How often do you stare into your fridge
trying to figure out the fastest thing to make for dinner?
I'm gonna show you how to make four recipes
that are all ready in just 30 minutes or less
that you can leave the dinnertime stress behind.
Hey guys, welcome back to my channel.
It's Taylor from the Girl on Bloor.
I'm all about sharing easy meal prep strategies
that you can save time, money and stress.
Life gets busy and some nights you need a dinner option
that's fast and easy without having to reach
for takeout menus.
But just because you're tight on time
doesn't mean that you have to be short on flavor.
Today, I'll be showing you how to make
four 30-minute dinner recipes that are super delicious
but also quick and easy.
If you're guilty of always leaving dinner
to the last minute, I've got you covered.
In today's video, we'll be making pizza stuffed chicken,
sheet pan lemony chicken and asparagus,
my favorite loaded sweet potato fries
and these yummy copycat PF Chang's lettuce wraps.
If you're looking for even more healthy dinner ideas
like these ones, I've got lots to choose from
in my four-week meal plan, which I've linked to
in the description below.
All right, enough talk. Let's dive right in.
We're going to kick things off by making
my delicious pizza stuffed chicken hasselback style.
This recipe offers a low-carb spin
on everyone's favorite weekend food
and is ready in just half an hour.
To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees
and prep your ingredients.
Because you'll be stuffing your toppings
into little slits in your chicken breast,
you'll need to slice them up super thinly
so that they'll fit.
Thinly slice about half a cup of mushrooms
and about half a cup of green peppers.
You could also use red onions
or any of your other favorite pizza toppings.
Just make sure that they are toppings
that can be sliced thinly enough to fit,
and I recommend no more than two to three toppings total.
For my final topping, I'm using turkey pepperoni.
Regular pepperoni will work too,
but turkey pepperoni is lighter in calories
and I don't eat pork, so that's what works for me.
Once you've got your toppings,
you'll grate one cup of mozzarella cheese
and then get out some pizza sauce.
Okay, now you're ready to prepare your chicken.
Take four chicken breasts.
Today, I'm using three because I don't need
as many leftovers and cut some slits into them.
Make sure that the slits are as long
and as deep as possible cutting lengthwise
across each breast.
Add your chicken to a parchment lined baking sheet
then season with salt and pepper.
Now you're good to add your toppings and sauce.
Add a little bit of pizza sauce in each slit,
then stuff with your mushrooms, green peppers and pepperoni.
Now pop 'em into the oven for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes are up, remove from the oven,
top with cheese and then bake another 10 minutes
until the cheese is nice and melty.
The cooking times will vary here
depending on how large your chicken breasts are
and how much you've managed to stuff into each one.
So I recommend using a meat thermometer
to make sure that the internal temperature
of the chicken has reached 165 degrees
in the thickest part of the breast.
Okay, you're ready you to dig in.
Top your pizza chicken with a bit of Italian seasoning
and red chili flakes if you'd like, then serve and enjoy.
I like to serve mine with a little arugula salad on the side
drizzled with my favorite ever
homemade honey Dijon dressing.
I've linked to my homemade salad dressings post
and YouTube video in case you'd like
to make healthier dressings to keep on hand
for last minute dinners like these.
They really do come in handy.
And there you have it, a low carb take on a classic.
You can store any leftovers in the fridge
for up to five days in glass meal prep containers
and reheat in the microwave.
Just make sure to sprinkle some water overtop first
so the chicken doesn't dry out.
You could also freeze the uncooked
or even cooked pizza chickens for up to three months.
What I like to do is freeze the raw chicken
with the veggies stuffed inside.
When you're ready to have them for dinner,
let them thaw overnight in the fridge
before baking as usual.
Otherwise, you can defrost
the cooked chicken breast overnight in the fridge
and then microwave or throw them in the oven
to reheat them from there.
Okay, next, we're going to make
this lemony sheet pan chicken and asparagus.
This recipe has the best of both worlds;
less cooking time and less dishes.
All you'll need is a cutting board, a small bowl
and one sheet pan.
Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees
and prep your ingredients.
Mince four cloves of garlic,
slice one cup of baby potatoes in half
and then trim the ends off of one bunch of asparagus.
You'll also need four chicken cutlets
or two chicken breasts up that have been cut up lengthwise.
You could use boneless skinless chicken thighs
for this recipe but they've got more fat
and will increase the calorie count
even if they are more flavorful,
so choose what's best for you.
Now you'll make the sauce.
In a small bowl, mix together two tablespoons of olive oil,
two tablespoons of lemon juice, the minced garlic,
one teaspoon of dried or fresh parsley,
half a teaspoon of dried rosemary
and half a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Add the sliced baby potatoes and chicken
to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Toss with the lemony sauce and bake in the oven
for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes is up, add the asparagus to the pan
and bake it all together for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.
You don't want to add the asparagus in too early,
otherwise it'll overcook.
Now you're ready to serve and enjoy.
I told you this recipe was super easy.
It's ready in a pinch and you won't have to stress
about doing a lot of dishes afterwards.
It's also great for leftovers.
Store individual portions in glass meal prep containers
in the fridge for up to five days,
and reheat in the microwave for one to two minutes.
I recommend sprinkling some water over top of the chicken
before popping it in the microwave to make sure
that it doesn't dry out.
