healthy dinner ideas

The Wifey’s Grilled Summertime Corn Salad

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It’s FINALLY warm enough to grill outside here in Chicago, so this week The Wifey Kitchen took the action upstairs to our roof deck- cause nothing says “summer” like grilling.

The first time I tried this salad, it was my friend Lindsay’s version and I swear I wanted to marry her myself. It’s so light and fresh and is the perfect side piece to any main course.

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Heck- you can even serve it as the main course and throw some grilled shrimp on top!

My version of this dish can be modified as you like- add and or omit. And per usual, I don’t get super anal with my measuring … I just use common sense and throw in ingredients as I go. And yes, I made things even easier for myself and hit up the salad bar for cucumber and red onion.

Ready? Let’s get Wife’d Up- in the sun!

The Wifey’s Summertime Grilled Corn Salad

What You Need/Grocery List:

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  • about 6 ears of corn- pre shucked or DIY
  • a package of goat cheese
  • a package of grape or cherry tomatoes- cut in half
  • half a cucumber- sliced into rounds and then cut into fourths
  • a pat of butter
  • an avocado- cut into chunks
  • a small bit of fresh cilantro or about 1/2 tsp of dried cilantro
  • 1/4 cup of red onion- finely diced
  • a small lime, cut in half
  • a drizzle of olive oil
  • salt and pepper

What To Do:

  • pre heat your grill to medium/low heat
  • butter each ear of corn, sprinkle with salt and pepper
  • throw corn on the grill, and turn every 5 mins or so until the corn has deepened in golden color and is charred in some spots

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  • cut your tomatoes in halves, cucumber into fourths, avocado into chunks (hit the video for tutorial), dice your onion, and your cilantro.
  • remove corn from grill, BE CAREFUL when you cut corn off the ear
  • dump corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, onion, cliantro and squeeze the juice from half a lime onto the mix,  give it a few good stirs,add a healthy amount of goat cheese, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • drizzle olive oil, stir until desired amount “glosses” the salad.
  • serve and get ready to share the recipe!

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WATCH THE STEP BY STEP VIDEO HERE:

Wifey Stir Crazy Stir Fry

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After a brief hiatus…The Wifey is BACK for Wifey Wednesday.

ANYHOO- let’s talk about how STIR CRAZY we’ve all been about this Winter that seems to never end!

And yet,  everywhere we look it’s all about : SPRING! Spring fashion =’s less clothing and > pasty legs and arms.

So I’ve come up with a one pot/wok dinner that’s both satisfying and healthy. Modify as you wish with protein. * add chicken, beef, subtract shrimp- whatever you like.

stir it up... (in Bob Marley voice)

stir it up… (in Bob Marley voice)

This list may look like a lot, but I promise it’s mostly canned stuff and almost any grocery store in the USA will stock the list.

I really love Trader Joe’s for an excursion of this type, but no matter where you go, it’s cheap and easy.

What You Need/Grocery List: 

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  • a bag/ handful of snap peas (I get mine from Trader Joe’s)
  • a can of water chestnuts – sliced
  • a can of “stir fry” mushrooms or fresh mushrooms
  • a can of bamboo shoots- sliced
  • a can of baby corn – *side note..you either love or hate baby corn so omit if you wish
  • a handful of mixed peppers, sliced (green, red, yellow… I got mine from the Whole Foods salad bar)
  • a small handful of sliced zucchini (I got mine from…the “cheater bar”. If your grocery doesn’t have a salad bar, simply slice up strips of a small zucchini)
  • a pinch of shredded carrots from…. (I won’t even insult you at this point)
  • a bag of frozen, shelled edamame (you will use about 1/4 a cup)
  • a bag of pre cooked and cleaned, frozen shrimp

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  • a package of instant and microwave friendly rice (I like either brown or sticky white)

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  • a package of seaweed snacks (you can eat 10 FOR 30 CALORIES!?!?!) *pick them up at Trader Joe’s or in the ethnic isle near Asian foods, I like the Wasabi Flavor
  • a small bottle of sesame oil
  • a bottle of soy sauce (I like low sodium, regular makes me look like I’ve been crying all night)
  • a bottle of teriyaki , or any other kind of Asian stir-fry sauce that floats your boat. *I got mine from Trader Joe’s

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What To Do:

  • heat about 2 tsp of the sesame oil in a pan or wok on medium high heat
  • add all the veggies, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts & baby corn to the wok/pan and with a large spoon/stirring thing- make sure all your veggies are coated

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  • dump your frozen cooked  shrimps into a strainer or bowl and run cold water over them for about 5 mins until they thaw. dump water out, and pat shrimps down with paper towel. * you can also use frozen uncooked shrimp, just cook in a separate pan until they are pink and then add to the mix

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  • either stir constantly or hold the handle, tilt the pan down and flip the veggies until they begin to brown
  • pop the rice in the microwave and cook according to directions. (peel the top off and cook for 1 min)
  • when veggies begin to brown a tad, add shrimps to the mix.

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  • add about 1 tsp of your sauce or just soy sauce to the pan/wok and continue to flip or stir until the entire mix begins to brown. Be sure to give it all your attention here- burning is NO GOOD.
  • dump rice into a bowl, pour stir fry over rice.
  • serve with seaweed for wrapping into mini burritos or just pretty color.

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  • bow gracefully and accept praise!

The Wifey’s Low Carb- Super Skinny Turkey Burgers

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I AM NOT A DIET BLOGGER.

REPEAT.

However… I know that we (most people who read the Wifey and my friends in general) are still trying to drop those darn December lbs…SO- I decided to step out of my little Wifey box and create the *perfect* turkey burger.

