Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - July 17-21

July 12, 2017
Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
If you like having a healthy meal plan but want something customized to your dietary or caloric needs, check out The Cooking Light Diet. It’s a calorie-driven weekly meal plan—breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—based on your dieting goals and food preferences. All of these recipes are from our new August issue. Look for one on a newsstands to find more delicious dinner inspiration.
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Monday: Seared Salmon Salad with Beets and Blackberries

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Seared Salmon Salad with Beets and Blackberries

A lime-forward vinaigrette adds pucker and punch to the salmon and salad, rounded out by earthy-sweet beets and juicy blackberries. Mint with blackberries is a favorite cocktail combo that also works in a fresh entrée salad.

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Tuesday: Quick BBQ Chicken Thighs with Mashed Potatoes

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Quick BBQ Chicken Thighs with Mashed Potatoes

We speed up this cookout classic by using boneless chicken thighs and a hot grill pan. Look for refrigerated mashed potatoes in the prepared foods aisle of the supermarket, usually with the refrigerated fresh pastas.

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Wednesday: Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

A sweet and savory peach glaze caramelizes on the pork as it cooks to perfection in a grill pan. We cut the tenderloin in half crosswise for easier maneuvering and faster cooking, and we tent the pork with foil to hold in more heat while it's in the pan. You could also use a cast-iron skillet if you don't have a grill pan. Serve with Watermelon-Tomato Salad.

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Thursday: Avocado-and-Pea Salmon Tartines

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Avocado-and-Pea Salmon Tartines

Elevate your avocado toast with silky smoked salmon for a lunch worth bragging about. This recipe delivers a double dose of heart-healthy unsaturated fats from both salmon and avocado, plus 35% of your daily fiber goal. Be sure to look for salmon that's labeled "wild Alaskan." That way you can be sure you're getting sustainable seafood.

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Friday: Chicken Thighs with Peperonata and Roasted Broccoli

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Chicken Thighs with Peperonata and Roasted Broccoli

We’re amazed by what this recipe achieves in just 20 minutes: crispy bone-in chicken thighs; a sweet, tangy, and savory pepper topper; and roasted broccoli. Part of the speed comes from being efficient with your pans—the pepper mixture cooks in the same pan used to crisp the chicken skin (adding fantastic flavor), and the broccoli and chicken roast together on a single baking sheet. 

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Bonus Dessert: Triple Melon Cream Pops

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Triple Melon Cream Pops

Turn the bumper crop of peak-season melon into crowd-pleasing cream pops. Floral honeydew, musky cantaloupe, and candy-sweet watermelon provide dazzling pastel colors, while a bit of yogurt lends creamy appeal.

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