Whole-Grain Honey Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin

One of the great things about C & I both being able to cook is that either of us can say, "Hey, I have this idea..." and pass it along to the other, and we make it work. A great example of this happened a few weeks ago. We had thawed a pork tenderloin one day, and I told C about an idea I was having to use the whole-grain Dijon mustard we had and create some sort of crust. I wasn't exactly sure what would go in it, but it seemed like it would work. With that, I went off to the gym and left him to his own devices.

Wouldn't ya know, when I got home a while later, what was presented to me was a dang restaurant-worthy meal. That husband of mine knocked it out of the park! It was exactly like I had imagined it. Moist and super flavorful from the combo of the mustard and other ingredients, it was a great variation on our normal preparations. Pork tenderloin is super easy to cook, and can be marinated or glazed in a huge variety of things, so we really like using it as an alternate protein from chicken. I can't wait to make this again!

Sorry - this is the best picture I got! Trust me on it's deliciousness.

Whole-Grain Honey Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 1 package pork tenderloin - ours usually comes with two pieces of meat in a pack

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. 
2. Mix all ingredients but pork (obvi) to create a sauce. 
3. Spray a 13x9" baking dish with cooking spray, then place tenderloin in center of dish. If there are two pieces of meat, leave a little bit of space between them. 
4. Pour sauce over pork and coat evenly, turning over to ensure both sides are covered. Try to get lots of the mustard grains on the pork (might want to use a spoon to help). 
5. Bake until meat thermometer reads 165* (appx 45 minutes).

We served ours along-side some cous cous and steamed broccoli, and we had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. Definitely a successful meal.

I will admit, pork tenderloin seemed scary to me the first time I cooked it, but I promise, it's not! It's a great cut of meat, is not too expensive, and is very versatile to a variety of flavors and side dishes. I could probably think of 10 other ways to make it... let me know if you'd like another recipe!

BY THE WAY... make sure you come back by here tomorrow! Not only is it my birthday, but I've got a surprise to share :) See ya then!

Lightened Up Turkey Noodle Casserole

When one cooks a 23lb turkey for Thanksgiving, one inevitably has leftover turkey. The first few days of "repeat Thanksgiving" meals are fine, but after a few trips around the block, you're probably looking for something different to do with your turkey. The recipe I'm sharing today is exactly what you need!

Turkey noodle casserole is a spin on tuna noodle casserole - the same basic premise, but changing up the protein. It's a perfect dish to use up your dark meat (I just can't eat a turkey sandwich with dark meat, but toss it in cheese sauce and I'm good to go!) and change up the flavors of your leftover turkey.

When searching for a recipe to base my dish off of, I had one key criterion: no mushroom soup. A lot of casseroles are made with a "cream of" soup for the base, and most recipes for turkey noodle casserole include the addition of several cans of cream of mushroom (to replicate the flavor of traditional green bean casserole, I think). When you have a mushroom-hating husband, that's not really such a good thing (if I want him to eat it, anyway). So the search was on: find a recipe that looked yummy, but didn't call for fungus.

Luckily, I found something pretty much perfect! The base for this recipe is a homemade cheese sauce, which seems daunting, but really isn't. As long as you go slowly and cook carefully, you, too, can make a simple, delicious cheese sauce, and then pour it into this delicious dish. It would also make an excellent macaroni and cheese, but that is another recipe for another day.

I took a few steps to lighten up the recipe, which seemed necessary after stuffing ourselves silly with Thanksgiving foods for the previous few days. Changes include decreasing the amount of noodles (doesn't really make a difference!), increasing the amount of veggies, and swapping sour cream for Greek yogurt (my favorite substitute!). I used skim milk to make the sauce, and it turned out just perfectly - no need for added fat by using something else. I also threw in the fresh herbs that I had leftover from Thanksgiving, and they were such a great addition. They brightened up the flavors of the dish so beautifully. If you don't have fresh, I'd still add some dried, but know that you can make it without, if need be. It's versatile!

