Orange You Glad?

I am lacking in energy and inspiration tonight, and still have some other non-blogging things to do before I lose myself in the Olympics, so lets get right to it.

Orange Chicken Stir-Fry
Source: The Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook by Ellen Kunes and Frances Largeman-Roth

Ingredients:

• 2 navel oranges, cut into segments (1 c.) and squeezed to make 1/4 c. juice
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, grated (used minced)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated
• 2 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 c. brown rice
• 2 tsp vegetable oil (used canola)
• 1/4 c. sliced almonds
• 2 bundles watercress (used broccoli instead)
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

• Whisk together OJ, vinegar, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper and scallion whites in a large shallow bowl. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour.
• Cook rice.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from marinade and transfer to hot skillet. Cook about 3 mins or until partially cooked through; stir in almonds and watercress. Cook, stirring until watercress is wilted and chicken is cooked. Gently toss orange segments and sesame oil into stir-fry, serve over rice.

Yield: 4 servings (4oz chicken mix; 1/2 c. cooked rice)
Per serving: 378 cals; 10.1g fat (1.3g sat, 3.9g mono, 3.6g poly); 54mg chol; 26g protein; 47g carbs; 135mg sodium; 6g fiber

Reviews:
Eh. The intro graph for this recipe promises a taste similar to Chinese takeout. I haven't had real Chinese takeout in years (seriously - it is so, so unhealthy I can't justify it on my worst days) - but I can tell you that this didn't fill that void. It was uber-healthy, so that's a plus. The hubs picked out the broccoli and oranges, and the kid discarded his oranges, so that was a minus. The orange taste itself didn't come through - I mostly tasted the sesame oil. One other positive? Super easy for a weeknight.

Ranking:
Bronze

Gratuitous swimming picture of the day: Matt Grevers. I won't ruin the results for you, like CNN does for me

A Fruity Foil

Continuing on with my clean eating efforts, I decided to try a very new dish from one of my fave cookbooks, Clean Eating Classic Comfort Foods. Of course, since it is summer and just a teeny bit warm out, most comfort foods aren't necessarily the best choice for a dinner, but I thought I'd go with it anyway.

So, the meal for tonight - Chicken & Fruit Tangine - includes three ingredients that I have never, ever cooked with: Olives, apricots and prunes. I know for a fact that I do not like olives, so I omitted them immediately. Prunes and dried apricots? I don't know that I've really ever eaten either dried delicacy. In fact, whenever I think of dried apricots, I am reminded of my father calling them "little ears" whenever my mother had them around. You are welcome for that visual.

I wasn't totally sure how any of us would react to this, so rather than typing out the recipe (which I don't feel like doing anyway), I will instead provide you with a snapshot of our reactions. The recipe is very saucy, so I thought the boys wouldn't notice - or might actually like - the prunes and apricots. Plus, I cut them up into little pieces in hoping that they wouldn't be too intrusive.

Me: Yum! Easy to make, delish sauce. Seems like a huge portion for not a lot of calories (429 cals for 1.25 c. chicken mix and 1 c. couscous).

Hubs: Sauce is tasty. I don't do texture or fruit (i.e., he ate only the chicken and couscous).

Kid: Chicken is great! I picked around every single other thing. How many times do I have to tell you I don't like couscous?

In summary, I was the only one who really liked this meal in its entirety. Because peeps, in my book, picking out the prunes and dried apricots and eating the chicken doesn't really count as "liking the food."

Ranking:
Two Forks - ONLY because of the boys. Up to me? Four forks. Yum!



Hello, It's Me

Channeling a little Todd Rundgren for you.

(BTW - my spellcheck isn't working tonight. Go ahead and judge. I would.)

So, I've been totally MIA for a while. Mostly because of the same old excuse - schedules haven't allowed for much cooking here. Partly because I'm getting a little bit bored of the blog. But mostly the schedule thing. As I've noted before, I'm not tired of the challenge or the cooking in and of itself, but the whole documenting all of the meals thing is feeling a little tired.

Luckily for you (ha) I'm in the mood to post tonight, and I have a feeling that there might be a bunch of posts in the next week before we hit the beach. Plus, as of tomorrow night, all of our travel sports will be done for at least a few weeks. Woo!

Now let's get on with the task at hand.

Unless you are reading this from some faraway locale, you are experiencing the same heatwave we are. I am not going to complain about it because I prefer to reserve my weather-related complaints for the winter/snow/ice/gray, and I think it would be a bit hypocritical on my part. I despise the winter and will always take 100 degrees and humidity (and bad hair) over snow any day.

The heat inspired me to focus on salads and grilled items this week. Peeps, we don't have air in this old house, so the last thing I want to do is stand over a hot stove or fire up the oven for an extended period of time. Plus, it gives me a fun theme for these posts.

