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3 Healthy Dinner Ideas and How to Transform the Leftovers into A+ School Lunches

3 Healthy Dinner Ideas and How to Transform the Leftovers into A+ School Lunches

The Bite Me More sisters, Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, share three recipes from their new cookbook, The Bite Me Balance Cookbook, perfect for dinner and school lunches the next day.

Sept.17.2020Food + entertainingShare

By Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat

Have you ever caught yourself standing in the kitchen wondering what to make for dinner as you unpack the untouched lunch you sent off to school 10 hours earlier? If not, we salute you. If so, we hear you, and we’re going to help you have one (actually, make that two) less mealtime challenge in your life. We’re Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, the sisters behind the Bite Me More food blog and digital agency. The Bite Me Balance Cookbook (out Oct. 6), our fourth cookbook, is all about enjoying healthy, easy meals—and sometimes, treats, too (it’s called balance). With the three sneak peek recipes below, we’re serving up family-friendly, nutritionally dense dinners that can be easily transformed into kid-approved, healthy lunchbox favourites sure to score you an A+.

On the Menu: Sesame Baked Chicken Strips with Quick Pickled Slaw

How do you find the happy medium between the traditionally grease-laden chicken fingers the kids love and the adult yen for feel-good comfort food? These baked-not-fried strips are dipped in a hoisin-lime mixture, coated with sesame seeds, and baked until crunchy. They’re sure to please every palate, even the pickiest ones.

  • For Dinner:
  • These crunchy chicken strips can be easily added to a Cobb-like salad (with corn, avocado, greens, and blue cheese), folded with the slaw into lettuce wraps, or laid end-to-end in a sub sandwich.

  • For Lunch:
  • Place the strips in a sandwich along with the quick slaw. If you don’t have time to make the slaw, try baby spinach instead.

  • Bite Me More Tips:
  • • Baking the chicken on a cooling rack allows both the top and bottom of the strips to get crunchy.
    • Cook and freeze a batch of these chicken strips—they’re perfect for a quick, easy, and healthy homemade “happy” meal.

Sesame Baked Chicken Strips with Quick Pickled Slaw by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat

Quick Pickled Slaw

  • 1½ cups English cucumber, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1½ cups thinly sliced red cabbage
  • ¾ cup peeled and thinly sliced carrots
  • ½ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Dipping Sauce

  • ½ cup light mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp sriracha hot sauce

Sesame Chicken Strips

  • ¼ cup flour
  • ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs
  • 3 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp black sesame seeds
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

1: For the slaw, place the cucumbers, cabbage, and carrots in a small serving bowl.

2: In a saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, lime juice, and salt. Heat over medium heat for 2 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and pour over the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 5 days.

3: For the dipping sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, mirin, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4: For the chicken strips, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.

5: Place the flour and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a shallow bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, hoisin sauce, and lime juice. In a third bowl, combine the panko, breadcrumbs, white and black sesame seeds, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt.

5: Coat the chicken strips in flour and then dip in the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off. Dredge in the panko–sesame seed mixture, pressing to make the mixture stick. Place the chicken strips on prepared cooling rack, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with dipping sauce and pickled slaw.

On the Menu:
Steak Salad with Ranch Dressing

Speedy, satisfying, and scrumptious, this gluten-free steak salad has it all—a pan-seared rib-eye that is tender, flavourful, and juicy; a light yet creamy Greek yogurt ranch dressing; and a whole host of crunchy, refreshing vegetables. Easy and impressive, great for last-minute company or a weeknight family meal, this salad delivers the perfect forkful every time.

  • For Dinner:
  • While this supper salad never leaves us hungry, we like to throw another steak in the pan for future fajitas, tacos or the ultimate steak sandwich.

  • For Lunch:
  • Roll the thinly sliced steak in a wrap along with some dressing and vegetables, or throw the steak and salad mix in a mason jar with dressing on the bottom for the perfect take-and-shake lunch.

  • Bite Me More Tips:
  • • For even cooking, remove the steak from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.

The Bite Me Balance Cookbook by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup 1% milk
  • 1 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh chives
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Steak Salad

  • 1½ lb rib eye steak
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1½ cups chopped celery
  • 1½ cups chopped English cucumber
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup sliced hearts of palm
  • ½ cup thinly sliced radishes

1: For the dressing, in a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, Parmesan cheese, parsley, chives, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the salad.

2: For the steak salad, preheat the oven to 400°F. Season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Using a cast-iron pan or a heavy ovenproof skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Sear the steak for 4 minutes, flip and sear for 4 minutes more. For medium doneness, finish in the oven for 3 minutes. Let the steak rest before slicing. Slice thinly across the grain and set aside.

3: To assemble the salad, place the lettuce on a serving platter and drizzle with a few spoonfuls of dressing. Add the sliced steak to the platter and place the celery, cucumber, tomatoes, hearts of palm, and radishes around the steak and over the lettuce. Serve with the remaining dressing.

On the Menu:
The Heartiest Vegetarian Chili

This hearty-yet-healthy vegetarian chili is a winning combination of tender chunks of vegetables, perfectly balanced spices, fibre-rich beans, and farro—a protein-packed whole grain that serves up a meaty bite.

  • For Dinner:
  • In addition to serving this delicious chili as is, you can mound it on baked potatoes, smother veggie dogs in it, or pile it between the buns for the sloppiest of Sloppy Joes.

  • For Lunch:
  • Fill an insulated container with the warm chili and send with deconstructed nacho fixings, such as tortilla chips, diced tomatoes, and shredded cheese.

  • Bite Me More Tips:
  • • To make this freezer-friendly chili quick and easy to defrost, place individual portions in reusable bags and lay them flat in the freezer.
    • Feel free to add or change up the veggies in this chili—sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and parsnips are all great additions or substitutions.

by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked farro
  • 3 cups water
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 1¼ cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1¼ cups canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Garnishes

  • Sour cream
  • Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Tortilla chips

1: Rinse the farro well and drain. In a saucepan, combine the farro, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 22–24 minutes, until tender but still chewy. Drain any remaining water and set the farro aside.

2: While the farro is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the butternut squash, onion, carrots, and red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and salt. Stir continuously for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, and kidney beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir in the cooked farro and continue to simmer for 15 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve garnished with sour cream, parsley, cheddar, and a side of tortilla chips.

EXPLORE THE BITE ME BALANCE COOKBOOK

Excerpted from The Bite Me Balance Cookbook by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat. Copyright © 2020 Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat. Photography by Maya Visnyei. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.


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