3 healthy weeknight dinners
and what I am currently loving
Happy new year from the Leaf Family! If you read my newsletter last week, you know what a whirlwind this last week was for us. Luckily we are all on the mend & ready for the new year!
In this weeks post, I will walk you through 3 healthy weeknight meals you could make for your family & all of the things I am currently obsessed with! PS, I am taking your book recommendations in the comments below!
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Happy you’re here : )
Let’s talk dieting..
I’m not blind to the fact that most people “diet” this time of year. And I don’t blame you! The end of November is thanksgiving, and winter comfort food season begins. There’s lots of Mac & cheese, rolls, butter and cozy comforting foods. Then December rolls around and it’s holiday gathering after holiday gathering. Loads of cookies, more rolls and more Mac & cheese. 🤤
Come January, everyones like… “ugh. I feel yucky.” But here’s where the problem lies. Most people make a drastic change. They go from eating that bread to cutting out all carbohydrates, or eating pie/cookies every day to cold cutting all sugar from their diet.
That’s going to backfire. Trust me.
Instead of cutting out large food groups, focus on adding more nutrient dense food into your diet.
I’ll give you an example… If you’re used to having a Starbucks muffin for breakfast every day, try making a batch of high protein muffins at home & have one for breakfast.
Here’s another example… If you are having a slice of pie with whipped cream every night, try eating a higher protein dinner & having a cup of warm tea with honey afterwards.
Nevertheless, you are not alone!! And I am here to support you. I want to share my top 3 EASY family friendly healthy recipe. You can make them in just 30 minutes. If you like them, then add them to your monthly rotation!! They are satiating, nutritionally dense, and so easy to make. Let’s get to it!
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Salad (use the ingredients below in any amount you prefer)
romaine lettuce, chopped
tomato, chopped
avocado, sliced
air fried chicken nuggets - use frozen or you can use my 3 ingredient recipe
hard boiled egg, chopped - boil in hot water for 12 minutes, then peel
turkey bacon, chopped - air fry at 350F for 10 minutes, flipping half way
blue cheese
parsley, chopped
Dressing (serves 4 salads)
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
Chop the salad ingredients into bite-size pieces and add them to a bowl.
Combine the dressing in a mason jar & shake.
Pour dressing on top of the salad and enjoy!
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos
Slaw
4 cups of coleslaw
2 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of agave or honey
Pinch of salt & pepper, to taste
👉🏼To make the slaw, combine the ingredients together in a bowl. Mix well.
Shrimp
16 oz shrimp, I prefer using jumbo shrimp (about 20-30 count)
2-3 tablespoons of taco seasoning
2 tablespoons avocado oil for cooking
👉🏼Mix the dried shrimp with the seasoning, then cook in avocado oil for 1 minute each side.
Cilantro Lime Sauce
1/4 cup mayo
1 lime, zested + juiced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Dash of hot sauce, more or less depending on taste preference
Pinch of salt & pepper, to taste
👉🏼 Add the ingredients into a blender & blend until smooth.
Other Ingredients
9-12 tortillas of choice
👉🏼Char tortillas by cooking on an open gas flame. Assemble tacos & enjoy!
Persian Salmon & Chickpeas Sheet Pan Meal
Ingredients
2 pounds Norwegian salmon filet
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dill, chopped
1 tablespoon salt & pepper (each)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets, stems chopped
1 can chickpeas
1 red onion
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, turmeric and paprika (each)
Yogurt Sauce
1 cup yogurt, plain thick
1/4 cup mint, fresh
1/4 cups dill, chopped
lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Mix all the veggies + spices (except chickpeas) into a bowl and toss to combine. Lay on a sheet pan & bake for 12 minutes while you prep the salmon.
Add 0.25 tbsp salt, 0.25 tbsp ground black pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil, and 2 tbsp dill to the salmon, then place salmon and chickpeas and juice of 1 lemon to the baking tray. Bake for another 12 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.
Prep the yogurt sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together. Serve it on top of the salmon & veggies!
Things I am currently obsessed with…
ARMRA Colostrum
Ok, I started taking this on December 11th (3 weeks ago). I feel like it’s an appropriate amount of time to report back. Listen closely. My whole house had the flu, I felt the symptoms come on and astonishingly, I didn’t catch it. I am not entirely sure how. The only thing I was doing differently than everyone else is taking colostrum. I’ll keep sharing updates, but for now, I love it. I just put 1 dry scoop right into my mouth.
Reading before bed
My current book is Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is my second time reading it & I find that it gives simple tactics to building good habits. I have NEVER been a reader, but it’s been 4 months now that I have adopted the habit of reading before bed. Instead of going on my phone, I pop a reading light on & read until my eyes feel droopy. I genuinely look forward to it & it’s a nice way to end the evening in a non-stressed state.
Leave your book reccomendations in the comments below please!!
Superhuman activations before bed
It’s an app by Mimi Buchard with tons of “activations.” It’s a blend of guided visualizations, emotional music & motivational affirmations you can do any time. They have some really good sleep ones that are about 12 minutes long. I pop a headphone in, and fall asleep to the calming activation.
They did offer my community 100% off 1-month Superhuman Meditations monthly subscription + 2-week free trial (total 6 weeks free membership). This is a killer deal! THe code only works on their website, so just go to the link, and add the code JAZZ at checkout. You won’t be charged for 6 weeks!
FitTrack scale
The one number you see on the scale does’t matter. Instead, a better depiction of your overall health is the other metrics like BMI, muscle rate, visceral fat and metabolic age. This FitTrack scale measures 17 other metrics, it’s like getting a full body DEXA scan ($150) every time you step on it. Your app tracks it all & gives you ways to improve your overall health. I am learning that I need to focus on increasing my muscle rate & bone mass by lifting more. That’s my goal!
They have offered us 20% off on top of the 50% off sale on their website. So stack codes & get it on sale with the code JAZZLEAF at checkout.
Thank you for being here & for reading this newsletter. It means more than you know. If you like my work, and want to support me as a creator, a small way to do so is to subscribe to my Substack for weekly emails. Either way, I am happy you’re here : )
Until next time fam! xo Jazzy