Chicken and Wild Rice Salad with Almonds
Source: Cooking Light, December 2009

Dressing:

• 1/4 c. fig vinegar or white wine vinegar (used white wine)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dijon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp canola oil

Remaining ingredients:

• 2 c. chicken broth (used no-salt added)
• 1.5 c. uncooked wild rice
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 lbs boneless, chicken breast
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1 c. chopped celery
• 1/2 c. shredded carrots
• 1/3 c. dried cranberries
• 1/4 c. chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp minced red onion (skip)

Directions:

• Prepare dressing: Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add oil, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Cover and chill.
• Combine broth, rice and butter in a med saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 45 mins or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove rice from heat and cool.
• Grill chicken; cool; cut into cubes.
• Combine rice, chicken, celery, carrots, cranberries, almonds and onion in a large bowl. Add dressing, toss to coat. Cover and chill.

Yield: 6 servings (1-1/3 c./serving)
Per serving: 352 cals; 10.3g fat (2g sat, 5g mono, 2.5g poly); 25g protein; 40.6g carb; 4g fiber; 49mg chol; 357mg sodium

Reviews:
My laziness overpowered my budget-consciousness, so I bought pre-chopped celery, pre-shredded carrots and pre-sliced almonds. This resulted in a super-easy-to-throw-together meal. Chef Hubs pitched in and grilled (and cut up) the chicken, so the most time-consuming portion of this recipe was the sitting around and waiting for the rice to cook. I only wish I had more time (patience) to let the salad cool down more (I stuck it in the freezer for 10 minutes), but we all really enjoyed the chow.

Ranking:
Four Forks

Operation Waste Not, Night 1

I know I'm not the only one out there who buys a random ingredient here and there only to find I don't have any other uses for it. This has resulted in a very nice little collection of sauces, oils, spices, etc.

That's why I decided to - with the help of a somewhat willing Chef Hubs - to make a master list of what I have stockpiled and build this week's meals around them.

Truth be told - I came to this idea when I noticed I had two bottles of marsala wine sitting around. This obviously means I needed to include chicken marsala on my list. I searched through my chicken recipe binder, pulled a Clean Eating marsala recipe, and was well on my way to recipe blissdom.

Except for the fact that upon further inspection before starting tonight's meal I realized that this recipe in fact doesn't call for even a smidgen of marsala wine. Um. Oh. Hm. I guess Operation "Waste Not" was not a success.

Side note: For the millions of readers out there wondering, I DID NOT save any money on my grocery bill, and in fact spent $20 more than usual. WTF?

Chicken Marsala
Source: Clean Eating, October 2011

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. flour (used 1/2 c.)
• 1 tsp dried oregano (used 2 tsp)
• Two 5oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (used a pound of thin-sliced, which is why I increased the flour and oregano)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 c. chopped mushrooms
• 2 c. 100 percent apple juice
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine flour, oregano and pepper. Spread on a plate, dredge chicken through mixture to coat and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat oil on med. Add mushrooms and saute until soft, about 5 mins. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.
• Add chicken to skillet and brown on med heat about 5 mins per side. Remove chicken and transfer to a plate. Add 1/4 c. apple juice and deglaze skillet by scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Increase heat to med-high and add parsley and remaining 1-3/4 c. apple juice. Cook until juice is reduced by half, about 20 mins.
• Return chicken and mushrooms to skillet and cook for 5 more mins, until heated through.

Yield: 2 servings (4.5oz chicken, 1/2 c. mushrooms, 1/2 c. sauce). Per serving: 370 cals; 11g fat (2g sat; 7g mono); 33g carbs; 95mg sodium; 3g fiber; 35g protein

Reviews:
Honestly, I was more than a little annoyed that Operation Waste Not was not incorporating the marsala, and I actually kind of searched through my chicken binder for another recipe. I then decided this was stupid and stuck with the original recipe. Sometimes I get too anal for my own good, peeps.

Anyway, I'm glad I did. Despite the kid giving it a "mediocre" (didn't like the sauce) both the hubs and I liked this a lot, and it did taste marsala-y. It was also a snap to pull together. One note: The serving supposedly includes mushrooms AND sauce, but - at least the way I cooked it - it was one in the same.

Ranking:
Three Forks

I'll Be Back

It seems that the start of summer has gotten the best of this blog. Between travel soccer, travel baseball, the call of the grill and other randomness, our family meals have become few and far between. As have my blog posts.

Do note: I have cooked some meals here and there - meals, party dishes, etc. - but I've been too tired or too busy or too lazy to write about any of them. Note number two: Although the blog has been lacking in posts, I have continued on with the challenge and have not repeated anything. In fact, I have so many frickin recipes that I plan on continuing this challenge indefinitely.

But that's for another blog.

Tonight was one of the rare nights without any commitments. So we grilled! With a recipe! For your reading pleasure!

Grilled Taco-Barbecue Chicken
Source: Betty Crocker Summer Favorites, Summer 2007

We had the chicken with steamed broccoli and:
Parsley-Farro Salad
Source: Cooking Light, June 2012

Reviews:
This was the first time we've had farro. The best way to describe farro is that it is like "barley on steroids." (Not my quote - just like it) It has a kind of chewy, nutty flavor and of course has a lot of health benefits. Much to my surprise, the hubs declared that he actually likes farro more than our old standby, brown rice. Hmpf! The kid didn't appreciate this change up quite as much as the hubs, but the kid was also having a mildly pissy night (i.e., he's exhausted), so I don't think any change up would have worked for him tonight. The chicken was good - nothing special, but totally edible. That's a ringing endorsement, right?

