Dinner Aug 30 - Spicey Grilled Chicken

Hello everyone!!!  I hope your week is going well!  We are still trying to squeeze some summer fun into every thing; our outdoor time, pool time and of course--meal time!!!  Today's dinner just screams summer!!!  This recipe came from www.bettycrocker.com  Grilling section--love it!!!  I hope you enjoy as you sip some wine (or beer) at your grill :)

2 T chili powder
Salt & Pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T Oil
1 can black beans
1 can Green Giant Mexicorn
1/3 c Salsa
2 cups hot cooked rice

In small bowl, mix chili powder, salt & pepper.  Coat chicken in oil and sprinkle over chicken breasts.  Heat grill to med-high heat.  Cook chicken 5-6min per side, until no longer pink.

Stir beans, corn and salsa in pan and heat on low.  Serve chicken over rice and top w/ bean/corn mix.  Yummy!!!

Dinner Aug 26, 2001 - Taco Pizza

For everyone who's ever ordered a taco pizza at a restaurant, this one's for you!!!  I've never made this before and was thrilled at how well it turned out!  It was easy and yummy and pretty....a perfect dinner :)

Taco Pizza

1 pre-made pizza crust (like Boboli's)
1 c salsa (I mixed med and hot)
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 pkt taco seasoning
1/4 c water
1 can blk olives
1/2 c shredded cheese
lettuce, tomato, sour cream

Heat oven to 425.  In skillet, brown meat over med-high heat and drain, if there's any fat.  Mix water and taco seasoning.  Pour over meat in pan and simmer for a few minutes, coating the meat in the seasoning.  Place crust on pizza pan and cover w/ salsa, meat, olives and cheese.  Bake for about 10 min.  Top w/ remaining lettuce and tomato, and use sour cream for dipping.  I didn't do this, but you can also top w/ crushed chips :)  Enjoy your dinner!!!

Dinner Aug 22, 2011 - Marsala Pork Tenderloin

Hello everyone!  We had a wonderful weekend filled w/ some pool time, laziness and leftovers :)  I hope you enjoyed yours as well!  Monday brings us back to craziness and rushed dinners!  I recently got a cookbook from Pampered Chef: 29 Minutes to Dinner.  I LOVE it!!  It's got some amazing recipes that are yummy, easy and QUICK!!!  Most pork tenderloins take quite a while in the oven, but I was very pleased w/ this one.  As you may know, I'm not a big fan of pork anyway, but I was sooooo happy w/ dinner last night!  And now, may I bring you....


Marsala Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin, about 1lb
2 T oil
Salt & Pepper
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 small onion, cut into slices
1 can mushrooms, pieces & stems, chopped finely
2 T garlic, chopped
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c Marsala wine
3 T cornstarch
2 T butter
Instant Mashed Potatoes

Heat skillet on med-high and add oil.  Cut tenderloin into medallions, about 1/2" thick.  Salt and pepper both sides.  Cook in oil about 5-6min per side.  Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.  Add a little more oil to skillet and add asparagus, onions, mushrooms and garlic.  Cook 4-5min.  Whisk together broth, wine, cornstarch, salt & pepper in small bowl and add to veggies.  Bring to a boil and cook on med for 2-3min, or until thick.  Add pork and butter to pan and let simmer for a few minutes.  Serve w/ mashed potatoes and it's a meal!! 

Dinner Aug 16 - Steak Fajitas

This dinner was AMAZING!!!  I'm not a fan of fajitas in restaurants, b/c the meat is always tough and it's soaked in a sauce that, albeit delicious, it can't be good for you!  These fajitas put all other fajitas to shame!  I originally got the recipe from www.kraftfoods.com, but I adapted it a bit, of course :)  I  have to give some credit to my hubs, who is the World's Best Meat Griller ;)  I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did!!

