Dietitians Dish – April 22, 2024
Stretch Your Dollars with Staples On-Hand!
Quality meals can be simple to make without breaking the bank. Stretch your budget by stocking the pantry and freezer when items are on sale. Plan a menu around your stockpile ingredients and fresh ingredients that are on sale. To help produce last longer, properly store and don’t wash them until you are ready to use.
If you stick to a weekly menu plan, save time by cleaning and dicing fruits and veggies all at once (only if you’re going to use them in the coming days). Chicken can be pre-cooked and diced to save time. They’re easy to freeze until you need them for a recipe. Try these delicious options for quick meals that include fresh and frozen or canned ingredients. You won’t be disappointed!
Heart Healthy Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 cups canned tuna (in water), drained
- 2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 Tbsps. chopped scallions
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 Tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsps. olive oil
- Mixed greens, for serving
Directions:
- Preheat the broiler.
- In a large bowl, gently toss all ingredients except the greens to combine.
- Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 1 hour. Serve chilled over greens.
Recipe (adapted) and image courtesy of Healthecooks.com.
Heart Healthy Buffalo Chicken and Spinach Wrap
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsps. red hot sauce
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 lb. cooked, boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
- 3 Tbsps. nonfat plain yogurt
- 3 Tbsps. crumbled blue cheese dressing
- 6 whole grain tortillas
- 1-1/2 cups spinach, cut into strips
- 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced into 4” sticks
- 3 carrots, thinly sliced into 4” sticks
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine hot sauce, white wine vinegar and cayenne, if desired. Add chicken to
vinegar mixture and toss chicken to coat well. Set it aside. - In another bowl, stir together yogurt and blue cheese.
- Spread 1 Tbsp. of blue cheese mixture on each tortilla. Arrange spinach on top of blue cheese. Evenly divide chicken, celery and carrots among the tortillas and wrap.
Recipe (adapted) and image courtesy of Healthecooks.com.