I really do hope you find an opportunity to try the recipe (maybe use rotisserie chicken if you don't have turkey on hand?), because it was so. dang. delicious. I wanted to eat the whole pan... but refrained, and settled for having it for lunch a couple times this week.

I deem this one a success: Lindsay lightened, husband approved. Can't beat it!

Just look at that melty, cheesy goodness!

Turkey Noodle Casserole
Lightly adapted from here
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

• 6 ounces dried egg noodles 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (about 1 small onion) 
• 1 cup chopped carrots 
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 1 ½ cups skim milk 
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• ½ Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped 
• ½ Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped 
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided 
• 2 cups cooked, chopped turkey 
• ½ cup Greek yogurt 
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 
• salt and pepper 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente (about 7 minutes). Drain and return to pot. 
3. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until tender and softened (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and cook for another minute. 
4. Add flour and stir until absorbed and the "raw" tasted cooked out (about 1 - 2 minutes). Vegetables will look clumpy and kind of gummy – this is ok! Turn down heat just a little. While whisking mixture constantly, slowly pour in milk and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened (about 3 minutes). 
5. Add 1 ¼ cups (roughly) shredded cheese and stir until melted. Sauce should not boil, just cook until thick and creamy. 
6. Add the cayenne, thyme, and sage, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Mix turkey and Greek yogurt into cheese sauce, then add that mixture to noodles. Stir until well-combined and everything is coated evenly. 
8. Grease 9”x13” baking dish. Pour noodle mixture into baking dish and distribute evenly. top with remaining cheddar cheese (one layer) and panko breadcrumbs (separate layer). 
9. Bake until casserole is warm and cheese is bubbling (about 30 minutes). 

I just want to live inside that pan for like... 20 minutes.

Baked buffalo chicken tenders

All was going well with our "eat what we have without doing more grocery shopping" endeavor, but things were getting a little dire and I ended up at the grocery store last weekend after all. As it turned out, my local Giant was having a great sale on chicken ($1.97/lb!) so I picked up a club pack of chicken breasts and also a package of chicken tenders. I generally don't buy chicken tenders, as we just cook up chicken breasts as they come, or pound them thin / cut / cube / slice as necessary - but these were on sale, and I wanted to experiment a bit. So I did!

I knew that I wanted to create baked buffalo chicken tenders, but really couldn't find a recipe that contained all the components I wanted: chicken tenders, panko, baked with zero frying, and through-and-through buffalo taste. So, I created my own! The end result was pretty tasty - dad & husband approved! Due to the high temperature of the oven, the panko stays crispy and your tenders don't end up soggy and gross. Also, incorporating the buffalo with sauce into the egg wash ensures that spicy buffalo flavor in every bite. Check it out!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Ingredients 

• 1 – 1 ½ lbs chicken tenders 
• 1 cup flour 
• Salt / pepper / paprika / garlic power (to taste) 
• 2 eggs, scrambled 
• ½ c buffalo wing sauce (we use Frank's!)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 425*. 
2. Set up three prep stations in shallow dishes: the first is the flour and seasonings mixed together, the second is the eggs and buffalo wing sauce beaten together, and the third is the panko bread crumbs.

   

   I used shallow Tupperware containers for my three prep stations.

3. Set up your baking pan – a cookie sheet, covered in tin foil, with a wire cooling rack over the top. Spray cooling rack with cooking spray. 
4. One at a time, prepare chicken tenders. Coat in flour, dip in egg wash, coat in breadcrumbs. Lay on cooling rack / baking pan. Repeat until all chicken tenders are finished.

   

   Nakey chicken tenders

   

   Mid-way through the process. No action shot; my hands were gross!

5. Spray chicken tenders with cooking spray. 
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once halfway. Cooking time may vary depending on size of chicken tenders and preferred doneness of chicken. (I actually cooked mine for 40 minutes.)

   

   Golden brown & delicious!

