One-Pot Meals

If you’ve read one of my blogs before you’re most likely aware of my affinity for one-pot meals. For me, it all comes down to convenience. These recipes usually have more streamlined prep and fewer dishes to wash at the end. On busy weeknights, that’s a win-win. Cooking this way doesn’t have to be at the expense of flavor and nutrition either. Follow these tips to make sure that your one-pot meals are not only tasty, but also nourishing.

These three are key.

Get your meal off to a great start by making sure it contains vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Whether you’re making a pasta dish, skillet dish, soup or stir-fry these three food groups are key to having a nutritionally balanced meal.

Cabbage Roll Skillet

Cabbage Roll Skillet

Three Guiding Stars iconThree Guiding Stars indicate the best nutritional value. This is our speedy, deconstructed take on stuffed cabbage rolls. It offers all the flavor of a cabbage roll without all the trouble of rolling. By swapping in extra-lean ground turkey for ground beef and brown rice for white rice we made our version star-worthy.

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Add just a little meat and cheese.

Most of us could benefit from using less meat and cheese in our cooking, which can be higher in saturated fat and sodium. Add new flavor and textures to your meals through more vegetables, spices, and herbs.

Chicken Pasta Bowl

Chicken Pasta Bowl

One Guiding Stars iconOne Guiding Stars indicate good nutritional value. Lightly cooked carrots add a bit of snap and extra vegetable power to this simple pasta dish, which is a great option for using up odds and ends like chicken and pasta sauce. Try tossing in leftover vegetables like spinach or peppers if you have some that need using—you’ll love it!

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Add natural sweetness with fruit

By using whole fruits instead of added sugars to sweeten recipes we not only add more dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals but also contribute towards that elusive daily recommended intake. You can always serve fruit as a side or for dessert if it’s not an ingredient in your one-pot meal.

Winter Beef Stew

Orchard Beef Stew

One Guiding Stars iconOne Guiding Stars indicate good nutritional value. I’m renaming this one Autumn Beef Stew. It calls for pears and apples at the end of a long cooking time, which adds both acidity and sweetness to this otherwise classic stew. This one will have you drooling as it simmers on the stove on a chilly, fall afternoon.

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