Autumn Pork Chops

I made these a couple nights ago and this is a really great, fast and easy entree! I will make this again at some point.

I used apple cider instead of apple juice (not a huge difference). And I used dijon mustard instead of spicy brown.

I served this with rice pilaf and sugar snap peas. Super simple dinner in 20 minutes!

Here's the recipe

Perfect Pot Roast

At our house, we don't have very much red meat these days. But when I saw this being made on The Pioneer Woman on Food Network, I just had to try it. This pot roast is SO tender and yummy! This is a keeper recipe for sure! Perfect for when company comes over or on a Sunday afternoon. I made it because it was enough for 2-3 meals for us and I don't have much time to cook these days. :)

Here are my changes:

Omitted the onions

Didn't need as much broth and wine as what is listed. Unfortunately, I had already measured it out and had to pour the rest away. I think you only need about a cup of each unless you get a really huge roast.

Here's the recipe

Lemon Orzo with Asparagus and Tomatoes

I made this tonight for a vegetarian meal along with a light caesar salad and we both really enjoyed it!

Here are my changes:

Roasted the asparagus and tomatoes in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes before adding them to the salad.

Used a smaller pasta than orzo- not sure what it was called. But it looked like very small pearls.

I love these kinds of dishes because they can be served hot or cold. So you can just grab it out of the fridge when you're hungry. Perfect for a stay-at-home mom like myself. :)

Here's the recipe

Apple and Cheddar Turkey Meatballs

Today, I needed something that would cook quickly in the crockpot and I wanted to use some ground turkey that I had. So this was perfect! These don't really need more than about 4 hours in the crockpot on low. These were very good dipped in barbeque sauce. Will definitely make them again!

Here's the recipe

Crockpot Recipes

I found this entire book of crockpot recipes that can be scrolled through. I thought it had a great selection of things to try. Can't promise that a lot of them are very healthy, but usually you can substitute certain things to help with fat and calories. Hope you all will find something that appeals to you!

http://www.mrfood.com/master_images/MrFood/MrFood%20eCookbook%20-%20Slow%20Cookin%20Magic.pdf

Coconut Curry Chicken

This is such a great crockpot recipe! If you've ever been to a good Indian restaurant, you know how tender the meat is that they serve. The crockpot is the perfect way to get your meat that tender. I got this recipe from "Crockpot Girls" on Facebook. They just started their own website too called crockpotgirls.com, by the way.

Original recipe:

Coconut Curry Chicken

3 chicken breasts - chopped/cleaned

1/2 bag of frozen snow peas

1 can of coconut milk

2 tablespoons of green curry paste

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon of black pepper

1/2 tablespoon of dried/chopped basil leaves

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot except for the snow peas. Mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add snow peas the last 30 minutes and stir. Serve over rice.

Here are my changes:

Omitted basil

Used a different type of curry paste. Couldn't find the green kind, but this brand was very tasty-

"Patak's Original Concentrated Curry Paste". I bought the mild version. I found it at Kroger.

Next time, I will buy the light coconut milk. The regular kind is very good but the lighter kind would have made this dish healthier.

"Stupid Chicken"

So I found this recipe on a Facebook page called "The Crockpot Girls" and had to see what was in it after reading the title. They call it this because it is so simple. This was really good! We used one pound of chicken tenderloins and shredded them at the end. Very tender and delicious! The crockpot is my best friend these days and I plan to make this again! :)

Here is all you need:

4 chicken breasts, cubed

2 - 14 oz cans italian diced tomatoes

1 envelope of Lipton Savory Herb & Garlic Soup mix (next to onion soup mix)

Bow tie pasta

Shredded parmesan cheese

Mix soup mix and tomatoes and pour into crock pot. Add chicken and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Cook bow tie pasta according to package. Serve over bow tie pasta, we actually just mix it all together. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

The Egg Mug

So just about every day, I receive emails from "Hungry Girl" who has her own TV show and many cookbooks. I love her creativity and fun recipes! Here's one that I tried and really liked. I've never made eggs in such a short amount of time before. One and a half minutes in the microwave-- and they tasted great! Here's a link to all of her "egg mug" recipes. I only tried the one at the top of the page, but look forward to trying some others.

My change:

Used two real eggs since I didn't have egg beaters.

