The recipes in this 21 Day Fix Dinner Ideas post was specifically put together not just to feed one person following the program, but to be creative enough to feed the entire family.
Plain and simple, the 21 Day Fix is a whole foods-baseddiet that consists of lean proteins, whole grain carbs, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.
The great part of letting go ofoverly processed foodsis you can create easy-to-make meals with a few simple ingredients, spices or dressings that are not justflavorful, they’re much less forgiving to your waistline.
You have plenty of leeway with these ideas. They are meant for you to be able to make your own personal adjustments to them. They are also quick and simple, so feel free to add extra spices where you see fit. Most recipes you can add an extra side vegetable (green container) or serve with a carbohydrate (yellow container).
The serving sizes are another easy area to adjust. Someof the recipes call for potato, which you can usually use 1 or 2 servings of and the same is true for the red container proteins. Basically, it is up to you howlarge you make each serving.
21 Day Fix Dinner Ideas With CookingInstructions
1. Salmon Asparagus Wrapped in Tinfoil. Place 10 spears of asparagus on a piece of tinfoil.Place 1-2 portions of salmon on the asparagus, top with a couple slices of lemon, 1tsp olive oil, and pepper to taste. Fold the tinfoil into a pouch, bake in a 425°F preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Serve on oneyellow container of wild rice or other favorite grain. 1 green, 1-2 red(depending on the amount of salmon), 1 tsp, 1 yellow.
2. Easy Baked Caprese Chicken. In a 9×12pan, place chicken breasts, season with pepper. Drizzle 1tsp of olive oil over each breastandtop each one with 1 green container of sliced roma tomatoes, basil, and one blue container of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted. Quinoa makes a great side. Each serving is 1-2 red, 1 green, 1 tsp, 1 blue.
3. Chicken & Potatoes in Foil. For each foil packet, place cubed potato on bottom, then place chicken breast on top of potato, top with 1tsp olive oil, pepper to taste, add a little fresh squeezed lemon juice or lemon slices. Fold the foil over and bake at 400°Ffor about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 tsp.
4. Coconut & Shrimp Soup.In a blender, mix a green container of spinach with canned coconut milk. Separately, sauté1/2lb shrimp in 2tsp olive oil, then add spinach coconut purée. Once the soup has boiled, it is done. You can also add hot sauce or curry powder, diced vegetables, and even mussels or clams. Base recipe contains green, red, blue, and tsp containers.
5. Baked Steak, Peppers, & Onions. This one you can bake, or you can chop everything up and then cook on the stovetop like a stir-fry. Place lean cuts of steak in aluminum foil-lined casserole dish, top with 1tsp olive oil,pepper to taste, 1chopped garlic clove, slices of greenpeppers,red peppers and onions (use as many as you like!) Cover with aluminum foil, bake at 350°F for a half hour. Uncover and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes depending upon the steak thickness. This recipe uses red and green containers, plus tsps. Slice the steak and serve on heated corn tortillas if you like, and count it as 1yellow.
6. Ground Buffalo & Zucchini Helper. We got this idea from a buffalo chili recipe we tried last month. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Add 2cloves chopped garlic and brown the ground buffalo/bison. When meat is browned, add2 dicedtomatoes, and1diced habanero pepper. Simmer until the tomatoes become soft, and then add choppedzucchini.Cook over low heat until the zucchini is tender about 15 minutes. Each serving should be about 1red container, 1/2 tsp, and a green. Adding 1Tchili powder and 1tsp cumin to adda Mexican flavor flare.
7. Ground Turkey & Cabbage. Heat 2tsp olive oil over medium-high heat, add 1lb ground turkey, pepper to taste, 1/2head chopped cabbage,1diced onion and 2cloves chopped garlic.Cook over medium heat until the turkey is cooked through and the cabbage is soft. You can also add diced tomato near the end to keep it a bit moister. This goes great over a bed of wild rice. Each serving should be about 1red container, 1/2 tsp and 1green depending upon the amount of cabbage you use.
8. Avocado & Turkey Burgers. Spray a skillet or griddle with non-stick cooking spray. Combine 1lb ground turkey with 1 mashed avocado and pepper to taste. Form into 4 equal patties and cook through,about 5 minutes per side. Each patty serving should be about 1redand 1blue. You could serve these on a folded over piece of whole-grain bread (1 yellow) or serve homemade & healthy french frieson the side.
9. Haddock with Tomatoes. Cut 1haddock fillet into equal-sized pieces and place in casserole dish. Top each piece with 1tsp oil, pepper to taste. Add fresh-squeezed lemon juice or slices of lemon to each piece. Cook at 375°Ffor about 15 minutes. Then, place diced tomatoes on each piece and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until haddock is cooked through. Each serving should about a 1 red, 1tsp, and 1green.
10. Sweet Potato Stuffed with Black Beans. Bake 4 sweet potatoes at 400°F for about onehour. Drain one16-ounce can of black beans. When potato is cooked through, cut each in half length-wise, and scoop a little sweet potato outto make room. Fill each cavity with equal amounts of black beans. Return to oven until heated through about 7minutes. You can also mix other veggies in with the black beans. Each serving would be 2yellow, unless you are vegetarian, then 1yellow could be counted as 1red.
11. Sardine Sandwiches. Yes, I actually eat these…and I hate to admit they’re delicious. Start by mashing 1avocado. On a slice or two of toasted or untoasted whole wheatbread, place equal parts avocado. Layer each piece with drained canned sardines and top with some onion. This uses 1yellow, 1blueand 1red, plus1greenif you use the onion (it’s a must in my book!)