1 Skirt Steak or Flank Steak
All purpose seasoning
2 red or green peppers, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
3 banana peppers, sliced
1 cayenne pepper, sliced (for heat)
1 c corn
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 gr onions, chopped
handful of Cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
Salt
flour tortillas

Heat grill to med-high.  Season steak on both sides, being very generous w/ seasoning.  As my husband would say - if you think you've over-seasoned it, it's perfect!  The the peppers and onion and toss in the seasoning as well.  Grill veggies in grill pan for about 8-10 min and grill steak for about 8min per side, for rare steak. 
Mix remaining ingredients in separate bowl.  To assemble, layer steak, peppers and corn salsa inside tortilla.  I used a little sour cream also :)  It was soooooo good!!!!  Happy dinner!!

Dinner Aug 15, 2011 - Shrimp Grill-Fry

Hello everyone!!  We are back to having some yummy grilled shrimp for dinner tonight!!  We love to have shrimp, but I get kind of tired of fixing it sometimes :)  I got this recipe from www.kraftfoods.com again and I'm excited to give it a try!!!  I adjusted it a bit and it was delish!!  Enjoy!

1/2 chopped peppers
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1 chopped banana pepper
1 lb sugar snap peas
1 chopped cayenne pepper/crushed red peppers (for heat)
1 lb raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
1/2 c Tamari sauce (found in the health food section, or just use soy sauce)
1 t ground ginger
2 cups hot, cooked rice

Heat grill and grill pan to med-high heat.  Combine veggies and 1/4 c Tamari sauce and 1/2 t ginger.  Grill about 5-7min, or until crisp-tender.  Place shrimp in bowl and add remaining Tamari sauce and ginger.  Add to veggies and 'stir-fry' another 8-10min, or until shrimp is done.  Serve this over the rice and it's an instant summer stir-fry!!!

Dinner Aug 13 - Indian Tandoori BBQ Chicken

This is a great Sunday Summer dinner--it's a delish BBQ chicken w/ a little spin on the ol' classic!  As we were eating this we both said how this dinner just screams SUMMER!!!  And since summer is officially winding to a close, with school going back soon :(, it's time to celebrate!!!  I got this recipe from www.kraftfoods.com; we loved it and I hope you do too!!

1/4 c BBQ sauce
1/4 c greek yogurt (I used all of my plain yogurt in my recipe last week and I didn' think blueberry would taste very good so I just skipped this part)
2 T lemon juice (again, didn't have this, so just used vinegar)
1 T oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t cumin
1 t ginger
2 t curry powder
1/4 t chili powder
1 1/2 lb chicken drumsticks

Mix all ingredients except chicken in ziploc bag.  Reserve 1/4 c sauce.  Pour chicken in bag and turn to coat.  Marinate for 30 min, or as long as you have.  Heat grill to med-high.  Grill chicken for about 20-25 min, turning and brushing w/ reserved marinade occasionally.  We served this w/ some fresh-from-the-garden veggies and corn on the cob.  It was fantastic!!  Enjoy!!

Dinner Aug 12 - Crunchy Curried Chicken Salad

Hello everyone!!  I must say--I am pumped about tonight's dinner!!  Crunchy Curry salad???  I just sound welcoming!  I am a fan of curry and spice and, hey, if it has those words AND salad in the title--it's gotta be good, right??? ;) 

I got this recipe from a Pampered Chef book I bought a while back.  I am a PC fanatic and their cookbooks have taken a permanent spot on my recipe rack on the counter.  Love them!  Happy eating!!

1/2 cup whole cashews
1/2 c flaked coconut
1 T curry powder
2 T mango chutney (I don't want to use chutney, since it often has a lot of sugar in it.  So I bought a couple of mangos and I'm just going to chop them and add some splenda, salt and curry)
1/2 c plain yogurt (I like to use Greek)
3 boneless skinless chicken, cooked (I'll prob grill mine)
2/3 gr onions, sliced
4 c lettuce/mixed greens

Place cashews and coconut in skillet on med heat.  Toast until they become fragrant; about 2-3 min.
Mix mango, curry powder & yogurt.  Reserve 1/4 c dressing & mix the rest w/ the cooked chicken.
To assemble salad, layer lettuce, chicken, green onions.  Spoon mango mixture on top.  Sprinkle w/ cashews & coconut.  Drizzle w/ remaining dressing.  This sounds light & yummy and perfect for summer!  The kiddos prob won't eat the lettuce, so their chicken might be wrapped in a tortilla....making a curry burrito!  Enjoy!!