You can also freeze the chicken by itself
for up to three months and then let it thaw
in the fridge overnight
before sprinkling some water over top
and then reheating in the microwave for a minute or two.
I don't recommend freezing the potatoes
or asparagus, unfortunately.
If I have leftovers about to go bad from this recipe,
I'll freeze the chicken for salads, quesadillas,
wraps and more so it's nice to have that option.
Okay, moving on to recipe number three.
If you're looking for something more indulgent
without all the extra calories
you'll love these easy loaded sweet potato fries
that we're going to make next.
They're actually ready in under 30 minutes
with just 20 minutes of cooking time.
And they're vegetarian to boot,
making them a budget friendly veggie packed option.
To start, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Add one bag of frozen sweet potato fries
to a parchment lined baking sheet,
and then bake according to the package instructions.
Usually it takes about 20 minutes.
There are lots of options
for healthy, frozen sweet potato fries that you can find
in the natural foods aisle at your local grocery store.
While the fries are cooking, prep your ingredients.
For this recipe, I'm going with a Tex Mex theme.
Drain and rinse one can of black beans
and dice up one red pepper, slice up four green onions,
thinly slice one jalapeno pepper,
chop about a quarter cup of cilantro
and then grate one cup of cheese.
I personally like using mozzarella or cheddar,
but you can use whatever you have on hand.
After your toppings are prepped,
you're going to make the avocado cilantro sauce
which adds the perfect finishing touch.
Add one ripe avocado, half a cup of chopped cilantro,
half a cup of sour cream, one tablespoon of lime juice
and half a teaspoon of salt to a food processor,
blender or Magic Bullet.
Blend until smooth, then set aside.
You're going to drizzle your loaded fries with it
once they're done cooking.
Pull the cooked fries outta the oven,
sprinkle your cheese over top,
and then broil for two to three minutes
until the cheese is melted.
Put the cheese covered fries on a plate
and finish them off with your toppings
and the avocado cilantro sauce.
One of the great things about this recipe
is that you can switch up the toppings
to whatever you're in the mood for,
or use up whatever you have on hand in the fridge.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for three to five days,
just make sure to separate the fries and the toppings.
When you're ready to eat, reheat the fries in the oven
for about five to 10 minutes
and then add your fresh toppings.
Okay, onto 30-minute dinner number four.
Last but not least, we're going to make a copycat version
of PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps.
This version is quick and healthy, and the best part
is that you don't have to leave the comfort of your own home
to enjoy them.
To start, prep your ingredients.
Finely chop one pound of shiitake or oyster mushrooms,
then dice up one yellow onion, mince four cloves of garlic,
mince one table spin of ginger,
finely chop up one can of water chestnuts,
and slice up four green onions.
You'll also need half a cup of matchstick carrots
and one head of lettuce.
I buy the matchstick carrots to save time
but you could also grate a whole carrot.
I also find that romaine lettuce holds the ingredients best
since it's a heartier lettuce,
but you could also use Boston leaf lettuce
like the OG PF Chang's version.
Now that your ingredients are prepped,
you're going to make the yummy filling.
Heat one tablespoon sesame oil in a large frying pan
over medium-high heat.
Then add the mushrooms and cook for four to five minutes
until the juices start to release.
Then you'll add in one pound of ground chicken
and season with a pinch of salt.
Break up the chicken with a spoon, cooking for two minutes
until lightly brown.
Add in the yellow onion, minced garlic, ginger,
two tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce,
then your water chestnuts and carrots.
If you want your lettuce wraps to have an extra kick,
you can also add in one or two tablespoons of sriracha.
Mix that all together and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes
until the chicken is fully cooked
and the veggies are tender.
Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the green onions,
and then it's time to assemble your lettuce wraps.
This recipe is a great copycat version
of the restaurant version,
and you don't even have to get out of your sweats
to enjoy it.
Freeze the filling for up to three months
and then serve in fresh lettuce cups,
or store everything separately in the fridge
for up to five days.
You can even turn the lettuce wraps into Mason jar salads
which are a great option for your workweek lunches.
Just add the filling to the bottom of the Mason jar
and top it with chopped lettuce.
How fast were all these recipes?
These dishes are a lifesaver when you're looking
for a quick and easy dinner solution
and can be stored as leftovers in the fridge to enjoy
throughout the week.
Some components of these recipes can be frozen,
but the beauty of these meals
is that they're all ready super fast from scratch.
No more takeout or panic over what's for dinner
at the last minute.
I told you, I got you covered.
In addition to these four easy dishes,
I've got even more healthy dinner recipes
and my free four-week meal plan
which I've linked to in the description below.
It's the perfect resource to help get you started
with meal prep.
Okay, I need to know which one of these recipes
you're going to try first?
Let me know in the comments below.
They're all so easy, you could try a different one
each day of the week.
If you enjoyed this video, be sure to give it a thumbs up
and subscribe to my channel for more easy, healthy recipes.
And please share my channel with any friends and family
who could use some quick dinnertime inspiration.
I swear that word of mouth really helps my channel grow
and allows me to continue to provide free resources to you.
Now that I've saved all that time on cooking,
I'm gonna kick back and relax for the rest of the evening
with one of these tasty dishes.
Thanks for hanging out in my kitchen today,
and I'll see you in the next video.