12. Ground Chicken Zucchini Boats. Brown 1lb ground chicken. When almost cooked through, add 3 diced tomatoes, 1clove chopped garlic. Cook until tomatoes are soft, and then set aside. Slice each of 2zucchini in half, removing seeds. Place equal amounts ground meat mixture into each half, top each with 1blue container of mozzarella cheese, bake in a tinfoil covered casserole dish at 400°Ffor about 30 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Each serving should come out to about 2greens, 1red, and1blue.
13. Cod & Tomatoes in a Foil Packet. Cut a cod fillet into equal onesize serving pieces. Arrange each piece on tinfoil. Drizzle 1tsp olive oil onto each, place 1green container of cherry tomatoes, 1clove chopped garlic, pepper to taste, and a couple pieces of fresh basil toeach. Fold over to create a packet, and bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes depending upon the thickness of your fishandmaking sure it is cooked through. 1 tsp, 1 green and 1red.
14. Grilled Mozzarella-Stuffed Buffalo Chicken. Butterfly cut two chicken breasts.Pepper the insides. Place one blue container of mozzarella cheese into each breast and fold the top of the breast over. Coat one side with your favorite Mexican hot sauce. Place coated side down on medium-high heat grill and cook 8minutes. Coat the other side with with hot sauce, flip, and grill anadditional 7minutes or until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted. You can also add additional hot sauce to the side that was grilled first for some extra bite. Serve along with carrots and celery. This recipe will use 1red, 1blue container, and 1green container if you serve with veggies.
15. Whole Baked Chicken with Root Vegetables. Chop carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, celery, onion,2cloves chopped garlicand placethemat bottom of a roasting pan. Add1Tolive oil and pepper to vegetables and mix. Quarter a lemon, and place lemon inside the cavity of a roasting chicken, drizzle witholive oil and your favorite spices (I like garlic powderandpepper with a dash pink Himalayan sea salt). Cover and bake at 450°F for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, stir the vegetables, and return to oven.Reduce temperature to 375°F for anadditional45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160°F. Depending onthe ingredients you use, this recipe will get you plenty of red, green, and yellowthat you can enjoy for a few meals.
16. Shrimp and Corn Bake. For each poundof shrimp, create 4 tinfoil pockets, placing equal amounts of shrimp into each piece of tinfoil.Quarter each piece of corn and add to foil packet. Coat each packet with pepper to taste and 1tsp of olive oil. Close packetand place in 350°F preheated oven, cook 15-20 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. You can also add chopped potato to each packet, and the 21 Day Fix Southwestern spice mix works well in this. Therecipe makes uses 1tsp, 1red and 1yellow and goes great with steamed asparagus.
17. Baked Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Butterfly slice each chicken breast. Pepper the inside of each, add a layer of fresh basil leaves, a layer of sliced red pepper, and top with a blue container of mozzarella cheese. Fold tinfoil over, secure with tooth pics if needed. Place on oiled cooking sheet and bake at 400 degrees or until chicken is cooked through. Each serving should be a red, green, and blue container. This meals goes great with roasted red potatoes.
18. Chicken & Veggie Bake. Place each chicken breast in the center of a casserole dish, leaving a coupleinches in between. Place chopped potatoes up and a selection of your favorite veggies around the chicken breasts. Top with 1 tsp of olive oil for each chicken breast. Add pepper and a little garlic powder to taste. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375°Ffor about 1hour or until veggies are soft and chicken is cooked through. Lots of green and red containers in this one, plus 1tsp.
19. Spicy Lime Salmon. Mix 2Tof your favorite Mexican hot sauce with the juice of one lime and little pepper to taste. Slice salmon into equal sized portions, place on foil-lined baking sheet, and cook in 400°F preheated oven for 17 minutes or until salmon flakes with a fork. Serve with roasted potatoes, wild rice or grain and veggie of your choice. Each serving of salmon is 1red container.
20. Quick Steak & Onions. You can use a lean cut of steak cut into strips or even venison as an alternative for this recipe. Heat 2tsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet tomedium high. Add sliced meat to skillet, cook 30 seconds or until browned, flip, and then cook another 30 seconds, sprinklingwith pepper and garlic powder to taste. Lower heat to medium and add in sliced onion to skillet. Continue to cook until the onion softens and steak is cooked to your liking. Serve over whole grain rice. This recipe uses 1red, 1tsp, and 1green container.
When I first saw the 21 Day Fix diet, I honestly thought it was going to be pretty boring. Meat with seasoning, plain grains, and steamed vegetables was pretty much all I ate to in the beginning.
But since my original review of the 21 Day Fix program, I feel like I have learned so much about nutrition. What the 21 Day Fix diet has taught me is that awhole foods-based diet does not have to be a boring and flavorless diet.
A Couple More Tips
Spices:
Everyone’s tastebuds are different. I left these recipes pretty lightspice-wise to give you freedom of spice. Try experimenting with different spices and use the seasonmixes from the 21 Day Fix eating plan to liven up your meals.
Easy Clean Up:
Take advantage of single-pot meal recipes! They save oncooking time, and make cleaning the dishes so much easier. Make tinfoil your best friend, because foil packets are a great way to steam foods in the oven. Also line baking sheets and casserole dishes with tinfoil to make clean-up a whole lot easier.
Over to You
I hope this blog post has given you at least a few 21 Day Fix ideas that you can use to serve not only you, but your entire family, a healthy, wholesome and tasty dinner.
If you have any of your own recipes or tips to making 21 Day Fix approved dinners, please leave a comment below in the comment section.