Serve with a side of ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Yum!

Side note - the ingredient measurements are more like suggestions - this is very much an "eyeball it" dish. Use as much or as little of each as you need to coat all your tenders. Everything in this is pretty cheap, so I was ok with tossing the leftovers when I was done. Feel free to be a bit more cautious with your ingredients if you'd like; dumping some in as I need more works for me.

Baked Spaghetti (Squash) Boats with Sausage

Dinner last night was a culinary adventure - which we all know can turn out great or awful. I was tackling an item I'd never cooked with before - a spaghetti squash - and I was a bit hesitant.

Dun dun dunnnnn.

Spaghetti squash has been all over the interwebs lately it seems - recipes on blogs, Pintrest, everywhere I look. I found a really nice-looking one at my local Global Foods, and decided to give it a whirl. I wasn't exactly inspired, though, and so it sat on our counter for a week and a half while I tried to figure out what to do with it. When I saw this post on Iowa Girl Eats, I knew I'd found just what I needed.

Last night, I wrestled the spaghetti squash, and I'm pleased to say that I won. This meal was delicious, and I will definitely be making it again! Highly, highly recommend this one. IGE did point out something about spaghetti squash - people tend to make it and get disappointed because the "noodles" aren't like "noodles." To that, I have to say "no shit, Sherlock" - it's squash. Squash noodles will not fool any rational pasta lover, so I wouldn't necessarily try to fool anyone. However, that doesn't mean it's not delicious! Go into this recipe knowing that you're eating squash, not pasta, and I don't see a problem.

Baked Spaghetti (Squash) Boats with Sausage
Slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 2

Ingredients

• One large spaghetti squash
• One jar of spaghetti sauce (pick your fave)
• One package of chicken sausage (I used this)
• Shredded mozzarella
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400* and prep the spaghetti squash. I used IGE's recommendation and, using  a sharp knife, poked 5-6 holes in the skin and then microwaved the squash on a plate for three minutes, turning over halfway through. Spaghetti squash is particularly thick, so the microwaving helps soften it a bit before you try to cut into it.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Honestly, this was a lot harder than I expected it to be - took me about five minutes and two very sharp knives, and I finally just broke it open when I got to the bottom. Be warned.

Scoop the insides out of the squash. I'm sure you could save and roast the seeds and all that jazz, but I did not. Place the squash halves, edible flesh up, on a foil-lined, cooking-spray-sprayed baking sheet. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Roast the squash for 50-60 minutes.

When the squash is finished roasting, take it out of the oven and place on a cooling rack until it's cool enough to handle (probably 30 minutes or so). While you wait, cook the sausage and then slice on the diagonal to make bite-size pieces.

Shred the inside of the squash with a fork - it should come apart really easily and form the "noodles."
When both sides are shredded, transfer "noodles" to a mixing bowl and combine with desired amount of spaghetti sauce (~2/3 of the jar).

Split noodles between the squash shell "boats" evenly, then top each squash with half of the sausage. Top with a little more sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Broil until cheese is melty and just starts to brown - watch carefully, because the squash shell can start to burn.

Transfer boats to plates and sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan and dried parsley. Serve with the world's easiest garlic bread *.

*See "recipe" below.

This recipe is one of those "sneaky" ones, where you get a lot of veggies and not a whole lot else, and it feels really decadent but is actually not that bad for you. This could be made with Italian sausage, crumbled ground beef or turkey - whatever you have on hand. Using the roasted garlic sausage really lent incredible flavor to the dish, but feel free to modify! We actually ended up with plenty for leftovers for lunch today - if we'd been starving, this would have just been dinner, but with the bread on the side, neither of us could finish. I'm excited to eat it again!

World's Easiest Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• Bread
• Butter
• Garlic powder
• Parmesan (the cheap, powdered kind is best!)

Directions

Spread bread with butter. Sprinkle on garlic powder and top with Parmesan. Broil until bread is toasted and parm starts to brown and melt. Enjoy!