Ranking:
Three Forks

Two-fer

Two-fer one, that is. I cooked last night, but I didn't blog because I was so totally and completely exhausted.

For the one of you who don't know, I ran my first 10K yesterday. In fact, it was my first race ever, and my first athletic competition since high school (unless you count some fierce games of whirley ball and a random staff softball game long ago). Needless to say, the entire experience was intimidating, overwhelming, exhilarating and exhausting all wrapped into one. And needless to say - even though I am very used to waking up at obscene hours to work out - I was just spent last night and didn't make it past 8:15.

So now you get double the recipe pleasure.

Last night we had Chicken Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato and Fresh Red Pepper Sauce
Source: Clean Eating, July 2011

Ingredients:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1tsp evoo
• 2 tsp low-sodium dry rub or blend
• 1.5 c. uncooked penne
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced (skip - didn't feel like chopping)
• 2 tsp finely chopped basil

Sauce:

• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 c. unsalted raw cashews
• 1/4 c. whole fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 shallot, halved

Directions:

• Diagonally score chicken and rub with thin coating of oil and dry rub. Grill chicken. Chop and set aside.
• Prepare pasta while chicken cooks.
• Prepare sauce. In a blender/food processor, combine all sauce ingredients until very smooth.
• Toss everything together and serve.

Yield: 2 servings (we had more than enough for 3)
Per serving: 648 cals; 13g fat (2g sat); 85g carb; 14g fiber; 50g protein; 402mg sodium

Reviews:
The hubs took one look at the unblended ingredients and had major doubts. But, the sauce turned out awesome. I ended up heating it up so the meal was hot, but otherwise have no changes to this. It was a different flavor but different in a way that even the kid and hubs enjoyed.

Tonight we had Tuna Salad Melt
Cooking Light, June 2012

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c. chopped red onion (skip)
• 1/4 c. canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 c. canola mayo (I use Spectrum)
• 1 tbsp Dijon
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
• salt/pepper (skip)
• 1 (12-oz) can white tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• bread, shredded Swiss, tomatoes, spinach

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients (through bread/cheese, tomatoes, spinach) in a bowl.
• Top bread evenly with cheese and broil. Arrange tomato slices, 1/3 c. tuna and spinach on top of bread.

Yield: 6 servings (one sandwich)
Per serving: 231 cals; 11.1g fat (1.9g sat, 2.9g mono, 3.8g poly); 15.2g protein; 18g carb; 3.9g fiber; 21mg chol; 500mg sodium

Reviews:
Of course we had soccer practice tonight, so I made this and let it hang in the fridge until the boys got home, and simply broiled the sandwiches upon their arrival. So that was the best part - I was able to make this ahead and have something fresh for dinner. I thought it was OK, the hubs liked it, and the kid wasn't the biggest fan. He gave it an encouraging thumbs up at first, but a few more bites in and he was done. Personally, I prefer another tuna recipe I make - with spectrum mayo, diced apple, topped on fresh spinach with a teeny douse of Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing. Yum.

Rankings:
Chicken Penne: Three Forks
Tuna: Two Forks

Best Email Ever

Hey ho peeps. Today sure has been a Monday in every sense of the word, right? Are you feeling it too? Do you feel like I do? (Bonus points for lyric reference, btw)

A few items to quickly address.

• Great Mother's Day! My wonderful boys and babe spoiled me with some super fun presents and by grilling a delish healthy meal (chicken and asparagus).

• I am ridiculously excited about Howard Stern on AGT tonight. YES I am one of those Stern Super Fans who has listened to him for almost 25 years. LOVE HIM.

• Over the weekend, I made two desserts: One for us and GA, and one for a little shin-dig we attended on Saturday eve.

A note about these desserts. Once again, due to our awesomely ridiculous schedule, I had to squeeze both in during the baby's nap. Blah blah blah. Schedule blah blah. Anyway. On behalf of GA, I cranked out two dozen Triple-Chocolate Cupcakes (source: unknown) and for the soiree, I butchered Tiny Lemon Gem Tarts (Betty Crocker Indulgent Desserts, Winter 2007). And that's what leads me to this email thing.

I received an email from a certain party hostess who was frantically searching for more lemony things. At 4 a.m. Peeps! This made my life for a number of reasons. One: Hysterical email in and of itself. Two: Despite my inability to remove the tarts from the pan without completely crumbling more than half of them (and then hiding this effort in muffin tins), they were edible! Can I have a woot woot?! And I had my doubts! Side note: I was NOT awake at 4 a.m. to receive this email. For once.

On to tonight's dinner:
Asian Chicken Salad
Source: EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook

Reviews:
As you may remember, during the warmer months I like to throw in a salad or two every once in a while. Plus, this one promised to be quick and easy. And it was! I made some simple substitutions to meet our tastes (no radishes, romaine instead of cabbage), but otherwise this required no chopping, some measuring and easy mixing. We all liked this dish - lots of flavor, not too heavy.

Ranking:
Three Forks

I'm Nine Now!

I fear that this blog has evolved into a documentation of kid randomness instead of my adventures in recipe hunting. But, the kid typically has way more interesting things to say than I do, so deal with it.

