This week, we are all focused on a few healthy recipes to help us all recover after the holidays, and we will continue doing this for the rest of the month! We have a wonderful mandarin orange salad that is written this week to go with either the marinated chicken breast or a baked salmon (or both! depending on your preference) or can be served on the side of the shrimp scampi. (If you purchased extra shrimp last week, here is an opportunity to use them. If you have extra tortillas from the slow cooker tacos, you can also use the shrimp there to make shrimp tacos!)

If you are looking for a little bit more starch to go with your meals this week, we have two recipes for rice pilaf. They both will go with just about anything, but one of them requires a little bit more investment of time and ingredients. If you are rushed on time or if you are tired, the basic one requires little more effort the regular rice but with a huge increase in flavor and taste! If you're feeling like spending a little more time in the kitchen, the elaborate recipe takes the rice further into realms of big taste, but you'll be putting the work in to get it.

Finally this week, we have a lemon pound cake. While regular pound cake potentially healthier, this one takes it a little bit further by swapping out some the ingredients for a lower-fat take without compromising flavour or texture—it maintains a healthy ingredient list but masks that fact. Top with fresh fruit and some unsweetened whipped cream for a full dessert!

--Chef Mike Robbins