Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - February 12-16

These quick chicken-and-veggie bowls are endlessly adaptable depending on what you have on hand. Beyond cucumber and tomato, you could try thinly sliced carrots, steamed broccoli florets and zucchini, or roasted cauliflower. You could also sub flaked salmon or sliced cooked lamb for the chicken. Treat the couscous like pasta, simmering until tender and then draining. Unlike most pastas, you'll want to rinse and drain the couscous so the grains don't clump together.

We give quick-cooking orzo pasta the risotto treatment—toasting the grains first, then slowly incorporating hot liquid until creamy and starchy—for a comforting "orzotto." The rich egg yolk ties it all together. Make it vegetarian by swapping chicken stock for 2 cups of veggie broth and 2 cups of water. If you don't eat eggs, top it off with sauteed mushrooms and toasted walnuts instead. 

Uncured Mexican chorizo is raw ground pork laced with garlic, cumin, oregano, and chile powder—not the dried, cured links. Make a little extra tonight, and try it on a baked potato for lunch tomorrow.

Instead of shaking the coconut milk can to emulsify the cream, reserve the rich "cream" floating to the top and blend with ginger and lime for a decadent swirl on each serving. Silken tofu adds instant body and protein to the soup for a more substantial main dish.

You don’t need to grill outdoors to get smoky char on this shrimp dish, just a quick spice rub and a hot skillet. The fennel and shallots caramelize and become tender as they roast, and the orange slices become concentrated and fragrant. The multigrain medley is a fun alternative to brown rice; it includes brown, red, and wild rice, plus quinoa. Can’t find it? Use any precooked brown rice or quick-cooking quinoa.

Brighten up winter happy hour or Sunday brunch with this citrusy cocktail. Leafy carrot tops lend an herby backbone similar to parsley, and blood oranges infuse a berrylike sweetness. Plus, this drink boasts half your daily vitamin A and more than a third of your daily vitamin C goal.