honey garlic pork chops - day 2

These are so simple that I wonder why I can't just think up recipes like this on my own? They have an awesome tangy flavor I think you are going to love. Food like this makes losing weight a breeze!

The recipe comes from Spark Recipes, which is an awesome resource for healthy recipes! LOVE it.

There are approximately 6 servings @ 215 calories per serving...

 Honey Garlic Pork Chops

1/4 + 1/8 cup honey
3 T. soy sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 pork loin chops, boneless, trimmed of excess fat, 4 oz. each

In a shallow dish, whisk together honey, soy sauce and garlic. Coat chops in mixture. [Reserve left over honey mixture for basting]
Place chops on greased skillet over medium high heat, cover and cook through. Baste 2 times.   

let's get healthy! day 1...

Hey friends and followers! For the next 5 days I am going to post one "low-calorie" dinner recipe per day. [With summer coming up, we are getting serious about watching our waist lines...] Here are a few dishes I've tried and are hubby-approved. Who says eating right has to taste bad or leave you hungry? NO, it's just about the choices you make. Hopefully these recipes will help make it as easy for you as it did for me! :)

I'm starting day one with one of my very favorite foods: Lettuce Wraps!

The recipe is very loosely adapted from Eating Well's Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps recipe and has approximately 285 calories per serving. TIP: Prepare the filling ahead of time for a quick week-night dinner!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

1/2 cup brown rice

2 T. sesame oil

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey

1 T. minced fresh ginger

1/2 diced red bell pepper

1/2 diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 T. hoisin sauce

1 head Romaine lettuce [or any lettuce that is thick enough to hold the filling]

1 large carrot, shredded

handful fresh cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

Spices [I used]: rosemary, basil, thyme,oregano, and palm-full of Tony's

Cook rice and set aside.

Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and onion, and fresh ginger; cook, crumbling with wooden spoon until turkey is cooked through. Stir in cooked rice, bell pepper, broth, hoisin sauce, cilantro and spices. Cook until peppers have softened and the broth has been absorbed.

Serve by spooning portions of the turkey mixture onto lettuce leaves. Top with extra herbs [optional] and carrots. Roll into wraps and enjoy!

garden pitas!

 We've been trying to eat a little healthier lately, as are many people around this time of year :). Remembering this recipe, I called up my mom and asked her to send it my way so I could try it out on the hubs. No surprises, he loved them! They are light but filling and just different than most "diet foods". Which really, these pitas aren't diet food at all they just aren't fried chicken- do you see what I'm saying? Ok, hope you enjoy! 

 

Garden Fresh Pitas

Mom 

1 1/2 c. cut-up cooked chicken

1/3 c. Creamy Italian dressing [light for low-fat]

1/4 c. finely chopped celery

4 small Pita breads [whole wheat]

lettuce leaves

1 medium tomatoe, sliced

1/2 c. thinly sliced cucumber

In medium bowl combine chicken, dressing, and celery.  Chill.  Line breads with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber.  Spoon chicken mixture into center of pita bread. If you prefer your pitas warm before putting the chicken mixture in them, wrap in foil and heat in the oven on low for a few minutes. Avoid the microwave as it tends to toughen the bread up a bit.

it's been too long...

Sorry folks for the delay in new posts. I've had, well, lets just say an eventful couple of months since my last post. But I'm back! Hopefully for good because cooking has proven to be a kind of "therapy" for me...it's something I can do to just get away from everything else and just be. I'm not the kind of cook I'd like to be...yet...I still get stressed when things don't turn out right, but it know that it takes time, so I'll continue to drag you all along in the process if you so wish. :)

This week I tried something I've never had before: chowder in a bread bowl. Really, why eat out of a bread bowl, I mean, what's the point? I thought I'd figure it out once I had it but...no. I think its just for looks and fun. Chowder in a bread bowl just seems so much more interesting than chowder in a plain old bowl, right? Hehe. Anyway, hubby enjoyed it and thought it was neat.

I found my bread bowl loaves at Whole Foods in Austin. I searched H-E-B Plus and couldn't find anything "carvable"... so if you go in search of some, good luck! (I wish I could say I made mine from scratch, but no..not this time!) The chowder is SOO cheesy and delicious and perfect for a cold day. The best part is that it tastes even better the next day!