The bread I used last night is seven-grain sourdough from Wegmans, and it is freakin' good.

Feelin' Soupy

I woke up to pouring rain this morning, and it was a struggle to get out of bed. What I really, really, really wanted to do was stay home in my jammies and cook something delicious. Currently on my list of "Why Don't I Have Time to Make This?!" are chocolate chip banana bread (craving that in a serious way!) and split pea and ham soup (also craving that badly). I have all the ingredients for both, I just haven't actually had the time to make them - and I still won't, as we have a jam-packed weekend ahead of us. While it will be fun, I'm just a smidge disappointed that I can't spend my Saturday wrapped in my apron, filling my house with the foodie-smells of fall. Dreamsss.

But then, as I was sitting as my desk this morning, it hit me - the exact recipe that I have to share. Drum roll please.... roasted tomato soup with broiled cheddar.


[source]

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, and I made it last winter and then forgot about it. I don't know how - it is one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten. It's so simple, but it hits that "comfort food" spot dead-on. The soup has incredible flavor from the roasted tomatoes - it doesn't taste at all like "ketchup and milk" (which is the reason C usually won't eat tomato soup). You can obviously just put together a batch of it and eat it out of a bowl, but I did it just like it's pictured: French Onion Soup style, with a piece of French bread floated on top and buried under a mound of broiled sharp cheddar cheese. Life-changing.

This is the soup that my tomato-soup-and-grilled-cheese loving heart is made of. As if all that wasn't incentive enough to make it, it's actually really, really easy, too! Most of the time required is spent waiting for the tomatoes to roast. So worth it, though!

I'm practically drooling over the idea of a piping-hot bowl of this soup with a sourdough bread & sharp cheddar grilled cheese next to it.... ahhhhh. Someone make this soup for me! I will love you forever.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4 (though closer to 6 if served in mugs)

Soup
3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Lid
4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste)

Make soup: Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used 1 full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add foil packet of garlic to tray. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Unwrap garlic packet and peel cloves. Transfer cloves, tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a blender or food processor and pulse machine on and off until tomatoes are a chunky puree. Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

Create cheddar lid: Preheat oven to 350. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls, crocks or large mugs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Stir grated onion into the warm soup. (I love this last-minute suggestion of onion.) Float toast slice(s) in each bowl, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top. (If you’re using a wide bowl, you might find that you want more cheese to create a thick, broiled lid.) Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges. If you’d like it even more bronzed on top, preheat your broiler and finish soups for a minute or two under it. Serve immediately.

Food Network ain't got nothin' on me!

Radio silence... Sorry y'all. Things have been super busy at work - there are two of us editors in my office, and the girl I work with has been out for a week visiting her family, so my workload has been a bit heavier than usual! Add into that the four workouts I did in the last two days [pilates, 7.5 mile run, BodyPump, and BodyStep], and you can see where my exhaustion has entered. When I woke C up this morning (key detail, because usually he wakes me up!), he said "ALREADY?!" - yeah. Exactly how I feel!

Nonetheless, I knew I needed to share this in writing before I forgot about it - although I'm not sure that could even happen. Friends, I did something seriously important on Friday: I made a kick. ass. dinner. Delicious & with magazine-quality photos, to boot! It was SO. good.

We got out frozen tilapia filets on Friday, and I had every intention of making Tilapia Peach Packets & using some of the farmers' market peaches. However, when I pulled up the recipe at 5:30 on Friday night, that was a great big fail - 12-14 hours to marinate! Ehhh.... notsomuch. On to Plan B.

A quick Google search later, and we had our action plan: Grilled Chili-Lime Tilapia with Peach Salsa. Seemed easy enough... and it WAS. Easy, quick, delicious... practically gourmet. This one will be added to our regular rotation. I seriously recommend giving it a try! Don't be afraid of the fish! It's easy-peasy. Promise.

