So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger

From the Publisher

A New York Times' bestselling author's guide to quick and healthy everyday meals

As weekly host of the Food Network's Healthy Appetite, Ellie Krieger is known for creating light and healthy dishes that taste great and are easy enough for the busiest people to prepare. Now, Ellie has put together a collection of meal solutions for those of us who love food and want to eat well but struggle to make it happen given life's hectic pace. With 150 delicious, easy-to-prepare, fortifying recipes, Ellie provides dishes that tackle every possible mealtime situation. Illustrated with 50 full-color photos, there are recipes for:

Grab-and-go breakfasts for hectic days, as well as easy breakfast options for more leisurely mornings
Lunches to go, each road-tested in a cooler pack, along with at-home lunches for when you have the luxury of eating in
A month's worth of different rush-hour dinners-fabulous meals you can whip up in less than thirty minutes-as well as dinners for days when you have a little more time to marinate or roast, but still want it all to be effortless
Decadent desserts, some ready in minutes, others truly worth waiting for-all easily pulled together

As a mom with a full-time job, Ellie knows how busy life is when you're juggling your family's needs. Now, you can stop stressing over whether to eat healthily or to eat fast. The recipes here-from Cheddar Apple Quesadilla, Pork Piccata with Spinach and Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Marinated Flank Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce to Chocolate-Cream Cheese Panini Bites and Fig and Ginger Truffles-are ideal, regardless of the time, or experience, you have in the kitchen.

When so much in lifeis complicated, isn't it nice to know that eating doesn't have to be? After making and enjoying the meals in this book, you will say along with the title, "That was SO EASY!"

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MINI ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
What's more fun than an ice cream sandwich? Mini ice cream sandwiches! They are cold, creamy, crunchy morsels you can eat in two bites. A whimsical treat that is great for a party, or when you just feel like you need one.
24 vanilla wafer cookies (1[1/2] inches in diameter)
[1/2] cup light vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, softened at room temperature
1 ounce dark or bittersweet chocolate (60% to 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
Line a shallow storage container with wax paper. Put a small scoop of ice cream (about 2 teaspoons) on a cookie and top with another cookie. Roll the ice cream sandwich in the chopped chocolate so the chocolate adheres to the ice cream. Place in the wax paper-lined container. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have 12 ice cream sandwiches.
Cover and place in the freezer to set for at least 30 minutes, or freeze for up to 1 week.
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 3 ice cream sandwiches
Per Serving:
Calories 220; Total Fat 8 g (Sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 0 g, Poly Fat 0 g); Protein 4 g; Carb 35 g; Fiber 1 g; Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 170 mg

GARLIC-BASIL SHRIMP
This recipe wins hands down the easy, fast and delicious category. It takes just 6 minutes to cook, you hardly have to chop a thing, and you get a plateful of garlicky shrimp and warm plump tomatoes in a lovely light sauce.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1[1/4] pounds large shrimp (20 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
[1/8] teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
[3/4] cup dry white wine
1[1/2] cups grape tomatoes, halved
[1/4] cup finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cups cooked orzo pasta (preferably whole-wheat)
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, then add the shrimp and cook, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook just until heated through. Serve with the orzo.
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1 cup shrimp mixture and [3/4] cup cooked orzo
Per Serving:
Calories 380; Total Fat 10 g (Sat Fat 1.5 g, Mono Fat 5.5 g, Poly Fat 2 g); Protein 35 g; Carb 35 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 215 mg; Sodium 490 mg
Excellent source of: Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Protein, Selenium, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin K
Good source of: Calcium, Fiber, Potassium, Thiamin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Zinc

WHEAT BERRY SALAD WITH LEMON-CUMIN GRILLED CHICKEN
This hearty salad is bursting with harvest flavors and chock-full of exciting textures-chewy yet tender wheat berries, sweet-tart dried cherries, crunchy walnuts, and crisp celery. Served over leafy spinach and topped with cumin-scented chicken, this is a power lunch that will fill you up without slowing you down.
1 cup hard wheat berries
[1/2] cup chopped walnuts
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
[1/3] cup finely chopped parsley
[1/3] cup tart dried cherries, chopped
1 small scallion (white and green parts), chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemon wedges for serving
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves
1 recipe Lemon-Cumin Grilled Chicken Breast (recipe follows)
In a medium-size pot, combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches above the wheat berries. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, Cook, uncovered, until tender, about 1 hour. Drain and let cool.
Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a medium-size dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, toasted walnuts, celery, parsley, dried cherries, scallions, olive oil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. This salad will keep up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To serve, place 1 cup of spinach leaves on each plate or in to-go containers. Mound [3/4] cup of the wheat berry salad on top of each serving and top that with slices of the Lemon-Cumin Grilled Chicken. Place a lemon wedge on the side of each serving. Right before eating, squeeze the lemon wedges on top.
Makes 4 servings