Yes, I know, most of the pictures are terrible and taken on paper plates, etc. Oh well. Maybe someday I'll work at fixing that. Until now, this is what I've got! Let me know if you'd like a recipe for something you see here!
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| Dijon Lime Chicken Legs, Wild Rice, Butter Lettuce Salad |
These were totally delicious, and super easy to make, once I got past one of the worst culinary tasks yet, that had me questioning whether or not I wanted to remain a meat-eater. A side of wild rice & small butter lettuce salad add a bit of dimension to this dish!
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| Chicken Parmesan |
Chicken Parmesan! This one was a doozy. It seemed so easy, and yet everything kept going wrong. I had a meltdown in the kitchen, but in the end, it turned out super delicious. I plan on making these again, but with bigger pieces of chicken so they can stand alone. Or perhaps with some other kind of "noodle" (I've been wanting to try 'zoodles' and squash noodles).
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| Taco Chili Mac |
This is another recipe from Skinnytaste, and for me, it was kind of 'meh.' It's a unique idea, and it was good, but I don't know that I'll end up making this one again. It seemed pretty easy, but ended up being kind of difficult.
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| Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets |
These were seriously delicious. They are hand-cut (by yours truly) from chicken breast meat, breaded, and then baked! Tom thought we were having frozen nuggets when I said nuggets for dinner, but he was so excited when I started hand-breading these little guys. And they're baked, so healthier!
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| Porkchop & Salad |
This baked porkchop was super delicious, and pretty easy for what it was. It's a mixture of Panko & Italian Breadcrumbs, and just baked in the oven!
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| Turkey Meatloaf |
This is another recipe from Skinnytaste, and man is it delicious. This turkey meatloaf (my second time making it) was so flavorful (and pretty filling!). Also, this is incredibly easy--I will definitely be making this one again.
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| Breakfast! |
Not too much cooking going on here, just some mixing, pouring, and scrambling, but it was still delicious! Eventually, I would like to make homemade waffle mix!
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| Myzithra |
One night, when we didn't have much in the house except some fresh myzithra cheese I bought at a supermarket that was going out of business, I decided to try to recreate my favorite dish from The Old Spaghetti Factory. It didn't quite hit the mark--I think I needed a bit of a cheese blend, but with the browned butter it was pretty delicious. Also, browning butter is hard! I burnt it twice.
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Three Bean Turkey Chili
This chili was absolutely delicious. It's actually a weight watchers recipe I found from a great website called skinnytaste. It was delicious and very filling! Just 12oz filled you up, for sure. I had to pair it with a slice of sourdough bread.
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| Slow Cooker Pork with Roasted Sweet Potatoes |
I made this as a lunch dish for the week, and it was absolutely delicious. The pork recipe is from skinnytaste as well, but I came up with the roasted sweet potatoes on my own. A bit of olive oil, a pinch of brown sugar, and some cinnamon. Very good. However, this is probably better suited for dinner. I kind of got tired of it for lunch.
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| Chicken Stir Fry with Asparagus and Broccoli & Quinoa |
I came up with this stir fry on my own-- a few onions, some garlic, a bit of olive oil and some seasoning. Toss the veggies in, and voila. I ate this for lunch 4/5 days, and I surprisingly didn't get sick of it. Pretty easy-- I'll have to make this again for lunch.
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| Turkey Tacos |
These were too easy, and perfect for when I didn't want to spend the night cooking. Just some seasoned ground turkey with cheese and lettuce shreds. Next time I think I want to try to make a homemade pineapple salsa.
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| Turkey Burger with Caramelized Onions |
I admit, I used the Jennie-O frozen turkey patties for this, but they were really delicious. I caramelized some onions on top, along with a little bbq sauce, and it was so good. I was debating whether or not to caramelize the onions because of how long it takes, but it was totally worth it in my opinion. They just add so much flavor!
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| Baked Ziti |
I also got this recipe from Skinnytaste. It was soooo delicious, and it really didn't take that long to make. It is reminiscent of my go-to Olive Garden dish (I literally order their baked ziti every time I go). So, now if I can make some low-fat breadsticks, I can call it good!
