Southwestern Crockpot Sweet Potatoes and Corn

This was very simple to put together and is pretty tasty. I probably wouldn't make this every week, but it's definitely something different to add to your side dish menu. Also, if you didn't know, sweet potatoes are the most nutritious vegetable out there as far as vitamins. And bonus- they are one of my top three favorite veggies! I love their natural sweetness.

My changes:

I omitted the onion.

I used freeze-dried basil instead of fresh.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/southwestern-crockpot-sweet-potato-and.html

Massaged Kale Salad

I saw this on Food Network on the brand new show, "Aarti Party." She is the new winner of The Next Food Network Star. This dish was in her first show. Her recipes usually have an Indian flavor to them. But this one really doesn't, I don't think. But it was very good! I don't think I've ever eaten kale - that I know of until tonight in this dish. It's very hearty and chewy. Definitely a healthy food!

I could only find regular kale at Kroger, not the black kale that she suggested. Even after massaging the kale with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt for 3 minutes, mine didn't seem to wilt very much like the recipe said it would. That was the only problem I had with this. The kale took up a lot of space in the salad bowl.

I omitted the pumpkin seeds because I couldn't find them. I meant to substitute slivered almonds, but forgot.

The mango flavor in this is fabulous! I had forgotten how much I loved mango. Will be buying more of those very soon!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe/index.html

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

This turned out really well, I thought. We both enjoyed this and I plan to make this again at some point. I wish I had made it earlier in the day so that it could have cooled more in the fridge. (Next time, I'll read the directions more carefully!) But it was still delicious. I made several changes---

Omitted the spinach because I was serving it with my next recipe- Massaged Kale Salad.

Used red wine vinegar instead of white- that's all I had- tasted great.

Omitted the parsley

Used tri-color rotini pasta- could not find the kind they listed at Kroger- radiatore??

I substituted olive oil for the salad oil.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sesame-Chicken-Pasta-Salad/Detail.aspx

Baked Garlic Chicken

This turned out pretty yummy. And this one is just about fool-proof!

I changed a couple of things--

I used Italian salad dressing instead of just plain olive oil to cut back on greasiness and calories.

I used thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts (chicken cutlets). They cook quicker than the regular kind.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Garlic-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Honey Fruit Salad

This is extremely simple but very yummy! Honey is such a great natural sweetener. And you can use whatever fruit you have around to make this. It also goes great on top of cereal or with yogurt.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-Fruit-Salad/Detail.aspx

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

Just made this tonight and it's definitely going to be a repeater in my kitchen. Chris and I both really enjoyed this :)

Here are my changes:

I took the suggestion of a reviewer of this recipe and marinated the chops in 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce and 1 cup apple juice for about 4 hours before cooking. This gave them a really great flavor and they were very juicy. Pork chops can dry out easily so this definitely helped with that a lot.

I only used two pork chops instead of the 4 they suggested.

I omitted the pecans- didn't have any.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Caramel-Apple-Pork-Chops/Detail.aspx

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this for dinner tonight and it was soooo tender! I think the next time I make it, I will do the homemade "soup" to pour over the top instead of the canned cream of mushroom that I used today. I'm sure that would really lower the sodium. I also liked that this wasn't breaded like the typical chicken cordon bleu you might have at a restaurant.

I only cooked this for 4 hours on low since I have a pretty hot crockpot and it was VERY done by then. I think this is definitely a healthier version of an old favorite!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-chicken-cordon-bleu.html

Grilled Salmon with Dill

Chris and I just had this for dinner tonight and it was definitely a success!!

Here are my changes to the recipe below:

Put 9 oz. fillet of salmon in a foil packet with ingredients and grilled on the stove for about 15 minutes.

Added one tablespoon of butter to make sure it didn't dry out

We split the 9 oz. fillet in two and it was SO perfect! The foil packet method of cooking fish is definitely one of my favorites as far as locking in juices and EASY clean-up. But if you would rather bake in the oven as the recipe instructs, do what you feel most comfortable with.

The dill and lemon combo can't be beat. We really enjoyed this :)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1087038&adsqs=raid:1712080

Grilled Lemon Chicken

Just made this for dinner and it was sooo flavorful! I only marinated it for about 4 hours and the chicken was very juicy and could be cut with a fork! The lemon flavor is very nice in this! I loved how healthy this one is. I made it on my indoor grill since it is SOOO hot outside this week. I'll be making this one again.

My only omission was the red bell pepper-- didn't see the need for it.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Lemon-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Amazing Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

This recipe couldn't be easier and the taste and tenderness of the pork was great!! I will be making this one again. It has a bit more sodium than dishes that I typically make, so I scaled down the salt with the rest of what I ate yesterday. This went great with some mashed new potatoes and green beans. :)

My only changes were:

1 lb. pork instead of 2 lbs.

Cooked on low for only about 4 hours (but my crockpot is hotter than most.)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amazing-Pork-Tenderloin-in-the-Slow-Cooker/Detail.aspx