Nuts, Berries & Blue Salad

My current favorite salad - easy and delicious.

Only 100 calories if following the serving size below!

1.5 cups mixed greens

1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

1 tablespoon chopped toasted walnuts

1 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Cheddar-Mustard Sauce

A new sauce to liven up the every day chicken and/or potatoes...

In a small sauce pot, over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter.

Add 2 tbsp all purpose flour.

Cook one minute, then whisk in 2 cups of milk.

When the mixture starts to bubble, stir in 2 cups of grated extra sharp cheddar cheese and 2 tbsp spicy brown mustard.

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and drizzle over chicken, etc.

Italian-Seasoned Roast Chicken

This Cooking Light recipe originally called for 4 bone-in chicken breast halves, but we chose to use drumsticks instead. We loved the recipe we did awhile ago when we roasted chicken drumsticks so we figured we couldn't go wrong by changing this little detail!

You will need:
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoon lemon juice
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 pounds bone-in chicken (breasts or drumsticks)
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Rub mixture over skin of chicken.

3. Place chicken on baking sheet(s) coated with cooking spray. Coat skin lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 35 minutes.

Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

I got this recipe from Cooking Light  and it has quickly become a "staple meal" for Chris & I. It was in the "20-minute cooking" section and truly, it is so easy and quick. I love making stirfrys but some nights, there just isn't time to chop up millions of ingredients. Besides... have I mentioned how much I love broccoli??! :)

 

Ingredients

7 ounces long-grain white rice

2 tablespoons dry sherry, divided

3 tablespoons, divided

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pound (-ish.. the packages I've been able to find are usually closer to 3/4 lb.) boneless sirloin steak, cut diagonally across grain into thin slices

1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (the first time I made this, I realized I didn't have any - I tossed in some sesame oil insead)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

4 cups chopped broccoli florets

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup sliced green onions

Directions

1. Cook rice according to directions.

2. While the rice cooks, combine 1 tablespoon sherry, 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, sugar, and beef. Stir together 1 tablespoon sherry, 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, beef broth, cornstarch, hoisin, and red pepper flakes.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture and saute 3 minutes or until browned. Remove beef from pan. Add 1 tablespoon more of oil to pan. Add ginger and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water and cook 1 minute. Add onions and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth mixture and return beef to pan. Cook for 2 more minutes until beef is heated and sauce is slightly thickened.

4. Serve mixture over rice.

Cowboy Beans

We made these cowboy beans for my mom's birthday and I have to admit... we were pretty impressed with ourselves :) They definitely have a kick to them. We searched around and  combined a few different recipes to put together the following:

Ingredients

4 thick slices bacon, cooked and cut in small pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

15 oz. can diced tomatoes, in juice

1 cup BBQ sauce

1 tbsp Worc. sauce

2 15 oz. cans pinto beans (don't drain)

2 jalepenos, seeded and chopped

1 tbps chili powder

1 tsp gr. cumin

1 tsp salt

In a large saucepan (really - large. this is a lot more beans than I anticipated.), cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Add garlic, onions, and jalepenos for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cook 3-4 minutes. Add BBQ sauce and Worc. sauce, cook 1 minute. Add beans and simmer over medium-low for 15 minutes. Add seasonings. Serve and enjoy - Happy birthday, Mom!

Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ

Ingredients

6 frozen chicken breast halves

12 oz. BBQ sauce

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp Worc. sauce

1/2 cup diced onions

garlic powder, salt, and pepper

Directions

Place chicken in slow cooker.

Mix BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and Worc.

Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover, cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

I cooked on high while at work, then took out and shredded the chicken. I returned the chicken, along with the onions, and some additional BBQ sauce to the slow cooker and kept on the "warm" setting until we were ready to eat, about an hour or so later. Worked out great!

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

From Real Simple Online
This makes a great side as well as a yummy snack!
It is also suggested to serve these with pesto for dipping.


2 pounds medium red potatoes, cut into one-inch pieces
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (4 oz.)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper


Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large roasting pan, toss all ingredients.
Roast 45ish minutes, stirring once, until golden brown and crisp.

Meatballs

Chris usually makes the spaghetti for us, so I decided to "take advantage" of the fact that he is away by making homemade meatballs for spaghetti. We'll see if there's any left for him when he gets home... :)

Ingredients

(makes approx. 25 meatballs)

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 egg

Directions

Mix all ingredients.

Shape into approx. 1-inch meatballs.

Place in ungreased rectangular pan.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until light brown.

Served with spaghetti noodles and homemade sauce. Yum!