This recipe even got the seal of approval from C, who is NOT a big fish eater - "this is a good spice rub." Direct quote. 

Grilled Chili-Lime Tilapia with Peach Salsa
Adapted from Ginger Lemon Girl

Ingredients:
Fish
1 lb. fresh tilapia (2 filets)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lime

Salsa
1 fresh peach, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/8 tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tsp olive oil

Directions:
Rinse & pat dry the tilapia and set on a large plate. In a small bowl stir together the dry rub: chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Rub the spice mix over the fish until fully coated. Cover plate of fish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the spices to meld.

While fish is in the fridge, mix together the salsa in a small bowl: dice peach, dice onion, and mix with olive oil and lime juice.  Mix in spices and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat grill pan 10 minutes before cooking. Get the grill pan very hot (a droplet of water should sizzle immediately). Brush olive oil on both sides of the spice-rubbed fish and place onto the grill. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until the fish is fork tender & gently flakes. Plate grilled fish and squeeze lime over filets. Top with peach salsa after plating.

Enjoy**!

**Serve with whatever frozen vegetables are in your freezer and the leftover potato salad in your fridge because, other than the fish, you were completely unprepared for this meal. Normal.

Rest Day + Must-Make Recipes

Yesterday was an impromptu rest day. Ultimately, those are probably the best/most necessary. Agree?

The original plan was to go to the abs + back class at the gym, then get in a few treadmill miles. But it was rainy, and my left knee was aching all day, in a way that it hasn't in a long time (because I am an old woman, and my joint pain coincides with the weather... today all appears to be fine), and some not-very-good things happened at work, and the train was late for the second day in a row so we were 45 minutes late getting home, and Wawa was closed for a "technology upgrade" for the day, so I couldn't even get a Diet Coke to make up for everything else. Blah. (Pardon me while I whine a bit.)

It was was a case of the Mondays Tuesdays - so I took that as my cue. I put on my pajama pants and went to my parents' house, where we made one hell of a delicious dinner and watched Cold Case. Upon returning to our house, I snuggled with my cat and with my husband, and it seemed like all was right with the world. So do what ya gotta do. That's the theme around here these days. I don't hate it. Rest is rejuvenating, and today I will be back into the regular routine with renewed passion.

