Breakfast and Lunch for Dinner!

 

Growing up, the meal formula was typically a protein (which if I'm really honest was only meat - beef, pork, or chicken were always in rotation), a vegetable, and a starch which was either a rice, potato or pasta. Imagine three big wheels, protein, vegetable and starch, that could be spun to create the evening meal. Okay, it wasn't exactly like that, but you could modernize this technique to help keep dinners interesting and fresh!

Proteins have been expanded to include other options like fish including shellfish, cheese or dairy, and even turkey! Turkey is a great option for leanness and can be found in the supermarket section as a ground meat, cutlet, or even tenderloin. Sausage, kielbasa or chorizo, ham, or cold cured meats like salami can also widen your evening meal selection (and they can even be made from turkey).

Guess what else is protein?

Give yourself 10 points if you thought - eggs!! Yes! This is where it starts to get fun! Eggs can be the primary focus for any meal! Frittatas, quiches, omelettes are a few great options. OR fry and egg for on top of your burger. OR try baked eggs in tomato sauce, also known as Shakshuka. Voilà  - breakfast for dinner that is not pancakes or French toast and overflowing with carbs or sugar.

Lunch. What comes to mind? No, no fast food choices! Traditionally though, sandwiches are popular choices for lunch, right? BLT, grilled cheese, chicken salad, turkey club, tuna melt, so many options. Or salads. Tossed salad, cobb, Caesar...oooh, why not combine somethings right here and make a grilled chicken, grilled Caesar salad for dinner with a side of grilled garlic toast instead of croutons! What?

Here's how:

1. Grill chicken breast that have simply been marinated in a little Italian dressing, or a splash of olive oil with freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper.

2. Split romaine lettuce lengthwise and drizzle with olive oil then season with salt and pepper to taste. Then grill until the leaves have hash marks or are a bit wilted.

3. In a small bowl, mix three cloves of crushed garlic with 3/4 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper. Use a pastry brush to spread the mixture on the surface of individual slices of Italian bread, then grill until toasted, turn, and finish grilling on the other side. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.

4. Plate 1 section of romaine, top with your favorite Ceasar dressing, then the sliced, grilled chicken breast and serve with a side of grilled garlic toast. 

This will likely become one of your summer go-to dinners this year!

Try to find ways to mix things up to keep meals interesting for yourself. Make substitutions and swap outs and work with recipes you already know and love.

Looking for more meal inspiration? Check out this blog post by Fed Well on Zulily and try an Instant Pot (R) recipe for dinner!