How to Prep One Pan (Detox) Dinners

If I’m being honest, I hate all the clean up in my kitchen after prepping real, whole foods for my family.  We do a ton of clean food cooking at our house which means a lot of dishes.  This immense cleanup seems to occur at least five nights a week…if not more.  Thankfully, my hubby does help, but I know both of us would appreciate fewer dishes. So….

Time to make more dinners that fit on one sheet pan.  Yes, it can be done!  Just takes a bit of planning in regards to the size of your veggies, the cooking time, and the layering on the pan.  Best to cut foods into evenly sized pieces to ensure even cooking times. Root veggies like potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips and potatoes can take longer to cook so you need to get them in the oven first.

Then you can add your bonus vegetables like broccoli, green beans, asparagus, snap peas, Brussels sprouts and greens. After mixing your bonus veggies into the root veggies, you can add your preferred clean proteins on top and finish cooking.

You can make an infinite number of flavor adventures by mixing and matching your veggies, proteins, spices, and enhancers.  Thinking this needs to be a BHBH PDF handout in the near future! But for now you can print my post and use it as a template.

ROOT VEGGIES (to feed a family of 4, cut about 1 pound. Peel if desired and cut into uniform 1/2 inch pieces)

• Beets
• Butternut squash chunks
• Carrots
• Celeriac
• Parsnips
• Sweet Potatoes
• Turnips

OTHER VEGGIES (to feed a family of 4, plan 4 cups or a bit more as leafy greens shrink A LOT when baking)

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Garlic cloves
• Green Beans
• Leafy Greens (spinach, kale, bok choy – chopped)
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Snap Peas

PROTEINS (to feed family of 4, plan about 1.5 pounds)

• Black bean burgers
• Chicken – hormone free/organic when possible
• Grass fed steak
• Turkey burgers
• Wild fish (cod, salmon, mahi mani)
• Wild shrimp

SPICES (1-2 teaspoons)

• Cumin
• Dill
• Dry mustard
• Fennel
• Garlic powder
• Ground coriander
• Lemon pepper
• Mace
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Spice blends (like cajun seasoning, garam masala, Italian seasoning)
• Tarragon
• Thyme

FLAVOR ENHANCERS

• Bacon (chopped, nitrate free – what kid won’t eat their vegetables with bacon in them?!)
• Balsamic vinegar
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Toasted seeds/nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pepitas, pine, sunflower)

And now for the detailed directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss root veggies with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil and a hint of salt and pepper. Spread out evenly in a single layer on your baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Toss your remaining veggies in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil.  Remove root vegetable pan from oven and mix in remaining vegetables.
4. Season your clean protein with your favorite spices and a spritz of oil. Layer on top of the veggies.  Roast until the protein is cooked.  May take 10-20 minutes more depending on thickness of protein.
5. After baking, remove protein from pan.  Stir your favor enhancers into the vegetables and bingo!  Dinner is done.

Thanks to Eating Well for inspiring these creative dinners in our home with an article that appeared in their March/April 2018 issue.  We’ve had fun putting our own spin on the one pan dinner creation and can’t wait until we can take this gig to the grill!  Only a few more weeks.

Be sure to sign up for my Better Health By Heather monthly newsletter for more fun foodie tips and tricks and practical tips on how to make healthy happen on a daily basis.

Heather Ferber is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, AADP who helps busy professionals get fresh, focused and energized. She is a detox specialist helping women to rebuild gut health, balance hormones and thrive. She enjoys empowering women to take back their health and feed their families better with simple, everyday advice and suggestions that can be easily integrated into today’s modern family’s hectic lives. You can find her on Fox 6 Real MKE once a month, speaking and teaching classes in the community, cooking in her kitchen for family and friends, playing her piano to relax, or out running in her neighborhood. 

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