snap Peas
Snack of choice
Tuesday
Breakfast: Broiled Grapefruit with Yogurt, Nuts and Honey
Lunch: Caprese Caesar Wrap
Dinner: Black Bean Burgers
Snack of choice
Wednesday
Breakfast: Avocado, Spinach and Egg Breakfast Tacos
Lunch: Cold Tahini Noodle Salad
Dinner: Leftovers
Snack of choice
Thursday
Breakfast: Broiled Grapefruit with Yogurt, Nuts and Honey
Lunch: Caprese Caesar Wrap
Dinner: Gluten-Free Chicken Piccata
Snack of choice
Friday
Breakfast: Avocado, Spinach and Egg Breakfast Tacos
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Rotisserie Chicken with Roasted Asparagus with Pistachio Pesto
Snack of choice
Breakfast
If you’re not a breakfast eater, let these low-maintenance ideas inspire you to make it a habit. Take 10 minutes to prep the scrambled eggs in advance (they’ll last up to four days in your fridge) and reheat a portion before assembling your tacos. The grapefruit meal is easy to put together, and you can broil the fruit while making your coffee.
Vegetarian Breakfast Tacos by Casey Barber
Breakfast tacos? Yes, please! The recipe calls for one egg, which doesn’t provide sufficient protein in the morning, so we recommend topping your tacos with canned, drained black beans. You could also double up on the eggs, provided you have no more than 7 per week.
Broiled Grapefruit with Yogurt, Nuts and Honey
Section ½ grapefruit, sprinkle with cinnamon, and drizzle with honey. Broil until the topping bubbles and the grapefruit begins to caramelize. Then top your grapefruit with plain or lower-sugar Greek yogurt and nuts or seeds (such as pumpkin or hemp seeds).
Lunch
Sandwiches and salads are standard lunch go-to’s, but these versions are anything but typical. With some minimal advanced prep, assembling these meals before you head to work or sit down to eat is a cinch.
Caprese Caesar Wrap by Joy Bauer
Here’s an easy lunch wrap that combines the flavors of your favorite salads. Though the recipe involves making a quick dressing, you could skip this step and use bottled dressing instead. Then, add some avocado slices to your wrap. Serve your wrap with sliced red pepper strips and a dip made with Greek yogurt mixed with pesto to taste. This will amp up the protein and veggie goodness.
Cold Tahini Noodle Salad Lunch by Kevin Curry
Tired of the same old salad? Here’s a lettuce-less salad with four types of veggies, noddles and a rich-flavorful dressing. Prep the dressing and salad in advance (making enough for leftovers) and combine them when you’re ready to eat. Toss with shelled edamame — a great source of plant-based protein.
Dinner
This week’s focus is feel-good meals featuring lots of colorful produce. Bonus: None of these recipes require more than 20 minutes of hands-on time.
Steak Caesar Salad with Sugar Snap Peas by Jeremy Ford
Serving steak over salad is a healthy way to enjoy red meat, and it’s a filling combo that feels light, too. Plus, the salad’s mix of little gem lettuce and snap peas makes for the perfect crunch.
Sunny's Black Bean Burgers by Sunny Anderson
Black bean burgers are easy to make with a food processor. Do yourself a favor and make a big batch to freeze and enjoy later. Serve your burger on a whole-grain pita with all the fixings and have roasted carrots on the side.
Quick-Roasted Asparagus with Pistachio Pesto by Ryan Scott
When you don’t have time to do much cooking, buy a store-bought rotisserie chicken to pair with this quick, veggie side dish. Whip up a big batch of this pesto and freeze what you don’t use to season other meals later on. If your meal doesn’t feel complete without a starch, serve it with quinoa. Using a frozen version means everything will be ready to eat in 15 minutes or less.
Gluten-Free Chicken Piccata by Kevin Curry
This is a gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb version of chicken piccata, but don’t let that put you off. The chicken is breaded in seasoned almond flour and cooked until golden brown, and the sauce is rich and creamy. While it’s served over zucchini noodles, you could mix them with whole grain or legume-based pasta if you’d like.
Snacks
Snacks that contain whole food sources of protein and fiber offer a winning formula that keeps you full for hours. Here are a few ideas:
Apple slices and a cheese stick.
Sliced pear with cottage cheese.
Clementine and nuts or seeds (such as pumpkin seeds).
Red pepper slices with tzatziki yogurt dip.
Grape tomatoes with a boiled egg.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