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| Sloppy Joes |
Oh, goodness gracious, these are good. I got this recipe from Skinnytaste as well, and they're way better than the ones I made previously. In fact, I've already made these twice, and plan on making them again very soon. You add a little melted provolone on top, and they are so good. In fact, I make a giant batch and we eat them pretty much all week!
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| Homemade Sunday Breakfast! |
Okay, so it's just breakfast. But, man was it delicious. Egg whites, hash browns, and homemade pancakes. I'd never made pancakes before, so I was excited to try. I was only able to make little silver dollar ones, and some got burnt, but they tasted delicious! Also, there was one Mickey Mouse pancake in the bunch that actually turned out pretty adorable.
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Pulled Pork Deliciousness
Once again in the mood for something simple and delicious, I did a quick google search for "Healthy Pulled Pork" and came across a recipe for this little bad boy right here. I bought the sourdough rolls from the grocery store, but the pulled pork was delicious and homemade!
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| Chicken Salad Sandwich |
I adapted this chicken salad from a weight watchers recipe, and man was it delicious. I turned it into my own little health-conscious sandwich by using light whole wheat English muffins!
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| White Chili |
I was in the mood to use my Crock Pot (aka not spend a TON of time cooking), and came across this healthy white chili recipe on the weight watchers recipe list. It was super easy and super delicious, and I made enough to feed a small army-- so, Tom & I ate it pretty much all week.
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| Recipe from www.thedailydish.us |
Veggie Baked Ziti! My return to cooking went well with this dish, designed to last over a few days. Very delicious, and pretty easy. I will definitely be making this again!
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| Recipe adapted from www.thedailydish.us |
It's a little hard to see what's going on in the picture, but this is a delicious recipe I adapted from the website "The Daily Dish." I ended up switching some of the ingredients, and making it my own, but inside those jumbo shells is Ricotta, Mascarpone, Spinach, Parsley, all cooked to perfection with things like lemon juice, etc. The sauce was my longest simmer to date at an hour--but it also turned out really well and included lemon juice, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and copious amounts of deliciousness. It was a lot of work, actually, for a deceptively simple dish, but it was really tasty!
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| recipe from www.thedailydish.com |
Chicken and Rice. This dish was the first after a brief hiatus/fall off the wagon. I don't want to say I ate out for 2 weeks, but I ate out a lot more than I had originally during the last couple of months. Anyway, chicken and rice represented a return to cooking, which is harder in the long run because it actually IS time consuming. This recipe was fairly easy, however, so it was a perfect push back into cooking healthily. Roasted asparagus made a perfect side dish for this meal.
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| Turkey Recipe from WomenHeart's AllHeart Family Cookbook |
Turkey Cutlets Pieces with Avocado Salsa. Okay, so, this recipe called for turkey cutlets, which whole foods did not have. So, I just got a turkey breast, and made my own cutlets. However, those turned into pieces when I began cooking. I get really paranoid about cooking meats, so I kept slicing into it, and eventually the cutlets just became pieces. Oh well. Also, the avocado wasn't exactly ripe, and I found out that I do not, in fact, like grape tomatoes. Or tomatoes in general. I always knew this about myself, but through this experience, I have learned that I actually do like things that I previously thought I did not like. Examples: Avocado, bell peppers, onions, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, beans, Porcini mushrooms... well, you get the picture. I was always a picky eater, and I'm really branching out through this cooking thing. But, tomatoes by themselves or on sandwiches/in salads are still a no-go for me. Oh well.
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| Chicken & Salad Recipe from WomenHeart's AllHeart Family Cookbook |
Cilantro Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad and Roasted Asparagus (drizzled with olive oil and honey, and seasoned with some ground pepper). Once again, I cooked the chicken a little too long due to the meat thermometer not reading properly. Oh well, still good though. The black bean salad was delicious, and I've decided that if we ever start going to barbecues or potlucks, I'll be bringing this dish. Easy, delicious, and served wonderfully cold!
