As I’ve said in previous posts, recently I have found myself getting more interested in cooking, so I thought I would share with you some of my weekly recipes. Especially seeing as though I’m still a new blogger, I thought this would be a good way to continue the getting-to-know-me process!
Working full time, I like to cook things I enjoy eating that are easy to make and time efficient. After discovering some recipes I enjoy, I tend to adapt them according to what I have in the fridge that day. So for this post I thought it would be cool to share with you some of my favourite recipes I like to make and if any stand out, give them a try and let me know how they turn out! So here are a select few of my weekly meals that I enjoy making on the day or as apart of my meal prep for the week ahead.
1. Pesto Pasta
A newish recipe I have found this past year that works really well for my work pack lunches. Through routine and repetition, I have found that it makes my week so much easier if I find the time to prep at the weekend. Typically I spend a few hours on a Sunday preparing my work dinners for the week, so that I don’t have to bother after work when I’m tired and just want to be lazy. This recipe came from one of my cookbooks and it is so easy and simple to do that now I have it memorised!
Essentially its pasta, (I use whole wheat) spinach and chicken pieces combined together with red pesto. So simple but so tasty! I love having this for my dinner at work as its filling and different from the usual sandwich. I’m a big fan of cold pasta so this is the perfect meal for my quick dinner at work and takes no time to make, (literally 15-20 minutes).
2. Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
This is a meal I prepare if I want to stretch it out and eat the food over a few days. I could eat it twice for tea when I get home and maybe once at work, if I’m in the mood for something different.
Depending on how much mince you cook, you can prepare enough cannelloni to last for at least three meals. Essentially, this meal is made up of mince meat, chopped onions and mushrooms, garlic, spinach and ricotta mixed together and then stuffed into cannelloni pasta tubes ready to be covered with passata sauce. It’s probably the one recipe I’ll mention that takes a lot longer to prepare and cook then all the rest, so if you are interested in this recipe, I’d recommend doing it when you have more time. Taking 45 minutes to cook through, I tend to eat mine on its own but you can add a salad if you enjoy a lighter meal.
3. Oaty Chicken
A variation of my old favourite the breaded chicken breast, since trying to eat healthier foods I have chosen to give up the store bought cutlets (which was so hard!) but I have found that if I make them myself they can be just as good-if not better, than the ones I use to buy at Tesco.
This recipe was from a Joe Wicks cookbook and it immediately caught my eye. Honestly it is so simple to make, and smells delicious if you use coconut oil in your pan. All it is is a mixture of rolled oats, ground almonds, paprika, salt and pepper that you dip the chicken into after it has first been coated with flour and then egg. It takes no time at all to cook and goes great with boiled potatoes (or roasts if you’re like me), a few veg or even homemade chips.
Quick tip- if you flatten the chicken before you dip it in the mixture then it won’t take as long to cook in the pan.
4. Pancakes
I actually found this recipe on Instagram and it is my weekend breakfast treat I look forward to the most. I was craving pancakes one day and wanted to make some that wouldn’t make me feel too guilty. All I did was search #healthypancakes and here we are!
*Because this recipe has more specific measurements of ingredients than the previous recipes, here is a more detailed list for anyone interested.
½ cup of rolled oats | half a chopped banana | ¼ cup greek yogurt | 1 egg | 1 tsp vanilla extract | 1 tsp baking powder | chocolate chips | 1 tbsp milk (any) if needed
Just throw all the ingredients apart from the chocolate chips, into a blender and mix until smooth. Then pour into a bowl, add the chips and cook in a pan until you think they are ready. Personally, I like mine light to golden brown and find I can get two pancakes out of this mixture. You can eat them plain or top with fruit, granola, honey or whatever else you enjoy. So simple and quick, it takes me around 15 minutes to have them prepped, cooked and ready to eat.
So there you go, 4 recipes I typically make in a week!
Do you like the sound of any of these recipes? Maybe you have your own you would like to share?
Pancakes and Pasta!!! 😍😍😍
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How delicious are they?! 😍 x
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Ahh this is a great list of recipes! Pesto pasta is delicious, the healthy pancakes sound great too, its always good to find a healthy alternative to the normal pancakes! Great post 🙂
Chloe xx
http://www.chloechats.com
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Thank you! Pesto pasta is definitely my favourite at the minute. I make it all the time now 😊 thanks for commenting! X
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These recipes are awesome and I love a few of them too! Pesto pasta is a staple for me especially when I have nothing else to eat or if i cant be bothered to cook. My staple meals are fajitas, rice bowls, and cajun chicken pasta! I hope you will post some more cooking related posts because I love reading them!
Alex x
https://allthingsalexx.wordpress.com
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Anything with pasta I will eat! Thank you for sharing your favourite meals, I love all of them too and I will definitely be posting more cooking posts. I’m happy you enjoy them! 😊 x
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This is not only time saver, it’s life saver too with my three kids. Thanks for sharing. Especially the vanilla essence.
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Your welcome, glad I could help! 😊
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I also love making banana pancakes in the morning, it’s such a good little treat to have in the week!
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Agreed! Thanks for commenting 😊
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The oaty chicken and healthy pancakes sound incredible, I will definitely have to try! Joe Wicks has an incredible healthy pizza recipe too!
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Think I’ve seen that! I love pizza so I’ll definitely have to try it out 😊
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Love the Pesto Pasta!! I’m vegetarian, so it’s a great option for me and it’s delicious and super easy to make.
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It is so good! I make mine with Quorn chicken pieces because I just think it tastes better 😊
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Oaty chicken sounds amazing! I need to try it..
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You do! It is so good, it was the first recipe of his I tried 😊
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I’ve been seeing a lot of pancakes using bananas in the mix. Definitely interested in trying that out.
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I’m personally not a big fan of their taste and luckily in this recipe you can’t taste them at all! If you do try it, let me know what you think 😊
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Pancakes and Pasta. My all-time favourite. Nice post Chloe, I feel hungry now hahah
http://theaestheticsvida.home.blog
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Thank you! I’m always hungry, I think about food 24/7 😂
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Ricotta anything and I’m sold girl! These are such good dishes. One of my go tos is chicken sausage pasta with garlic and tomatoes 🍅
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That sounds amazing! Anything pasta and I’m in, I’ll have to try it out 😊 thanks for commenting x
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I personally hate cooking because it takes so much time but I love that the pasta and pancake recipes are so short. I’ve never eaten chocolate chip pancakes. It sounds so delicious!
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There are some recipes that are long but there are also loads that take no time at all. You definitely have to try the pancakes! They are my all time favourite breakfast meal 😊
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It looks delicious!
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Thanks!
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I’m going to have to try those pancakes
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You really should! They are so good
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Pesto pasta is my fave! It’s also so filling it doesn’t always need a protein. Also who doesn’t love a good pancake. The spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta sounds so good, why is it though that I’ve found pasta with ricotta seems to always take a little more time hahaha. Great post!
Cheers xx
Rachel | http://www.myspottedblog.com
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Anything with pasta is amazing! That’s the only thing with the spinach and ricotta recipe, it takes longer to make which is frustrating at times. Thanks for commenting! 😊 xx
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