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Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - October 23-27

Updated September 19, 2017
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. Look for one on a newsstands to find more delicious dinner inspiration.
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Monday: Orange-Almond Chicken-and-Cabbage Bowls

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Orange-Almond Chicken-and-Cabbage Bowls

This colorful, no-cook chicken and cabbage bowl is the perfect weeknight dinner solution: quick, endlessly adaptable, and low-calorie yet completely satisfying.

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Tuesday: Arugula Pesto Pizza

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Arugula Pesto Pizza

Change up the green element in your pesto and you can enjoy it all year long. Peppery arugula and fresh flat-leaf parsley make up the base of the saucy spread for this pizza.

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Wednesday: Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

A well-stocked spice cabinet is key for this hearty vegetarian stew. You can substitute cubed sweet potato for the butternut squash (one medium potato will equal about 2 cups). If making ahead, reheat the stew with a splash of stock to loosen.

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Thursday: Korean BBQ Buns

Photo: Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Korean BBQ Buns

The traditional flavors of Korean bulgogi (barbecued beef) come together here in meatball form, thanks to soy sauce, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, and garlic. Chinese steamed buns are an unexpected treat; they’re squishy, slightly chewy, and all-around wonderful. Serve with Garlic-and-Sesame Green Beans.

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Friday: Red Beans and Rice

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Red Beans and Rice

If you want stick-to-your ribs fare, this dish is it: The beans and brown rice deliver complex carbohydrates and protein, both of which take longer to digest. We love the smoky heat of andouille sausage, but regular smoked turkey sausage links or hot Italian sausage also work.

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Bonus Cocktail: Honey Cider-Beer Cocktails

Photo: Brian Woodcock
View Recipe: Honey Cider-Beer Cocktails

The cider-honey base of this fall beverage makes enough for both adult and kid twists: one with pale ale, the other with sparkling cider. 

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