Per usual, tonight at dinner I asked the hubs and the kid for their meal ranking. Both the hubs and I agreed that the meal (cornflake crusted chicken fingers/almond rice pilaf) was a three forker. The kid vehemently disagreed - anointing the chicken with four forks - and then denounced our over-ruling with a "I'm NINE now."

Being nine apparently brings a lot of new topics to the table, btw, because immediately following the ranking conversation, we had an extensive dialogue about what it means to call someone "hot." Because, dear readers, he has officially gone there. Because he is nine now.

Duh

Cornflake-Crusted Chicken Tenders

Source: The Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook, by Ellen Kunes and Frances Largeman-Roth

Almond Rice Pilaf

Source: Four Ingredient, 10 Minute Recipes, Weight Watchers, December 2011

Reviews:

So, why did we give this meal three forks instead of four? I needed a super-fast and easy meal that I could prepare and have ready immediately after baby bedtime and soccer-practice, and both of these recipes fulfilled that. The rice was really good - it included almonds and shallots - and the chicken was also good. But not great. Not four forks great. Just good. Unless you are nine.

Ranking:

Three Forks

Mmmm steamed broccoli



Stuffed

Ugh. So, last week brought three days of business travel for me (i.e., way too much food and two sips of Grey Goose) and this upcoming week brings birthdays for both the kid and the hubs (i.e., big dinner out last night, oodles of cake and ice cream). The words "over-indulged" don't even come close to my state of being right now.

To be honest, I probably could have skipped eating today altogether, but we all know that's not the healthiest of choices. Instead, I selected a dinner that would be both appealing to the boys and not too heavy for all of us. Because obvs we need to save room for leftover cake from the kids' laser-tag shindig yesterday.

Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry
Source: Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2012

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp dark sesame oil
• 1/2 c. chicken broth (used no-salt)
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp chile paste
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt (skip)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 pound chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 c. snow peas
• 1/2 c. sliced onion
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (used minced)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 c. rice
• 1/4 c. slices green onions
• 1/4 c. chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

Directions:

• Combine 2 tsp sesame oil and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl.
• Heat wok or large skillet over med-high heat. Add remaining 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp canola, swirl. Add chicken, stir-fry 2 mins. Remove chicken from pan.
• Add remaining 1 tbsp canola, swirl. Add bell peppers and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); stir-fry 1 min. Add broth mixture; cook 30 seconds or until thick. Return chicken to pan; cook 4 mins or until chicken is done.

Yield: 4 (1/2 c. rice, 1 c. chicken mixture, green onions, peanuts)
Per serving: 420 cals; 16.7g fat (2g sat, 8.2g mono, 5.1g poly); 32.3g protein; 32.3g carb; 66mg chol; 478mg sodium

Reviews:
Mid-way through dinner, the kid gave me his very thoughtful review: The chicken and the peas went great together - the crunch of the peas and the chewiness of the chicken (is that good?); the rice just slipped down the throat and you didn't have to chew it (bonus?); and the sauce was awesome - not too much of it.

While I don't know if the kid's review would give me any sort of Michelin stars, in the "Kid Star" world this was a four forker. The hubs liked it a lot too - with the exception of the peppers. I thought it was good, but didn't quite taste as much flavor as the kid apparently did. This certainly fit the bill for a lighter meal.

Ranking:
Three Forks

Words

Well peeps, I have writer's block. I have found that over the past several blog posts, I have been struggling with things to share, and I feel like my blog is getting a little repetitive. Luckily, the entire point of this challenge was not to create an awesome blog, but to not repeat recipes, and with the exception of my accidental repeat, the spirit of this challenge is still going strong. So, no matter what I write or don't write, do know that the dishes are going to keep on keeping on. And who knows? Tomorrow the block might have lifted and you'll once again have super-extra-awesomely-witty words to read.

Couscous-Stuffed Chicken
Source: Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2011

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. chicken broth (used no-salt)
• 1/4 c. uncooked couscous (used whole wheat)
• salt/pepper (skip)
• 3 tbsp chopped plum tomato (used diced)
• 2 tbsp olives, chopped (skipped -blech)
• 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tsp chopped oregano
• 2 tsp fresh parsley chopped
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 4 (6oz) boneless chicken breast halves
• cooking spray

Directions:

• Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat. Stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 4 mins. Place couscous in a small bowl, fluff with fork. Cool for 10 mins. Add ingredients to bowl (through garlic), toss.
• Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Divide couscous mixture evenly among breast halves; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Secure with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with salt/pepper (skipped).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat a large ovenproof skillet over med-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook for 6 mins or until browned. Turn chicken over. Bake at 400 degrees until chicken is done.

Yield: 4 servings (1 stuffed breast)
Per serving: 271 cals; 10.7g fat (2.2g sat, 6.5g mono, 1.3g poly); 31.9g protein; 10g carbs; 78mg chol; 546mg sodium

Reviews:
First - a word to the wise. Do not use colored wooden toothpicks to secure chicken rolls unless you like the lovely blue, green and red dye colors in your food. D'oh. Second - this was so-so. It was good and edible and all that, but the only flavor that really came through was the lemon. I didn't get enough of the tomatoes or feta in my serving for it to be worth the mess and kinda hassle.

