For me, January felt like the longest month ever, and now February seems to be just zooming by. How is it already the middle of the month? I don’t mind, though, because I’m over winter and ready for spring. But since it won’t actually be spring for several more weeks, I’m trying to live in the moment and embrace the cold and snow. And that means I’ll be cooking cozy meals to warm the house, like the skillet dinners planned for this week. These comforting dinners all have around 400 calories per serving to help keep you energized and feeling your best while supporting weight loss, if that is your goal. (Remember, individual calorie needs vary, so be sure to listen to your hunger and fullness cues.)
Your Weekly Plan
Sunday: Cheesy Portobello Chicken Cutlets with Broccoli
Monday: Skillet Curry Chickpea Pot Pie
Tuesday: Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet
Wednesday: One-Skillet Creamy French Onion Chicken
Thursday: One-Pan Garlicky Shrimp & Rice
Friday: Cheesy Baked Gnocchi Skillet
Our column, ThePrep, has everything you’ll need to make dinner planning and grocery shopping as easy as can be. Nutritional needs differ from one individual to another, and we invite you to use these dinner plans as inspiration and adjust them as you see fit. Sign up to get a dinner plan delivered to your inbox every Saturday!
Sunday: Cheesy Portobello Chicken Cutlets with Broccoli
This quick and easy dinner is packed with 37 grams of protein to get you feeling powered up and ready to take on the week. You’ll start by searing chicken cutlets until golden and cooking broccoli until tender, and then you’ll sauté a sliced portobello mushroom cap and toss it in a flavorful sauce. To finish, return the chicken and broccoli to the pan, sprinkle Gruyère on top and broil until golden brown.
Total Calories: 376
Monday: Skillet Curry Chickpea Potpie
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower
This plant-based dinner features chickpeas, which add satisfying protein and gut-healthy fiber, plus onions, carrots and peas in a silky coconut milk–based sauce flavored with ginger and curry powder. The mixture is quickly turned into a potpie right in the skillet by layering squares of puff pastry on top. After a quick stint in the oven, so the pastry can puff and brown, it’s ready to eat.
Total Calories: 412
Tuesday: Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet
Photographer: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
The tomato sauce here, which starts with canned diced tomatoes, gets its body and creaminess from the addition of cream cheese. Sliced zucchini and a handful of basil add freshness. Pan-seared salmon fillets are the crowning touch on this dinner that’s packed with protein, which can help you feel full longer, and omega-3 fatty acids, which can help decrease inflammation and lower cancer risk. Serve over a bed of baby spinach.
Total Calories: 373 (including 1 cup baby spinach)
Wednesday: One-Skillet Creamy French Onion Chicken
I love the idea of turning French onion soup into a quick skillet dinner, with fewer calories. Onions are a natural source of prebiotics and help support your gut health, and adding some chicken to the skillet makes this dinner high in protein. Instead of the bubbly cheese on top, this version gets a little richness from heavy cream. Serve it with whole-wheat toast to sop up the brothy onions.
Total Calories: 417 (including 1 slice whole-wheat toast)
Thursday: One-Pan Garlicky Shrimp & Rice
This vibrant and nourishing dinner is packed with shrimp, bell peppers, scallions and rice. The shrimp need just a few minutes in the pan to cook through once the rice is done. And to ensure that the dish is full of flavor, there’s a lemon-garlic butter to drizzle on top. Shrimp are a great lower-calorie source of protein to incorporate when you’re trying to meet weight-loss or weight-maintenance goals, and they also provide omega-3 fatty acids.
Total Calories: 383
Friday: Cheesy Baked Gnocchi Skillet
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
This baked gnocchi is ultra-comforting but still low in calories to support weight loss. Using shelf-stable gnocchi, which doesn’t need to be boiled before it goes into the skillet, streamlines the cooking. The combination of potatoes from the gnocchi, tomatoes in the sauce and a generous 5 cups of baby spinach means this dish is packed with nutrients. I’ll make a double batch of our Basic Green Salad with Vinaigrette to go with the gnocchi, which makes 8 servings.
Total Calories: 378 (including 1 serving Basic Green Salad with Vinaigrette)
I wish you all a great week, and I hope you enjoy this dinner plan. If you try a recipe, remember to add a review.