Here are the recipes

Sloppy Joes

I have been looking for SUPER simple and fast recipes these days since we now have an almost 6 week old. I made these the other night and we really enjoyed them and the meat sauce came together in probably 10 minutes! The sauce is very good and much better than the canned sloppy joe sauce.

Here are my changes:

Used ground turkey instead of beef

Used wheat rolls instead of potato rolls

These would be great served with some cole slaw! I will definitely do that next time! :-)

Here's the recipe

Spinach and Noodle Casserole

I made this last night and froze half of it so that Chris and I could eat it after we return from the hospital later this week from having baby Ben. :) We ate half of it last night though and really enjoyed it. I made several changes based on what I had on hand and also to make it a little healthier.

Here are the changes:

Used whole wheat penne pasta instead of egg noodles

Used 1.25 pounds ground turkey

Used fresh spinach instead of frozen

Used shredded and fresh mozzarella instead of Monterey Jack

Didn't use as much sour cream or parmesan as what they called for. (Around 1 cup light sour cream and 1/2 cup parmesan.)

Here's the recipe

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

This was tonight's dinner along with some tortellini salad and we really enjoyed it! This is super simple but its small number of ingredients are very flavorful!

Here are my changes:

Used fresh basil (from my garden!) instead of sage leaves

If you really enjoy the flavor of lemon, I suggest putting a little more than 1/4 cup lemon juice in this. It goes great with the salty prosciutto.

The lemony sauce went really well with the basil :)

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemony-chicken-saltimbocca-50400000109573/

Garlic and Ranch Turkey Burgers

I just made these for dinner on the indoor grill and they turned out so yummy! I'm always on the lookout for new turkey burger recipes and I will be saving this one for sure. :)

I made a few tweaks:

Used 1.25 pounds ground turkey (Jenny-O)

Used only about 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Added about 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs to bind the mixture together- this is a must because even with the bread crumbs, they were very moist.

No need to add salt to this, in my opinion, due to the ranch dressing mix.

Added a slice of aged provolone cheese to the top :)

Here's the recipe

Easy Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

I made this a couple nights ago and we enjoyed it! Such an easy way to pull together a meal and the crockpot gives it a slow-cooked taste.

Here are a couple tips:

Use an old-fashioned potato masher to break up the meat and whole tomatoes after they have cooked for a little while.

Don't add spaghetti noodles to the crockpot like I did. The mixture seemed a bit watery to me. But doing this made the noodles very mushy after only 15 minutes or so. Cook them separately.

Strain the diced tomatoes so that the mixture isn't too watery. I like thicker tomato sauce though. :)

Here's the recipe

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

This was a very simple and quick dinner to pull together. Chris and I really enjoyed it!

Here are a few small changes I made:

Used Thai sweet chili sauce (can be found at regular grocery stores in the Asian section)

Used broccoli instead of bell peppers

Omitted the cilantro (didn't have it)

Omitted red chili pepper- the Thai sauce was spicy enough for us and already has some kind of peppers in it

Served this with brown rice and a little low-sodium soy sauce.

Not really sure what the fish sauce really adds to this recipe. I couldn't taste it at all in the finished dish, so if you don't have that, feel free to omit it. When you open the bottle, it smells horrible anyway haha!

Here's the recipe

Maple Glazed Salmon

This was what we had tonight and it came together in a snap! Love how fast salmon cooks! The rice actually took longer. I served this with a simple arugula salad with yellow tomatoes. If you've never had them, they are so much sweeter than red tomatoes. Try them!

For the salmon:

Season with salt, pepper and Old Bay

Put in a pan or cast iron grill with 1 tablespoon olive oil, skin side down. Turn the the heat to medium high.

In a small saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons lite maple syrup, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Let this come to a bubble. Then brush mixture over the salmon on both sides. Cook 5-7 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

Snicker Pie

This is a First Place 4 Health recipe and if you tasted it, you would never think it was low-calorie! Great dessert for summer- no baking involved and it's nice and cool! This really does remind me of a snickers bar with the chocolate and peanut butter combo. :) :) YUM!

Give it a try!

Here's the recipe

Grilled Portobello Sandwiches

These were really good!! I halved this as it was just for Chris and myself and made several changes below. This is a great meatless meal and pretty filling! The only thing that we didn't like about them was the veggies tended to come out when you took a bite. So I actually ate mine with a knife and fork. But no big deal!