Corn, Sausage and Potato Chowder
singforyoursupperblog.com
 

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups fresh corn kernels from 2 ears (or frozen)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper or cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
6-7 cranks of freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low-fat milk
1/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 package fully cooked turkey sausage (about 1 pound – you can use more or less if you want)

In a deep pot over medium-high heat, melt butter. Saute onions for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add potatoes and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; add corn kernels, cayenne, salt, and black pepper, and stir well. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, cheddar cheese, and parsley. Turn off heat and allow chowder to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Puree soup in two batches until smooth, and return to the pot over medium-low heat. Stir in cooked sausage and warm until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

for belly and soul

It may be cold outside, but this dish will warm you right up! Homemade chicken pot pie is the name and you are going to love, love, love it! I got this recipe from my mom and the hubs practically begs me to make it for him. Thanks, Mom! It works in all seasons, but truly is comforting on a cold day...here it is:

Chicken Pot Pie

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour 

1/3 cup onion

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup milk

Approx. 2 cup cut-up cooked chicken

1 (12 oz.) pkg. frozen mixed veggies

Cut up fresh potatoes, celery, and carrots (optional)

Pie crust (frozen works well)

Melt butter, sautee onion in butter until clear. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Stir constantly until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir one minute. Add in veggies and chicken. Let cook for a while stirring regularly. Pour mixture over pie crust. Top with another pie crust and flute edges. Cut slits in center. Cook uncovered at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes until crust is brown.

s.o.s

The beauty of forcing yourself to cook new things is that in the process you discover the use of herbs, spices, flavors, and techniques that you may not have stumbled upon otherwise. Not that chicken salad is hard to make or anything, but this is probably my fourth or fifth attempt at a recipe that hubby likes. See, he loves chicken salad but there's only about a couple of places he wants to eat it from: Napoleon's Restaurant (small eatery in our home town) and his mother's. I guess I need to ask her for her recipe since I've been missing the target lately. However, I did brave up and decide to try something new this time... and I just might be creeping closer to victory!

I usually buy the canned chicken from the store when making chicken salad, but the Pioneer Woman does not. This woman is basically living the life I dream of, so when she speaks- I listen. Enter: poached chicken (bone-in). For this recipe, I had to pick the meat off the bones instead of just dump it out of a can and I sincerely appreciate the experience. Why was I so scared of chicken bones before?? The chicken salad turned out great and hubby actually liked it. Score. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

The Pioneer Woman 

1 whole cut up fryer chicken

2 stalks (to three stalks) celery, chopped

3 whole green onions, chopped

2 cups (to 3 cups) grapes, halved

a small handful of fresh dill, minced

1/2 cup mayonaise

1/2 cups plain yogurt or sour cream [I used a little of both]

1 T. (to 2 T.) brown sugar

1 T. (to 2 T.) lemon juice

kosher salt to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

Step 1: Rinse chicken thoroughly and place in a large pot of water. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done (about 45 minutes to an hour). When you are ready, remove the chicken from the pot and place on a plate. With your fingers or a fork, pull all of the meat off the bones, chip into bite-sized chunks and set aside.

Step 2: Chop all of your fruits and veggies and place them in a bowl with the chicken. In another bowl mix mayonnaise, yogurt (or sour cream), lemon juice, brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh herbs (dill, oregano, cilantro...whatever makes your skirt fly up) and if you're feeling a bit brazen throw in a dash of cayenne pepper! When the dressing tastes just right (you must taste test for appropriate saltiness especially), pour it over the chicken/veggie/fruit mixture and stir gently until everything is thoroughly mixed.

Step 3: Allow the salad to chill for several hours (or even overnight). Serve on a bed of lettuce or in a sandwich.

happy 1st anniversary to us! :)

Today is our 1st wedding anniversary! Woohoo, we made it!  Of course the first year had its challenges as we adjusted to married life, but I can say with confidence that it has been the most exciting year of my life by far. Hubby works so hard for us so I like to keep him happy and full with my cooking experiments...he never complains and is my biggest fan! I love you, sweetie!!!

This morning I wanted to make something a little different for breakfast since it is a special day but didn't have a lot of time as it is a church morning. So with an idea in mind I set out in search of a pumpkiny, spicy pancake- and I found these. They are so perfect for this time of year and really add a different flavor to your every-day pancakes without an overbearing allspice taste. Trust me, these are a winner!!

 
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

adapted from Joy the Baker Blog

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

(OR ¾ AP flour & ½ whole wheat flour)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

pinch of ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter

Step 1: Whisk together flours, salt, spices, sugar and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin and vegetable oil or melted butter.  

Step 2: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Don’t worry if you have a few lumps.  You don’t want to over beat the batter, it’ll produce tough pancakes.  

Step 3: Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat the skillet [I skipped this step].  Over low-medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil.  Once skillet is hot, spoon a heaping 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake into the skillet.  When pancake starts to bubble slightly, carefully flip over.

Once browned and cooked through place pancakes on an oven proof plate and place in the oven set at 200 degrees F to keep warm while the rest of the pancakes are cooked. Serve with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar or maple syrup.  Delicious!