I love homemade meals with my fiancé, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't have a game plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I've bought (and I HATE wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal plan and grocery guide. This way, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.
Last week, I bought sun-dried tomato pesto that I used for in both Whole Wheat Penne w/ Pesto and a Goat Cheese, Asparagus & Pesto Stuffed Tenderloin. This week, I'm making an Avocado, Tomato and Corn salad that I'll serve alongside a Spicy Grilled Shrimp and use again on top of Shredded Chicken Tacos.
Here's what else I'm making:
Pantry Items Olive oil (regular and extra virgin) Red wine vinegar Cooking spray Parmesan Chicken stock (optional) Cayenne Paprika Crushed red pepper Salt Pepper
Grocery List based on servings for 2 w/ leftovers 1 ½ lbs shrimp, peeled and de-veined (fresh or frozen) 3-4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts 1 red onion 1 head garlic 1 lemon 2 limes 1 avocado 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1 bunch fresh basil 1 ear fresh corn 3 oz green beans, trimmed 1 bunch mixed greens (enough for large side salad) 1 loaf crust Tuscan bread (multigrain optional) 1 package whole-grain angel hair pasta 1 package whole-wheat soft tacos
Angel Hair Pasta w/ Shrimp, Basil & Garlic Oil
Cook two portions of pasta to al dente according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium-low heat and coat lightly with olive oil.
Season half the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook until pink and just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove shrimp and set aside. *If using fresh shrimp, freeze remaining uncooked shrimp for use in day 4.
Add about 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to pan and sprinkle in crushed red pepper and 2-3 cloves minced garlic. Toss in drained pasta, cooked shrimp, freshly chopped basil, and salt and pepper.
Serve hot topped with parmesan cheese.
Grilled Lemon Chicken & Garlic Toast *Makes leftover Grilled Chicken for use in Shredded Chicken Tacos
Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil and toss with lemon zest, 2 cloves minced garlic, chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper.
Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat and add chicken, skin side down. Cover and cook for about 6-8 minutes. Flip chicken, cover and cook until browned and cooked through, for about another 12-15 minutes depending on size. Juices will run clear when chicken is cooked. *Reserve half cooked chicken for use in day 4.
Brush two slices bread with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill bread until charred, about 1 minute per side. Rub charred bread with garlic clove.
Meanwhile, toss mixed greens with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Serve chicken hot over mixed greens with garlic-rubbed grilled bread.
Spicy Grilled Shrimp w/ Tomato, Avocado, & Corn Salad *Makes leftover Tomato, Avocado & Corn Salad for use in Chicken Tacos
Drizzle defrosted shrimp with olive oil and toss with ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1 clove minced garlic and lime zest. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and add shrimp. Cook, flipping once, until opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side depending on size of shrimp.
Meanwhile, place ear of corn in a large bowl standing upright. Hold and slide knife down the sides to remove kernels. Discard cob.
Toss corn with half a package of halved cherry tomatoes, 1 chopped avocado, 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Serve alongside sizzling shrimp.
Shredded Chicken Tacos w/ Chunky Avocado Corn Salsa *Uses leftover Grilled Chicken and Tomato, Avocado, & Corn Salad
Remove skin from leftover chicken and shred using two forks. Toss shredded chicken with ¼ tsp cayenne, 1 clove minced garlic, salt and black pepper.
Heat pan over medium-heat and coat lightly with olive oil or cooking spray. Add chicken and cook until warmed through, adding a splash of chicken stock if too dry.
Add ¼ cup minced red onion and chopped fresh basil to leftover avocado, tomato & corn salad. Mix and lightly smash avocados with a fork.
Warm tortillas and top with spiced chicken, chunky tomato, avocado & corn salsa, and a squeeze of fresh lime.
Grilled Tomato Panzanella recipe from marthastewart.com
Bring a medium pot of water to boil and add green beans, cooking until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Slice remaining bread into 1-inch-thick pieces. Heat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and add bread, cooking until charred, about 1 minute per side. Rub with garlic and cut into cubes.
Toss bread with halved tomatoes, green beans, ½ thinly sliced red onion, chopped fresh basil, 2 tbsp olive oil, and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Enjoy!
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