Ranking:
Two Forks

Fresh from the oven - spot the blue hue!

At the Hubs' Request

Last week, the hubs requested something "Italiany." Tonight, in lieu of Sophia Loren (circa 1960), he got chicken with garlic-tomato sauce.

(Sorry peeps - not feeling it tonight.)

Chicken with Garlic Tomato Sauce
Source: Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet, Spring 2008

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4oz each)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (used no-salt diced)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium carrots, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 c. tomato sauce (used no-salt added)
• 3/4 c. chicken broth (used no-salt added)
• 1/4 c. tomato paste (used no-salt added)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary

Directions:

• Sprinkle both sides of chicken with pepper (skip). In a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat, brown chicken on each side in 1 tsp oil. Remove and keep warm (note: I browned each side for approx 3 mins).
• In the same skillet, saute tomatoes and garlic in remaining oil for 1 min. Add carrots, saute 2-3 mins longer. Combine tomato sauce, broth, tomato paste adn rosemary. Stir into skillet and bring to a boil.
• Return chicken to the pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-12 mins or until chicken is done. Serve with pasta.

Yield: 4 servings (4oz chicken + 3/4 c. sauce)
Per serving: 197 cals; 5g fat (1g sat); 63mg chol; 510mg sodium; 10g carbs; 3g fiber, 26g protein

Reviews:
The kid LOVED this meal. He liked the chicken. The sauce. The pasta. The garlic bread. The whole nine yards. No weird after taste or crazy, hidden veggies. Or potatoes. The hubs also liked the dish, but I don't think it was quite as palate pleasing to him as it was to the kid. Overall, this was simple to prepare and I liked the timing because it allowed me to make the pasta, the garlic bread (for the boys) and the kale (for me, duh), while it was simmering.

Ranking:
Three Forks

There's Something About Kale

Alright, bloggies. I have a confession to make. As I've posted before, I have been on kind of a kale kick. What you don't know is that this little "kick" has turned into a minor obsession.

Right now, I'm eating kale with dinner at least three times a week. I only know how to prepare it one way (baked in the oven with a bit of olive oil), and I get a tad bit defensive of my kale consumption when the boys giggle and point. Oh - and I kind of almost got into a wee bit of a fight with a grocery store cashier last week whilst buying yet another bag of said kale.

Gah. I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with, right?

Tonight, kale was the star of the show. That's because while dinner was OK, it wasn't nearly as tasty or as satisfying as the kale. MY kale.

Golden Chicken with Marsala Mushrooms
Source: Good Housekeeping Best Chicken Dishes, 1999

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil (used olive)
• 4 large boneless chicken breast halves (recipe calls for 2 lbs, I used 1 lbs of thin-sliced)
• salt/pepper (skip)
• 1 lbs mushrooms
• 1/4 c. dry Marsala wine

Directions:

• In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over med-high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, approx. 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
• Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until mushrooms are golden brown and all liquid evaporated, stirring frequently. Add Marsala wine to 'shrooms, stirring to loosen any brown bits from bottom of the skillet. Return chicken to mushroom mixture and heat through.

Yield: 4 servings (original recipe)
Per serving: 390 cals; 40g protein; 6g carbs; 21g fat (5g sat); 116mg chol; 410mg sodium

Reviews:
The kale was amaze! Haha. Pros about this dish? So fast and easy to prepare. No chopping, barely any measuring. Lots of mushroom goodness. Cons about this dish? The kid said it best: "It could have used some sauce." Note: I served this with plain, whole wheat pasta. The mushrooms tasted very Marsala-y, but otherwise the chicken was bland.

Ranking:
Two Forks

The star of the show is taking a back seat

Dashed Dreams

Well friends, our dreams were dashed late Saturday evening when my beloved Buckeyes blew a significant lead and gave the game to a tough Kansas squad. It was a great run, and now I will turn my sports fandom attention to the Indians.

Originally this meal was going to celebrate the Buckeyes' run in New Orleans, but instead this is simply an ode to one of the hubs' fave meals - jambalaya.

I have never made this souped-up stew before, mostly because a lot of the recipes involve a whole lot of ingredients that I don't feel like dealing with. This twist on jamabalya kept things simple for yours truly, and with the exception of the higher than normal sodium content, seems like a somewhat healthy meal.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalya
Source: Cooking Light, November 2011

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola
• 6oz reduced-fat smoked sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 c. uncooked long-grain white rice (used brown)
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 14.5oz low-sodium chicken broth (used no-salt)
• 14.5oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 c. shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken (used plain baked)

Directions:

• Heat a Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add sausage, saute 1 min or until browned. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic; saute 6 mins or until tender. Add rice and next 5 ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 mins or until rice is done.
• Remove thyme sprigs, discard. Stir in tomatoes and chicken. Cook 3 mins or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 4 servings (approx 1-1/4 c./serving)
Per serving: 341 cals; 5.8g fat (1.3g sat, 2g mono, 0.9g poly); 19.3g protein; 50.6g carb; 2.8g fiber; 44mg chol; 723mg sodium

Reviews:
The kid was a little wary of this meal since I (unsuccesfully) tricked him into thinking tempeh was chicken last week. Once the hubs - chicken-cutting sous chef  - confirmed via pinky swear it was indeed real chicken, he dug in and ate a nice helping, with the exception of the sausage. The hubs pretty much licked his bowl clean and declared it "great." I thought it had a lot of flavor, and wouldn't really change anything, except for the sodium.