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| Recipe from www.thedailydish.us |
Pulled Pork Sandwiches on Homemade Bread Rolls Rounds. I spent all Sunday cooking this, and had a bit of a meltdown in the kitchen at approximately 11:57pm when I couldn't get the pork to 'pull,' and as I scorched my thumbs on the hot meat, as I could not wait for it to cool. I started this dish at approximately 4:30pm, and finished it at 1am. Thankfully, it was never meant to be dinner for that night. All things considered, it turned out pretty well. I'd be interested in trying this again, now that I kind of know what to do.
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| Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com |
Homemade Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna with Mozzarella & Ricotta. This was so good, and surprisingly easy. I see more lasagnas in my future. Perhaps I'll try that delicious looking one that includes tofu from The Daily Dish (www.thedailydish.us)
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| Recipe from the American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook |
Chicken Primavera over Fettuccine. This was so delicious! And, despite its many components, it was pretty easy. Plus, a full serving of veggies is in the primavera spread over the pasta-- camouflaged veggies are my favorite kind of veggies! I'll definitely be making this again!
Pork Chops with Apple Horseradish Sauce. This was soooo good. Yes, a little burnt (oops), but soooo good. The sauce was delicious! I don't really like spicy stuff, so I was nervous about the horseradish, but it was perfect-- it gave it just a little bit of kick. In fact, next time, I might add even a little more horse radish. These were good, but they actually took me a long time, so it'll probably be awhile before I make these again. Plus, I don't think they're that good for you....
Spinach, Broccoli, and Ricotta shells. I did this one on my own-- simple and delicious, perfect for Easy Fridays.
Kung Pao Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice with Roasted Asparagus and Green Beans. The pineapple fried rice is my favorite part of all of this-- it tastes so delicious. And I know it'll taste even better the next time I make it. The Kung Pao chicken is good, too, but next time I think I'll add a little more spice. Also, prep for this one was kind of a nightmare, so I'll probably only make this one every so often...
Strawberry shortcake has long been my favorite dessert-- it's super easy, and super delicious. In the past, I would make the strawberry topping and then throw it on top of some delicious angel food cake. Alas, angel food cake contains too much sodium for me to really feel like i'm doing low sodium--enter this recipe from The Daily Dish, and voila! The perfect solution. I could eat this all day, every day. (but i won't... I hope...)
Fun fact about the dish pictured here: my Grandy (who passed away in October 2013) would always serve me the BEST juicy macaroni and cheese in THESE bowls--seriously, it was so good, sometimes I would CRY because my mom couldn't make it the same. So, I made sure I kept one, and I'll keep it forever for the memory. It's bittersweet using the dish.
Stuffed pork-chops with roasted green beans & Carrots, and sauteed rainbow chard. I'm not even really a fan of mushrooms, but this was so delicious. The flavor of the mushrooms really added a lot to the meat-- there was No Mushroom Left Behind!
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| Recipe from Sodium Girl's Cookbook |
Handmade, home rolled Beef Taquitos. (Not pictured: Roasted carrots, broccoli, and green beans). It was Tom's week to pick some meals, and he picked Taquitos. I'm glad he did, because these were delicious. They took a long time due to how many components there were (inside is beef, cooked zucchini, and this delicious guacamole-like spread that includes Avocado, Creme Fraiche, and a bit of jalapeno), and how long it took to roll them (I made 22, since it's sustaining us for a couple of days), but they were deceptively easy, and I'll definitely be coming back to these--probably with beef again, and likely trying another meat, too.
Tuscan Lemon Muffins. As my friend Victoria so astutely pointed out, I'm not sure what, precisely, makes them Tuscan. But, they were absolutely delicious! I definitely plan on making these little babies again, and soon!
Broiled lemon chicken. [Not pictured: roasted broccoli and asparagus]. This was my first time using a broiler, and it was pretty spectacular. I'm in love with how easy this dish was--marinading overnight in the fridge, and then just popping them in the broiler for a little while. I'll definitely come back to this one, and find other marinades (or perhaps make one of my own!)--excellent dishes for Monday when my track record for wanting to cook is not really the best.
Homemade Pizza from scratch with Mozzarella, Ricotta, and Spinach. This dish took forever, but it was pretty delicious (it definitely tastes better than it looks), and much healthier than the Papa John's I normally would have ordered.
Homemade Garlic Knots -- these little puppies were also pretty time consuming, but delicious. And I got a chance to use my new pastry brush!
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