Healthy, protein-packed dinners combined with the vibrant taste of fall vegetables is the ultimate convenience for those who love to eat healthily while enjoying the flavors of the season. Updated on 4th October 2024, we bring to you a special weekly dinner plan that highlights how nutritional needs differ from one individual to another and how flexible these meal plans can be.
Our column, ThePrep, presents you with exciting ideas to make your dinner planning and grocery shopping effortlessly easy. This week’s meal plan brims with the fall quintessence – squash, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, and more. As the weather cools, the excitement for cooking amplifies. And what better than enjoying meals that are not only overloaded with fall flavors, but are also high in protein?
Protein is a critical macronutrient that caters to various bodily functions – right from building strong bones and muscles to keeping our hair and nails healthy, supporting our immune systems, and contributing to satiety after meals. Each dinner serving in this plan includes at least 15 grams of protein, ensuring you consume enough of this powerhouse nutrient. Furthermore, each meal is approximately 400 calories per serving, but we suggest you to adjust your portion sizes based on your hunger and fullness cues.
So, let’s embark on the weekly plan.
Sunday is all about succulent Parmesan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts. Chicken thighs are topped and baked with Parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and dried thyme. The highlight will be the Brussels sprouts and chicken tenderly roasted together on the pan that imparts an appetising brownish hue to the meal. It provides 365 total calories.
Moving forward, Monday engages your taste buds with Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale. Chickpea pasta, imbued with protein, fiber, and other nutrients, is the secret ingredient. The kale and mushrooms are sautéed with crushed red pepper and garlic, with cooked pasta stirred in, resulting in a wholesome vegetarian dinner containing 415 total calories (includes 1 ounce of whole-grain bread).
Tuesday is reserved for the flavorsome Sheet-Pan Maple-Mustard Pork Chops & Carrots. A simple glaze of olive oil, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup for the pork chops, also shared by the carrots, and a trio of anti-inflammatory flavor boosters – chopped garlic, chopped ginger and ground turmeric, amounts to 376 total calories.
The mid-week, Wednesday, makes way for Roasted Chicken & Winter Squash over Mixed Greens. It is a seasonal salad with chicken and delicata squash tossed in a mustardy, lemony sauce, served over mixed greens, providing 415 total calories.
Thursday brings to the table Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, a no-noodle lasagna with ricotta and mozzarella cheese and mushrooms, served alongside our Broccoli and Cauliflower Sauté. This gluten-free, low-carb comfort meal sums up to 397 total calories.
Lastly, Cranberry-Balsamic Chicken Thighs reign on Friday. A fresh cranberry sauce with balsamic vinegar, honey, and thyme is prepared in a skillet alongside the chicken. The service of this seasonal delight with Roasted Butternut Squash gives a total of 393 calories.
We hope you enjoy this weekly dinner plan. Remember, the intention is to provide flexible meal inspiration – you can adjust the meals as you see fit. So go ahead, try these recipes out and review how much you enjoyed them. Here’s to a week brimming with nutritional goodness and fall flavors! Enjoy!
