ThePrep: 20-Minute Mediterranean Dinners for Spring

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With some warmer days in the weather report for this week, and the extra hour of evening sunlight, thanks to daylight savings, I'm looking forwards to some long after-work walks. Which means I'll want dinner to be quick and easy. Enter these easy and delicious dinners. With fresh spring ingredients, like pesto, peas and lemon, and the principles of the Mediterranean diet woven in (think lots of veggies, lean protein and healthy whole grains), you really can't go wrong with this week's recipes.

Your Meal Plan

Sunday's 20-Minute Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Pesto Sauce starts the week off right with a simple sauce that coats the chicken and will also pair well with just about anything, particularly with shrimp or salmon). It's super tasty and easy to make with a little store-bought pesto, white wine and cream. As if it couldn't get any quicker, this dinner can be made in a single skillet, so clean up is a breeze.

Monday's One-Pot Lemon-Broccoli Pasta with Parmesan is another one-pan dinner where the pasta gets cooked in a saucepan along with broccoli, shallots and garlic. By using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained, stays in the pot, and with the addition of grated Parmesan cheese, you get a nice creamy sauce.

Jumping ahead to Wednesday's dinner, the Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata, is exactly the type of simple recipe I need to get over that mid-week hump. I like pairing it with a simple salad, like the Herb & Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. And to finish off this week of extra easy 20-minute meals we have the Salmon with Curried Yogurt & Cucumber Salad and Cherry Tomato & Garlic Pasta—yum!

Sunday: 20-Minute Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Pesto Sauce over zucchini noodles

Monday: One-Pot Lemon-Broccoli Pasta with Parmesan

Tuesday: Panko- & Parmesan-Crusted Baked Scallops with Whole-Wheat Couscous with Parmesan & Peas

Wednesday: Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata with Herb & Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Thursday: Salmon with Curried Yogurt & Cucumber Salad

Friday: Cherry Tomato & Garlic Pasta

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Meal-Prep Snack

As much as I love having a batch of energy balls for the week, I don't always have the patience to roll each individual ball up. Enter these Chocolate-Peanut Butter Energy Bars, which have all the flavors I love from a good energy ball, but in bar form. Basically, you make the mixture in a food processor, spread it all out in a baking dish, top with chocolate then cut into squares. Easy and delicious!

Get the Recipe: Chocolate-Peanut Butter Energy Bars

Treat Yourself

This refreshing 3-ingredient cocktail features a combination of vodka, tangy lime and flavorful ginger beer and is traditionally served in a copper mug. Not to be confused with the Dark and Stormy cocktail, which is equally delicious and also a 3-ingredient drink made with dark rum, lime juice and ginger beer! Easy to make and oh so refreshing, this tasty drink is a winner.

Get the Recipe: Moscow Mule Cocktail