One of the best things about this was the roasted garlic that I added to the mayo-- GREAT flavor! See link below about how to roast garlic in the oven....

My changes:

Omitted bell pepper and onions

Used about 1/4 cup olive oil

Used Kraft mayo made with olive oil instead of regular mayo

Used regular fresh mozzarella

Next time, I will add some fresh arugula to the tops of these. I actually had some here but just forgot it.

Roasted Garlic Recipe

Here's a link to the original recipe

Rosemary Chicken with Wild Rice

I sort of thought up this recipe today and it turned out pretty well, I thought. :)

Marinade for chicken:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Marinade chicken for at least 4 hours. I grilled mine on my indoor grill. I used breast tenderloins so they would cook quicker. Next time, I think I might add the juice of one lemon to the marinade. But it was still good!

I served this with Uncle Ben's wild rice and a spinach salad. We both really enjoyed this.

Quick and easy dinner!! :)

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas

These are a really nice, quick meal when you don't really feel like "cooking." Also, if you're trying to cut down on the amount of meat you're eating, this is a nice recipe. Portobellos are very "beefy" and filling.

My changes:

Omitted the butter- I sprayed the outside parts of the tortillas with Pam Olive Oil spray to give them a little crunch after being baked in the oven.

Used 2% sharp shredded cheddar

Used whole-grain tortillas

Here's the recipe

Marinated Greek Chicken Kabobs

We really enjoyed these tonight and will definitely make them again. And they gave me a good excuse to use some of the oregano and rosemary we've been growing in the backyard. :) :)

The yogurt and lemon juice are great for getting the meat nice and tender and all of the ingredients combined gave a wonderful flavor to the meat.

Here are my changes:

I used the juice of a whole, large lemon so these were probably a little more "lemon-y" than they were supposed to be, but we still really enjoyed them.

Didn't use quite as much feta cheese as this called for since it was just used in the marinade and I didn't want to waste it.

Didn't have any onion or bell pepper so we just made it with the meat on the skewers.

Here's the recipe

Chicken Parmigiana Burgers

We had these last night and really enjoyed them. They couldn't be easier and were quite yummy! They're also a lot healthier than your typical chicken parmigiana entree at a restaurant.

Here are my tweaks:

Used a whole wheat hamburger bun instead of ciabatta

Used ground turkey burger patties instead of chicken

Hope you all will give this one a try!

Here's the recipe

Lazy Asparagus Omelet

I decided to make this for a simple dinner tonight and really enjoyed it. It may sound strange to combine asparagus with eggs, but we really enjoyed this.

My changes:

Added a few pieces of crumbled bacon before putting the pan under the broiler

Used shredded mozzarella

Very simple and yummy!

Here's the recipe

Corn and Black Bean Salad

CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 (15 1/4 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained (or fresh corn off the cob)

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
6 green onions, chopped

1 large avocado, chopped
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 c. fat-free Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. lime juice
3/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp. chili powder

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. In a small bowl. combine the salad dressing, cilantro, lime juice, hot pepper sauce and chili powder.
Pour over corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Focaccia Pizza Waffles

These are so much fun! I saw this on Rachael Ray and had to try it! If you don't make your own pizza dough, I recommend asking for some raw dough at your local pizza place. We got ours from Campania Pizza and More in Southlake- we love this place! Definitely not your typical pizza.

It was a great meal for two but I wouldn't recommend it for a large crowd unless you have several waffle makers ha! Fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and spinach salad were so yummy on this. But you could really use any toppings you like. Hope you'll give it a try!

Here's the recipe

Mixed Veggie Pasta Salad

So tonight I sort of threw this dinner together because I had a fresh bunch of asparagus that I need to use. I'm trying to make more meatless meals lately. I think this will become a regular one around here during the warmer months. I used the following recipe as inspiration....

http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/grilled_vegetable_pasta_salad/

Here are my changes:

Used whole grain penne instead of plain

Used yellow cherry tomatoes- I think they are sweeter than red.

Omitted the red onion and peppers

Added fresh spinach- didn't have basil

Used regular Italian dressing, some olive oil and parmesan cheese to dress it.

I grilled the asparagus on my indoor grill just with some olive oil spray and garlic salt for about 5-7 minutes. I let it cool and then cut into bite sized pieces. This was the only cooking involved besides the pasta. SO easy and fast! We will definitely have to have this again this summer when it's 100+ degrees outside!! Give this one a try and add or delete as you wish.

