Oh yeah, this ongoing Best Meal of the Week post is starting to rock. You posted some great recipe ideas on the last post and my meal planning has gotten a lot easier since we started this…thanks! (I assume that many of you are finding it helpful too!) Remember, “best” is highly subjective: healthy, super quick, inexpensive, fabulously delicious – or a combination of all that and more. Here are a few featured Best Meal ideas. Post yours in the comments below.

From Kate, a team member:

Sunday was the most gorgeous day imaginable here in Austin. I spent all day gardening and before I knew it, 7 p.m. had arrived and I didn’t have much of a dinner plan. Fortunately, I had two great staples in my pantry: canned garbanzo beans and tuna. With these ingredients, I knew I could figure out something tasty and quick when paired with a few other ingredients from the fridge.

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Amy read our last “Best Meal of the Week” post and commented: “…I’d LOVE to keep these ideas and know they’re coming on a bi-weekly basis! I’m often food-inspired by what I see and smell in the Whole Foods produce section to make a quick/easy/healthy dinner, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.” Definitely not the only one! I’ve been inspired by several of the recipes featured here and we do plan to have this “Best Meal of the Week” post about every couple of weeks. So, join the fun by sending in your best meal of the week and get inspired by this week’s features.

From Kate, a team member:

I used to only make polenta from scratch and since it’s not hard – just frequent stirring for about 30 minutes – I hadn’t tried out the pre-cooked, ready-to-use polenta (it comes in a tube or roll) until recently. Now that I’ve tried it, I will always keep some in the pantry for quick weeknight meals.

Just slice the polenta into rounds, brown in a skillet or broil in the oven, and top with whatever you fancy. This week I cooked tomatoes, both canned and sun dried, with onions, garlic, kale and chard and spooned this over some browned polenta rounds. I grated some Parmesan over the veggies, and dinner was ready.
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Your best meal of this week may just be my best meal of next week. Best, of course, is highly subjective. It could be healthy, super quick, inexpensive, fabulously delicious – or a combination of all that and more. Whatever your criteria, we want to hear about your Best Meal of the Week. We’ll do this post from time to time and we’ll feature ideas from readers as well as include some of our own.

From Kimberley, a reader:
My best meal this week was a good hamburger. The quality of beef from Whole Foods is top notch and the beef makes the burger. I grilled the burger (seasoned with salt, pepper, green onions, and Worcestershire sauce) medium well, put in it a whole wheat bun, with some cilantro pesto, arugula, and tomatoes. It was the best burger I’ve had in a long time, and it was homemade. Read the rest of this entry »

All home cooks have them – those moments when you say to yourself “That was my best meal of the week!” Best, of course, is highly subjective. It could be healthy, super quick, inexpensive, fabulously delicious – or a combination of all that and more. Whatever your criteria, we want to hear about your Best Meal of the Week. Here are a few of ours:

Dinner from Kate:

My best meal so far this week is a baked frittata. When I don’t have much of a dinner plan (this occurs more often that I’d like to admit), but I do have eggs, cheese and maybe some other interesting leftovers in the fridge, I turn to a frittata. So for dinner earlier this week, I preheated the oven (about 400°F but can be easily adjusted if you are cooking something else at the same time), lightly buttered a pie plate and got started. I arranged leftover cooked whole wheat pasta elbows, leftover sautéed kale and broccoli rabe, and a few chopped sundried tomatoes (a staple I keep on hand) in the bottom of the dish. Then I whisked together eggs with a handful of grated Parmesan and plenty of cracked black pepper and poured it over the pasta and greens. While the frittata baked in the oven, I tossed a quick salad. As soon as the eggs set (about 15 to 20 minutes), I pulled the frittata out of the oven, cut it into wedges and served with the salad and some rustic bread. A delicious dinner that was quick to assemble, easy on the budget, and used up odds and ends from the fridge. Leftover frittata is great for lunch the next day, too.

Lunch from Susannah:
My best meal of the week was loading a whole wheat pita with leftover roast turkey breast slices, avocado, romaine lettuce, thin-sliced red onion, a few blue cheese crumbles and a thin spread of canola mayo. I wrapped it up tight in the pita bread bag (since it was the last one in the bag) and took it with me to work. I could hardly wait for lunch time!

Breakfast from Paige:

My best meal this week has been a protein smoothie for breakfast. Anyone out there have kids? Then you know how hard it is to get them to eat a good breakfast in the morning. But you also know that it is really, really important for their brain function to get a solid protein boost before heading off to school. Drinking breakfast turns out to be a super winner in our house.  For one serving, I combine a banana, about 1/4 cup assorted frozen berries, about 1/2 cup apple juice, and a scoop of whey protein powder. I also add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Blend well (in a blender) and drink. NO complaints from the pre-teen in my house…and no arguments about fitting in breakfast!

There you go…our “best” breakfast, lunch and dinner of the week. What’s yours??