Ranking:
Three Forks (sodium peeps)

Action shot! Still simmering

Healthier?

Tonight's fare is from EatingWell, which promised "Healthier in a Hurry." So let's review.

While I believe this recipe is meant to replace things like Hamburger Helper or some other pre-packaged sodium-fest, I don't know that I buy that this is super-healthy. You be the judge. I'm not a nutritionist, nor do I play one on TV.

I feel like this recipe was a little high in calories and sodium to qualify as healthy. And while it does include the super of all foods - broccoli - as a main ingredient - we def could have upped the nutritionals with more veggies. Plus, it was not specific enough (or at all) with serving size,which in my world leads to bigger-than-needed portions.

That being said, the "Hurry" part of this scenario certainly fit the bill. This was a snap to prepare - the only heavy lifting I had to do was cut up my chicken into chunks. And shoo off the dog, who was nipping at my heels for a teeny bit of chicken.

#DevProblems

Stovetop Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Source: EatingWell, I think March 2012 but I'm not sure

Ingredients:

• 8oz whole wheat egg noodles
• 1 14oz can reduced sodium chicken broth (used no salt added)
• 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into little chunks
• 1 14-16oz package frozen broccoli
• 1.5c skim milk
• 1/2c. reduced fat mayo
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1.5 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5c shredded cheese

Directions:

• Place noodles in a large skillet. Pour broth over the noodles. Layer chicken then broccoli over the noodles.
• Whisk milk through garlic powder in a medium bowl. Pour over broccoli.
• Bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook, 15-18 mins. Stir every once in a while.
• When casserole is done, sprinkle cheese on top and broil lightly until browned, approx. 3 mins.

Yield: 6 servings
Per serving: 446 cals; 15g fat (7g sat, 4g mono); 75mg chol; 41g carbs; 33g protein; 6g fiber; 662mg sodium

Reviews:
Despite my grousing about the health benefits, this meal was delish. While the hubs managed to pick out every last piece of broccoli from his serving, the kid and I savored our green goodness. It probably didn't need as much cheese as the recipe called for, but honestly - I love cheese and wasn't going to cut that down. We all liked the entire thing - it was warm and comforting and very filling. And probably not the healthiest.

Ranking:
Three Forks

Cheese

Lemony Freshness

I'm here! I'm here!

After a whirlwind couple of weeks with very few blog posts, you are going to get the pleasure of five straight nights of cooking, fingers crossed.

I actually wasn't supposed to cook tonight because of baseball, but the kid had some minor stomach pangs, so we opted out and I opted into the kitchen. As with all of the recipes I pulled this week, I just kind of grabbed this one at the last minute. (The other recipes are in the to-be-filed pile category, i.e., laying on my kitchen counter.)

I normally am not a big fan of super lemony foods. Despite the oodles of benefits of this little yellow fruit, I don't love lemonade. Or lemon popsicles. Or lemon bars. But this just sounded right tonight.

Chicken Piccata with Orzo
Source: Cooking Light, not sure of date

Ingredients:

• 1 c. uncooked orzo
• 2 tsp grated lemon rind (Yes, I did this!  Yes, it was a mess!)
• 4 (4-oz) chicken cutlets
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (skip)
• 1/4 tsp pepper (skip)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 c. white wine
• 1/3 c. fat-free, low sodium chicken broth (used no-salt added)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (skip)
• 1 tbsp capers (skip - don't like capers)

Directions:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain. Stir in rind. 
• While orzo cooks, heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add chicken, cook 3 mins on each side or until done. Remove from pan, keep warm.
• Add wine to pan, cook 1 min or until liquid almost evaporates, scrapping to loosen browned bits. Add broth and lemon juice, bring to a boil. Cook 2 mins or until reduced to 1/2 c. Remove from heat; add butter, stirring until butter melts. Stir in parsley and capes. Serve over orzo and chicken. 

Yield: 4 servings (1/2 c. orzo, 1 cutlet and 2 tbsp sauce)

Per serving: 345 cals; 8.5g fat (2.7g sat, 3.6g mono, 0.8g poly); 32g protein; 33g carb; 19g fiber; 73mg chol; 328mg sodium

Reviews:

The kid was super excited about the lemon chicken, because he loves lemony items (and was actually jonesing for a lemon bar earlier today, in a completely unrelated conversation). Howevs, he declared that while the chicken was good, it was not super lemony. I disagree - the lemon taste was strong, but not in a bad way. The hubs noted he tasted the lemon most in the orzo. The meal was also very fast to throw together. 