There are a lot of Rs in this post. Weird.
~~~~~
Cooking lately has been very successful. Here are four must-make recipes (none of which are my own, but all of which are delicious):

• Sneaky Meatball Subs (Iowa Girl Eats)

I saw this recipe and knew that I had to make it. Then a friend of mine made it first, and tweeted to me how amazing these meatballs were, and I was done for. I whipped up a batch on Sunday night to save for Monday's dinner, and it almost killed me to not eat them immediately. When I did get around to making the sandwiches on Monday night, they were almost too good to be true. We're talking eating-over-the-cutting board, who-needs-a-plate, this-is-burning-my-fingers-but-I-can't-stop good. Do yourself a favor, and make these. Soon.

• Copycat DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies (Iowa Girl Eats)

While I was making the meatballs on Sunday, I went ahead and threw together a batch of these cookies, too, since I'd been promising C that I'd make chocolate chip cookies ever since I made the oatmeal ones a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what I did different, as I followed the recipe to a T, but my cookies didn't end up looking anything like the picture - hers were wide and flat, whereas mine were short, stout, little lumps. Either way, they were amazing. There are two special ingredients in these cookies that make them so good: cinnamon and finely-ground oatmeal. Trust me - those two additions make all the difference. These cookies are killer.

• The Best Summer Salad Ever (Adapted from Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life)

I saw this post the other day, and seeing the words "strawberry" and "avocado" together was like a light bulb over my head. I took my cues from the original salad, but made a few changes, and loved it so much that I ate it Sunday night for dinner and again on Monday for lunch. It's the perfect combination!

Here's what goes in mine:

• Lettuce
• Avocado Chunks
• Strawberries 
• Plain tuna
• Shredded Parmesan
• Low-fat raspberry walnut vinaigrette

Whatever combination and amounts of each ingredient that you like - it's a sensational combination of sweet, salty, and tangy, with healthy fats from the avocado and good protein from the tuna. So good!

• Grilled Blueberry BBQ Salmon (How Sweet It Is)

I discovered this recipe last summer, and we made it a number of times. It's so good! I saw the fresh tuna at the grocery store on Saturday, and this immediately came to mind. The sauce comes together so quickly, and the fish cooks up in no time, so it's great for a week-night dinner. As an added bonus, this is what my mom and I like to call "serve-to-company good" - that's our scale of measurement for recipes, whether or not we would serve them to company. This recipe makes the cut!

Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Good fresh salmon

Doesn't hurt to have a cute husband to man the grill!

Served alongside two of my favorite summer side dishes, which also went on the grill: corn on the cob and zucchini.

C deemed this "possibly the best salmon ever," and I know for a fact that this is one of the best summer dinners ever. Make this. And invite me over for dinner when you do!

Anyone else find any good recipes lately? Please share! I'm always looking for new yummy foods.

It sounded good... in theory...

Last night, we experimented for dinner. And that experiment turned out to be… one big “eh.” Not exactly successful, but not exactly unsuccessful. It happens.

I made Poached Salmon Pasta Salad from Laaloosh, using frozen salmon fillets that I purchased a while back. A few modifications, based on the ingredients I already had at home. Here’s what we learned:

• Poaching salmon is easy! Water, white wine, lemon juice, and shallots make for a delicious cooking liquid. I think that, next time, we’ll just poach the salmon and eat it by itself.
• We don’t like capers. The recipe called for three tablespoons – I only put one, and we still both recoiled a bit from the taste.
• I like a Greek-yogurt-based sauce more than C does. Even with a spoonful of honey added, it was a little too tart for him.
• We can poach! This was definitely one for the “new recipes” item on the 25 for 25, so chalk one up in that category.
• This is going to make smelly leftovers, and I will be the leper of the office. Sigh.

Picture evidence:

Poached Salmon Pasta Salad

So much potential.

I should have taken a picture of the salmon poaching, because that was far more exciting, but I forgot. Whoops.

To add to the situation, my sister sent me this picture of her dinner last night:

Homemade pizza. We were jealous.

On the bright side, this was a filling meal, and pretty healthy. The fish and yogurt were great sources of protein, and having a little bit of whole-wheat pasta got us our carb fix, without overdoing it. However, we probably won't make it again. Using my mom's official rating scale, I deem this one a recipe I wouldn't serve to company. Oh well!

Anyone else have a meal fail lately? Tonight's menu features pork tenderloin - which is relatively foolproof!

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Make this immediately.

Seriously. It’s that good. Get out your crockpot, go through your pantry, and have this dinner as soon as possible.

In our house, this is a go-to dinner. It features ingredients that we always have on hand, and it’s versatile enough that we can make do with anything we’re missing or anything extra that we have.

And it’s so freakin’ good!

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present: crock-pot salsa chicken.

Warning: really bad iPhone pictures ahead.