Turkey Spinach Meatloaf

So we just had this for dinner and it was pretty yummy... (if I do say so myself!) I used the following recipe for inspiration and made it the lazy way-- haha-- basically the same ingredients as the recipe, but I mixed it all together instead of in layers to make a pinwheel.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Turkey-Pinwheel/Detail.aspx

So here's what I did instead:

Mixed the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl with my hands. By the way, it's very important that you squeeze out all of the water from your thawed spinach before adding it! I baked this in a loaf pan lined with foil for about 45 minutes, then took it out and added ketchup to the top and baked for another 8-10 minutes.

Sliced Steak Salad w/ "Bloody Mary" Vinaigrette

I made this last night and we both really enjoyed this. It's SUPER simple but very yummy! Personally, I don't eat a ton of red meat on a regular basis. But if you choose a lean cut of beef for this, I think it can be a pretty healthy choice (once in a while!) Really loved the different flavors in this and the only time consuming part of this recipe is the cooking of the steak... so start it a little early if you can. I was using an indoor grill like Rachael used on the show.

Oh, and for the non-drinkers out there- no worries- there is no alcohol in the "bloody mary" vinaigrette! :)

My changes:

Couldn't find horseradish so I left it out- didn't miss it.

Omitted the parsley and endive (endive is a little pricy)

Added minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds to the dressing

Used green olives- had never heard of caperberries- have any of you??

Here's the recipe

Cauliflower with Carrot "Cheese" Sauce

I saw this on Rachael Ray and decided I had to give it a try. I remember watching this guy- "The Galloping Gourmet" when I was a kid and remember how funny he was-- and still is. When I saw him on this episode of RR, he said he's recently decided to make a real change in the way he cooks and make things a lot healthier. This is a great alternative to using "Cheez Whiz" on your cauliflower and/or broccoli. That stuff is loaded with all kinds of preservatives and fat. Check out the nutrition facts of this recipe at the bottom of the link- Very impressive, I thought.

Hope you'll give this a try....

My suggestion:

Do not turn your burner very high when steaming your carrots w/ the evaporated milk. It will make a horrible brown crust on the inside of your pan! Not fun to clean up!

Here's the recipe

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

We had these tonight with a green salad on the side. We both really enjoyed these. I do have to confess that I took a couple of shortcuts though.

My changes:

-I used store-bought enchilada sauce instead of her sauce recipe. (I couldn't find a couple of the ingredients at Target.)

-Omitted the onion and green chiles

I thought these were a great substitute for typical beef enchiladas which have a lot more fat and calories. Very filling too!

Here's the recipe

Low-Calorie Dessert Ideas

I love this site from The Biggest Loser! They have a lot of great recipes and ideas.

I just tried out one of the low-cal dessert ideas and liked it a lot. I did the sugar-free chocolate pudding with a little peanut butter mixed in. Yum! Hope this list gives you a few ideas to try!

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/exclusives/nutrition/healthy-eating/low-cal-desserts/

Honey Rosemary Chicken

I made this quite a while ago and just haven't posted it until now. We really enjoyed this and I will make this again at some point. The fresh rosemary makes all the difference in flavor! I also liked this because it uses such common ingredients that most people have in the fridge or pantry. The sweet honey mixed with lemon juice, dijon and rosemary is just lovely! I made this with rice mixed with toasted slivered almonds and a little of the sauce on top.

Here's the recipe

Low-Fat Cobb Salad

One of my favorite kinds of salads to order when eating out is the Cobb salad. (probably because it has fattening things like bleu cheese and bacon crumbles! Ha!) But yesterday, I did a little improvisation and made one that I think has to be a lot less calories and fat than your typical restaurant-style Cobb.

Here's what I threw together:

"Butter Bliss" bagged salad mix (2 cups or so)

1/2 cup shredded carrots

2 boiled eggs, chopped

1 tablespoon reduced-fat bleu cheese crumbles (pasteurized - since I'm pregnant!)

Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

I'm sure you can find reduced fat bacon bits to add to this, but I didn't have any. I love homemade simple dressings like the one above because it tastes so much fresher than something from a bottle.

Toss together and enjoy! :)

Speedy Asian Chicken Soup Bowls

This was such an easy and quick dinner to pull together last night. I will make this again at some point. I did, however, make it on the stove because I had to boil my chicken breasts before I could start it since they were raw. So I just ended up dumping all the ingredients into one pot. Still, very, very simple.