Ranking: 

Three Forks

Yes peeps, I love The Beatles above all others. But I also have room in my heart for Zep (and Bowie, and the Stones, and...)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

What a wonderful day, let me count the ways:

• 70 degrees and sunny in mid-March
• The eve of March Madness
• Wife's on the mend from vicious stomach flu
• And you, faithful readers get a guest blog from moi

Yes, Chef Hubs is back with another concoction. After a nice walk to soak up the sun & warmth, it was decided that I would tackle tonight's recipe as the usual occupant of this blog recovers from a little influenza.
I'm in such a good mood in anticipation of this weekend's basketball extravaganza that I happily obliged.

We tried a Sweet-and-Sour Chicken recipe that worked out perfectly for me. It called for quite a few vegetables, but since I did this week's shopping (again pinch-hitting) we were woefully lacking in the greens, reds & yellows called for in the recipe. As a veggie-phobe, I figured it would still be yummy without the aforementioned produce. 

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken
Source: Not sure - from random recipes saved on the wife's computer

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2  medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into bite-sized strips (omitted, none on hand)
• 4 teaspoons cooking oil
• 1 cup fresh pea pods, tips and stems removed (omitted, missing in action)
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained (omitted)
• 3 cups hot cooked brown rice

Directions:

• For sauce, in a small bowl stir together chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and garlic; set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet, cook and stir carrots and sweet pepper in 3 teaspoons of the hot oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add pea pods. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from skillet; set aside.
• Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add chicken to skillet. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Push chicken from center of skillet. Stir sauce; add to center of skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add vegetable mixture and pineapple chunks; heat through. Serve with hot cooked brown rice.

Yield: 6 servings
Per serving: 265 cals; 5 g fat, 17 g protein; 37 g carb; 33 mg chol; 315 mg sodium.

Reviews:
The kid ate it all and seemed to enjoy. Chef Wifey also ate it with only slight trepidation, which I attributed to it being her first real, solid meal in five days rather than the looks of it.  I thought it tasted pretty good, nothing spectacular but not offensive either. Who knows, with veggies maybe it would have been great.

Ranking:
3.14159265 forks (it's pi day!!)

Fast Times for Fishers

This is a fast post to match a fast meal. Partly because I'm tired, partly because I've barely seen the hubs for a couple of days and am semi-interested in having a conversation with him, but mostly because I have a seriously huge cupcake waiting for my consumption. Of course, I also have a seriously early workout planned for tomorrow morning to make up for said cupcake, but peeps, I just can't resist a good cupcake.

Happiness is a warm cupcake (?1?!)

Chicken with Pepperoni-Marinara Sauce
Source: Cooking Light, January/February 2012

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic (used 1 tsp pre-minced)
• 16 slices pepperoni, coarsely chopped (used turkey pepperoni)
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 c. low-sodium marinara sauce (I used no-salt added from Trader Joe's)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (skip - forgot to buy)
• 2 tsp evoo
• 1.5 lbs chicken cutlets
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

• Preheat boiler to high
• Heat a saucepan over med-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add garlic and pepperoni; cook 2 mins or until garlic begins to brown, stirring frequently. Add oregano, cook 30 seconds. Add marinara sauce, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat, stir in basil.
• Heat a large ovenproof skillet over med-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Add chicken to skillet, cook 5 mins or until lightly browned, turning after 3 mins.
• Spoon sauce over chicken; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil 2 mins or until cheese melts.

Yield: 4 servings (5 oz chicken, 1/3 c. sauce)
Per serving: 380 cals; 14.7g fat (6g sat, 5.2g mono, 1.2g poly); 48.5g protein; 28.7g carb; 122mg chol; 533mg sodium

Reviews:
The hubs started eyeballing this recipe three days ago when I pulled it. Needless to say, it lived up to his expectations. The meal encompassed everything he likes: Chicken, pepperoni, sauce. No veggies to sully up the dish. NOTE - I was planning on serving this with asparagus, but totally and completely forgot until we were halfway through with dinner and I noticed the lack of green. Oh well. The kid thought it was OK - he wasn't the biggest fan of the pepperoni sauce. I liked it - not only because it was fast and easy to throw together, but because I got to use my brand new (and slightly overpriced) ovenproof skillet for the first time.

Ranking:
Three Forks

Like the hot new pan?

An Ode to Bethenny

Tough day here in the NEO. My heart breaks for all those impacted by what happened at Chardon.

But this blog is not about what's happening in the real world today. It's about what's happening in my little teeny food world. So let's get on with it. And give your families a big hug tonight.

I love celebs. And I love Bravo celebs. If you have read my blog even just a few times, you know that I have a mild obsession with Bravo Andy. I also happen to think that Bethenny Frankel is fab. I heart her personality, her business sense, her honesty - at least the edited down, made-for-TV honesty that we see. I also kind of love the way she dresses, as a side note.

Ms. Bethenny is kind of everywhere. She shows up in a bunch of my magazines with fitness and food tips. So natch I yanked this recipe a while ago to give it a whirl.

Unbelievably Delicous Low-Fat Enchilada

Source: Clean Eating, November/December 2010

Ingredients:

• 5 medium whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 c. shredded extra-sharp low-fat cheddar

Chicken mix:

• 3 c. shredded or chopped cooked chicken breast
• 4 oz chopped green chiles
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper (skip)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Sauce:

• 15 oz tomato sauce (used no-salt added)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1.5 tsp chile powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (skip)
• 1/2 tsp pepper (skip)

Heart healthy ingredients: chile powder, tomato sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine all of the chicken mix ingredients in a large pan over med-high heat and cook until heat through, approx. mins. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Combine all sauce ingredients in same pan used for chicken. Simmer over med heat until warm, approx 10 mins.
• Spread a thin layer of saue on the bottom of an 8x11 pan. Divvy chicken mix up evenly among tortillas, fold over and place seam-side down in casserole dish. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 mins.