Let’s just PAUSE right now- I know what you are thinking… “How can you possibly create the *perfect* turkey burger when you DONT EAT TURKEY?!?!?”

And I hear you.

But- lucky for me I have two very honest taste testers: My camera dude Jordan and Alex.

And PAUSE again- I know again what you’re thinking: “Well you are paying one of them and married to the other so…come on…how are they really gonna tell you if they like it or not!?”

Well- if they eat the entire plate I serve them- they like it.

If they rave about it- they really like it.

If Jordan texts me later about it…well then, it’s really a home run. (disclaimer- that hasn’t happened since the enchiladas… BUT Alex did say that this was – hands down- his #1 favorite recipe to date…soooooo)

But let’s get back to the real issue- a Turkey burger that will fill you up without weighing you down. You ready?

Let’s Get Wife’ed Up.

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What You Need/grocery list:

  • a half pound of ground turkey breast. * I got mine from the Whole Foods counter
  • a half cup crumbled feta cheese
  • a small zucchini
  • half of a small yellow onion
  • about 3 kalamata olives- chopped up
  • a clove of roasted garlic (hit up your local deli salad bar for this OR take a bulb of garlic, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on top, wrap in foil and roast in oven set at 400 for 45 mins)
  • salt and pepper and 1 tsp of ground parsley – dry is fine, if using fresh- mince it first- aka- cut it up super small
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • a grater

What To Do:

  • heat a large pan (not pot) on medium heat with about 2 tsps of vegetable oil
  • chop your half of an onion until it’s in small bits (or minced)- throw it in a big bowl
  • cut your zucchini in half- either long way or short. Grate the zucchini on the light side until you have about a cup’s worth or the whole thing is done- add it to the bowl
  • grate your garlic- this doesn’t produce a lot of garlic- and that’s ok. Add it to the bowl.
  • add the olive chop
  • take your turkey meat and dump it into the bowl
  • crumble the feta (if needed)- add it into the bowl
  • add the seasoning
  • use your hands and get duuuurty- mix everything together until you feel like it’s one big happy family
  • roll 3 (or so) balls of the meat into patties and flatten. Add them to the heated pan- which is now on LOW heat

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  • let them cook for about 3 mins a side or until they are brown- but NOT burned. I normally flip them a few times to get an even patty.
brown, not blackened- ok?

brown, not blackened- ok?

  • cut into them with your spatula (or fork) and make sure there is no pink meat- if it’s all white/grey- it’s all good.
  • serve over greens, with a side of cucumber, or homemade “aioli”.

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  • dare your “loves” to question how these Burger Babies can possibly be so healthy – yet taste SO fantastic.

Watch me sizzle these babies HERE

Super Skinny Tortilla Soup

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Our nickname for this girl is Jabba The Hut- because- well, isn’t it obvious?!?

and she's actually down a few lbs!

and she’s actually down a few lbs!

Currently, I can relate.

Over the holidays I dove face first into; cheesy potatoes, heavy breakfasts, creamy soups, bread and more bread and basically anything else I wanted to eat. Not to mention the fact that it is literally freezing in Chicago right now and all I want to do is blanket myself in mac and cheese.

It helped a bit that Alex and I recently went to Miraval Resort in AZ, and their uber healthy meal program helped kick our a$$es back into gear. BUT…let’s just say that I may have sprinted to the closest greasy breakfast spot in the airport as soon as we left the health ranch.

Now that we’re home I’ve decided that it’s time to TRY to eat healthier even if it’s so cold that going for groceries is terrifying.

Ya’ll know that I’m a huge fan of soups- they are filling and mentally they just seem to satisfy more than a salad- at least for me. I’ve shared a few soup recipes and I like to think this one as the Veggie Shili’s cousin.

My mom has been serving her skinny tortilla soup recipe for years and every time she does- people BEG for the recipe. I modified it a tad- to make it even healthier- but please feel free to fatten it up as you wish.

Super Skinny Tortilla Soup

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What You Need:

you should be able to buy all of this for $10-$15

you should be able to buy all of this for $10-$15

  • two jars of salsa *my mom uses Pace brand, I used generic hot and medium
  • a container of fresh pico de gallo
  • a can of black beans
  • a can of garbanzo beans
  • a can of kidney beans
  • a can of corn
  • a can of quartered artichoke hearts
  • a can of veggie or chicken stock
  • a handful of healthy tortilla chips
  • a handful of reduced fat Mexican blend cheese
  • 2% or fat free Greek yogurt
  • salt and pepper

*OPTIONAL:

  • a rotisserie chicken , shredded
  • a can of refried beans
  • sour cream in place of greek yogurt
  • tortilla, warmed for :10 in microwave for the side

What To Do: 

  • dump the salsa, pico, kidney, black, garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, corn, and stock into a large pot and heat on medium.
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the artichoke hearts add bulk and mimic chicken if you’re choosing to go veggie with your batch

  • if the beans you’re using are unsalted, add a generous pinch of salt to the mix , stir and taste, add more as needed.
  • if you’re adding chicken and refried beans- do this now and stir.
  • when soup begins to bubble, taste again for flavor and heat.
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this will serve a LOT of people, and it freezes for reheating

  • serve in a bowl, sprinkle with cheese, add a dollop of greek yogurt (or sour cream), crunch a handful of the chips and sprinkle on top.

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  • set out some hot sauces so your audience can dial up the heat if they like and enjoy GUILT free!
YUM! This is veggie, low fat and guilt free?? Yes.

YUM! This is veggie, low fat and guilt free?? Yes.

Step By Step Video – here!