Dinner Aug 11, 2011 - Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Veggie Kabobs

Good afternoon!!  It is a beautiful day here and I am very excited about firing up the grill for dinner!  Kabobs are a wonderful, versatile meal that everyone enjoys!  I mean--who doesn't love pulling meat off of a stick to eat it??  And if all else fails, the kids can always use the sticks in a sword fight after dinner :)  I say this b/c I can see this happening at my dinner table tonight.....;)  Tonight dinner once again comes from www.bettycrocker.com.  It is easy and yummy!!!

Marinade
1/4 c lemon juice
3 T Olive Oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
Salt and Pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped (or 2 scoops from the jar in the fridge)

Chicken & Veggies
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into cubes
1 zucchini or squash, cut into cubes
1 red onion, cut into wedges

Mix marinade in Ziploc and add chicken.  Let sit in fridge for 30 min, or however long you have :)  Soak wooden skewers in cold water while the chicken is sitting. 

Heat grill to med-high.  Remove chicken from marinade and reserve.  Thread chicken, peppers, zucchini and onions onto skewers.  Brush veggies w/ marinate.  Grill for about 8-10 min, turning and brushing w/ marinade while cooking.  I am going to serve this w/ couscous and it's a meal!!  Happy eating :)

Dinner Aug 10, 2011 - Slow-Cooker Onion Pot Roast

Hello friends!  I hope your summer is still going well--and that your dinner's are superb!!!!  Tonight I bring you a meal that is nice when you're spending the evening outside and when you get indoors, the last thing you want to do is cook!!  This pot roast was super-easy to prep and was very tasty!!  I got i from www.bettycrocker.com - another favorite recipe site!!  I hope you enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Onion Pot Roast

1 - 4lb boneless beef chuck roast
Salt & Pepper
2 med onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup beer (I omitted this, in an effort to reduce the sugar in this recipe.  I just made 2 cups broth for it)
2 T brown sugar (I used Splenda br sugar)
3 T spicy mustard
2 T cider vinegar (A great addition to meals; low in calories and sugar, while still adding tons of flavor!)

Place sliced onions in slow cooker.  Place beef on top.  In small bowl, mix broth, salt & pepper, brown sugar, mustard and vinegar.  Poor over meat and onions.  Cook on low for 8-10 hrs.  I served this w/ some pasta, for the kiddos, and peas.  It was a perfect meal!!! 

Dinner Aug 9, 2011 - Grilled Chicken w/ Cucumber-Peach Salsa

Hello everyone!!  I thought I'd bring back the blog w/ a wonderful grilling recipe.  We rarely fire up our stove in the summer, but we often get stuck in the bratwurst/hamburger/chicken rut.  Boring!!!  So I've been searching up some new, fun, yummy grilling ideas!!  This one is brought to use by www.kraftfoods.com.  Again--LOVE them :)  Try this out and savor the last few weeks of the grill!!!

1/2 c chopped cuke
1/3 c peach preserves (In an effort to reduce the amount of sugar, I'm going to chopped and peel 2 peaches and put a little splenda on them.  This will bring out the natural sugars, while still adding the peach flavor)
1 T chopped mint
pinch salt
2 T chopped red onion
1 peach, peeled and chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Heat grill.  In bowl, mix cuke, 2 T peach preserves, mint, salt and onion.  Coat chicken in a little olive oil, to keep it from sticking.  Grill 4-6 min per side, or until no longer pink.  Brush chicken w/ remaining peach preserves 2-3 times during cooking.  Discard remaining preserves.  Serve chicken w/ peach salsa and a little salad.  This should SCREAM summer!!!!  Enjoy my friends :)

Blogging Again!!!

Hello my lovely followers!!!  I am back blogging again!!!  Allow me to explain where I've been......my hubs and I started a very healthy (and boring) eating plan in June.  This meant that our dinners were way to 'chicken and veggie' to blog :)  We've both gotten in better shape and learned some good eating habits in the past few months.  And now I'm happy to share those with you!!  So I bring you------dinner blogs!!!!! 

PS--thanks for sticking with me and I can't wait to hear about your successes--and messes :)