My changes:

I used the light version of the dressing they called for

Cooked on the stove instead of microwave

If you try this and use the microwave, let me know how it turns out. I would imagine it would be the same. Just curious.

Here's the recipe

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

This was so fast to make and so yummy! I love sweet sauces with pork chops- perfect combination. This recipe link also has sweet potato baked fries and a pear and walnut salad. These sounded great but the sweet potatoes didn't look very good today at the store and my pears are not ripe yet. So I will be trying those out on another day.

Here is my change to the pork chops:

Used light syrup instead of dark amber

Also, I love a new variety of bagged salad that I found recently in Target. If you haven't tried the "Butter Bliss" kind, it is so good! And without any butter haha- it's butter lettuce :) This was very yummy with just a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and some crumbled feta and walnuts! Perfection!

Here's the pork chop recipe

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken

It can't get much simpler than this recipe! Only 4 ingredients dumped into a crockpot :) One of the many things I like about crockpot recipes is that usually you don't even have to thaw out your meat. I put in 3 frozen, boneless chicken breasts and it was done in 5 hours.

This chicken turned out very tender and juicy! I cooked mine for about 5 hours on low and it was perfect. I served it over brown rice with green beans.

My only small changes:

low-sodium soy sauce

crushed pineapple instead of chunks

Here's the recipe

Portobello Cacciatore

I saw this on Rachael Ray last week and decided to give it a try. I have been wanting to eat more meat-free meals lately and thought this sounded delicious! And we really enjoyed this. I did, as almost always, make a few changes. And I have a few suggestions for anyone who wants to make this. I will list those below.

My changes:

Omitted: onion, cubanelle peppers, dried mushrooms (used fresh portobello and white), red pepper flakes, used fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of stewed, butter

I suggest:

Not adding the entire quart of chicken or vegetable stock to this, as it calls for. It made my sauce too runny for my taste. I think maybe half a quart would be a good amount. Just my .02!

This was a very filling and flavorful dish and I didn't miss the meat at all!

Here's the recipe

Lime Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Made this last night and it was the perfect type of dinner for us since we were eating at different times due to church and a late work schedule.

I couldn't find a marinade that said "mesquite lime" so I got one that was called "chile lime" at Target. It was pretty good. I actually let the chicken marinade for about 4-5 hours in the fridge. It turned out very tender. I "grilled" it on our indoor cast iron grill that you set on top of a burner. Perfect option for these chilly days!

Also, Kraft makes a low-fat creamy Caesar that is very good and a lot less fat than your typical Caesar.

Here's the recipe

Low-Fat Alfredo with Chicken and Vegetables

I made this tonight and it is a good alternative to a high-fat typical chicken alfredo. Bechumel sauce is soooo easy to make and so much better for you than alfredo sauce. I was disappointed when I realized I had accidentally left out the sun-dried tomatoes that were in the pantry. Oh well... it was pretty tasty anyway. I would suggest adding a little bit more parmesan cheese for flavor than what they call for.

My changes:

Skim milk instead of 2%- that's all I buy.

Instead of sauteing the veggies separately, I just added them to the bechumel sauce to cook.

Used whole-wheat linguine instead of fettucini- not a huge difference.

At the bottom of this recipe, check out the difference in fat, sodium and calories from the Olive Garden version to this one!!

Here's the recipe

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

This was soooo yummy! We just finished dinner and I definitely think this is a keeper recipe! Perfect for when you aren't feeling well or on a very cold night.

Yay- I found a Paula Deen recipe that isn't horrible for you! Hahaha- sorry, no offense to Paula Deen fans- I'm actually one too, but I can't make a lot of her recipes very often.

I also got to use my brand new dutch oven I received for Christmas for the first time! Definitely felt like a homemaker using it tonight. :)

Here are my changes to Paula's recipe:

Omitted the onion

Used dried herbs instead of fresh- still had a lot of good flavor

Didn't strain out the vegetables, I kept them in. I did take out most of the liquid before adding the cream of celery soup.

For the dumplings- I used 2 cups of Bisquick mixed with about 1 cup of milk and dropped the mixture by tablespoonfuls. I let this cook on low for about 10 mintues uncovered and then 10 minutes covered.

Simply delicious!

Here's the recipe