Yield: 5 servings (1 enchilada per serving)

Per serving: 350 cals; 7g fat (2g sat) 36g carbs; 37g protein; 561mg sodium; 76mg chol

We also had:

Spicy Black Beans

Source: Eat Well, Lose Weight (Better Homes & Gardens), Winter 2012

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp canola
• 3/4 c. chopped red or green pepper (used red)
• 1 med chopped onion
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-15oz can no-salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 c. frozen corn
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Heart healthy ingredients: Black beans, red peppers, oregano

Directions:

• In a med saucepan, heat oil over med heat. Add pepper, onion and garlic, cook approx 5 mins., until tender. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer, 10 mins.

Yield: 4 servings (1/2c/serving)

Per serving: 172 cals; 4g fat (0g sat); 0mg chol; 163mg sodium; 28g carb; 7g fiber

Reviews:

Bethenny does not disappoint. The meal was easy to throw together and tasted great. We actually got seven enchiladas out of the deal, so we have leftovers. The side of spicy black beans was so-so. It wasn't super spicy and didn't add too much to the overall meal. The boys used chips to scoop it up. Inventive.

Ranking:

Enchiladas: Three forks

Black beans: Two forks

The Amazing Blog Post

I am going to speed through this blog so I can tune into one of my all-time favorite (non-Bravo) shows, The Amazing Race. I LOVE this show. I have watched every single episode since it premiered and I live vicariously through the contestants. The hubs also loves it, so it has been our Sunday night TV thing for as long as its been on. Sorry Bravo Andy - I'm cheating on you tonight.

What? You watch networks other than Bravo?

This week, I am pulling recipes from all of my "healthy" living/promises cookbooks. Tonight's contender is one that I've had varying success with, and don't use often enough. Mostly because there are no pretty photographs of food, which I find kind of boring.

Crusty Oven-Fried Chicken
Source: Family Health Cookbook (from the AMA)

Heart healthy ingredients: Cayenne pepper. I also substituted the vegetable oil for canola oil. WTF? Vegetable oil?

Parsley-Parmesan Potato Cake
Source: Family Health Cookbook (from the AMA)

Heart healthy ingredients: Ummmmmm... none. BUT, I contend that potatoes, since they are loaded with potassium, aren't the worst ever.

We also had health super-star broccoli. Bam!

Reviews:
Repeat after me: "I DO NOT LIKE POTATOES." Yet, I continue to force these spiteful spuds upon the kid. One mouthful and he was done. The potato recipe made a lot - yet the recipe said it was just four servings. As the hubs said, it was pretty much mashed potatoes. As for the chicken, I tasted a lot of the cayenne and hot sauce, the hubs not so much, but he still deemed it worthy of consumption. Half of the "crusty" part fell off when I removed it from the baking sheet, which kind of blew. Oh well.

Ranking:
Three forks

Hi Phil - We've missed you and your wonky eyebrow!

Hi, Hi, Hi

Not only is the title of tonight's post a warm greeting from yours truly to you, since I've been gone for several days - but also a nice nod to one Sir Paul, who is performing at tonight's Grammy Awards.

Hello 1970s! 

We had a lovely week, with everything from multiple cases of the stomach flu (not cooking-induced, in case you are wondering) to work travel to basketball games, which is why you haven't heard much from me of late. But I'm back!  At least for a few days, until the winter schedule kicks in again.And, I hope you had a great week too, cyberworld friends.

On with the show! To start things off, I made:

Double Banana Bread
Kraft Foods, Holiday 2006
I added chocolate chips instead of walnuts, as the recipe calls for, and used canola oil.
Heart healthy ingredients: Canola oil (the walnuts would have been heart healthy, too, but I don't like nuts in my baked goods)

For dinner, we had:
Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken
Cooking Light, June 2010
Heart healthy ingredients: Walnuts, rosemary. I do like nuts in my savory dishes. 

Butternut Mash
The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 7th edition
Heart healthy ingredients: Squash, olive oil

We also had broccoli as a side. And you know broccoli is good for you!

Reviews:
The Butternut Mash was disgusting. It didn't even make the plate. I think the error was a combination of not enough squash, too much liquid stuff, but it just wasn't happening and even I wasn't going to torture the boys with that one.

On the other hand, both the chicken and the banana bread were great. The chicken got super-crispy - hence the "oven-fried" moniker - and the banana bread is just delish. The boys ate all of their chicken with no complaints, and we've all been noshing on the bread. The baby got into the action and ate about 3/4 of my breakfast slice.

Ranking:
Mash: One Fork
Chicken: Three Forks
Banana bread: Four Forks

PS: I haven't been lax in posting food pics - I just keep forgetting to take them until we're about halfway through with dinner. I know you are very disappointed!