The original recipe that I found calls for 1 cup salsa, 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans, and 2 chicken breasts. Put all of that in the crock-pot and turn it on low for 8 hours. When there is about 30 minutes of cook time left, use a fork or slotted spoon to stir the chicken and watch as it shreds itself (seriously – no work required). Put a block of cream cheese on top and let sit and melt for the last half-hour. Before serving, stir the cream cheese in so everything is nice and gooey and creamy. Using flour tortillas and whatever toppings you like, make burritos!

The first time I tried this recipe, I did exactly those things. And it was good. Really good. But the next time I made it, I didn’t have black beans, so I used kidney beans. And I threw in some hot sauce and chili powder because we like things a bit spicier. The time after that, I used a can of Rotel instead of salsa and only used half a block of cream cheese because that’s what I had (and it was plenty, BTW). Just do what you gotta do – I promise it will turn out great!

This time around, here’s what we used:

• ½ jar of Salsa Verde
• 1 small can of green chiles, finely chopped
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ cup chicken broth (for a little extra liquid)
• ½ block low-fat cream cheese
• 2 chicken breasts

Put everything but the cream cheese and the chicken in the crock-pot the night before, because it’s easy and saves time in the morning.

Night-before prep

In the morning, put the FROZEN chicken breasts on top of all the other stuff, and turn on the crock-pot – low for 8 hours. Add cream cheese as directed above. Devour.

Shredded chicken deliciousness

With cream cheese! Even better.

C made burritos as usual, but I put mine over some leftover rice and raw mushrooms that I found in the fridge. I microwaved the mushrooms with the rice for about 30 seconds so they got a little soft, and then piled the chicken mixture on tip with some green Tabasco (which is AMAZING. Buy it. I put it on everything!)

Lasted just long enough for a picture...

This is a dish that is not at that pretty to look at, but it is so yummy to eat that it really doesn’t matter. This served us dinner (we each had two servings) and there is plenty left for dinner tonight, too. 

I don't remember where I originally found this recipe - I'm sure it was out in blogland some where, but I've seen it lots of places since then. For good reason, too! It's definitely a winner. Anything with salsa is good in my book!

So, like I said – make this immediately. It does not disappoint!

Dinner Delights

My mom and my sister are in Oregon visiting my grandparents for the week, so my dad has achieved bachelor status again. Whenever this happens, I instinctively feel like I need to feed him all week - otherwise I'm pretty sure he will live on chips, cheese steaks, and wine, and what kind of a diet is that? So yesterday morning before work, C whipped up a quick marinade that I found online, and we put chicken drumsticks in the fridge to soak up the goodness all day. After a serious BodyPump workout, I stopped by the store for a few ingredients, and went home to mix up this yummy Southwestern Quinoa Salad! Dad came over for dinner, and we watched the Caps lose (boo, hiss) - but it was made just a tad bit better by how successful our eats were!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad
original recipe from AllRecipes.com - modified by me!

 Salad

1 cup quinoa

1 tablespoon country crock margarine

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

½ cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup diced red onion

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup crumbled feta

Dressing

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon basil

1 packet Splenda

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under cold water, and drain. Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the quinoa until the water has evaporated and the quinoa is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all the broth, about 15 minutes. Cool quinoa in refrigerator at least 10 minutes. 

2. Mix together red pepper, red onion, corn, black beans in a bowl. In a jar, mix  lime juice, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and spices. Mix quinoa and veggies together in same bowl, then pour dressing over the top. Stir to coat, then add in feta and gently mix in. Chill the salad at least 30 minutes before serving; serve cold. 

Modifications: The original recipe called for all lime juice, but I didn't have enough so I mixed lemon and lime. Ultimately, I thought the dressing was a bit too tart - I added in a teaspoon of honey, actually, and then the packet of Splenda, neither of which were called for. I could have used just the little lime juice I had, and it would have been fine. Additionally, I didn't let the quinoa cool long enough in the fridge, and I didn't chill for 30 minutes before serving, so ours was really more like room-temperature. It was still delicious, though! I think that, served cold, this would be delicious and refreshing on a summer day!

The recipe for the chicken marinade was really simple. We baked the chicken at 350 until it was done, but I would have loved this on the grill!

Caribbean Drumsticks 

original recipes from weightwatchers.com

1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice   

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar   

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), crushed through a press   

1 tablespoon jerk seasoning   

1/2 tsp table salt  

Mix all ingredients in a large Ziploc, add drumsticks, and refrigerate anywhere from four hours to overnight (in my case, all day), turning occasionally.

Modifications: about a half tablespoon garlic powder since I didn't have any fresh - fresh garlic would have been perfect in this though. Wish I'd had some!