Grilled Lemon Salmon Kebabs

No better way to start off the week than with a healthy dinner recipe! My love for salmon knows no bounds and I'm always looking for fresh and new ways to prepare it. I LOVE grilling it in the Summer and getting that smokey grill flavor. Kebabs have been having a moment at our house, too. It's so easy to chop up a bunch of fresh ingredients, put them on a stick and throw it all on the grill. A one step meal that's delicous, healthy and doesn't take much prep time. 

These salmon kebabs are going straight to the top of my Summer favorites list. The flavor on the fish was INSANE from the grill as well as each piece being sandwiched between fresh lemon slices. Something about fish and lemon ALWAYS does it for me. I could be happy eating this as a meal every night this Summer. 

I found this recipe via Skinny Taste awhile ago and have been itching to make it. Also, how beautiful does the raw salmon and bright yellow lemon slices photograph!? These tasted as good as they looked. I tweaked the seasonings here a little and came up with my own spice rub for the salmon that was just perfect. It may sound strange, but don't forget to eat the lemons! This might be the best part of the meal.

I just can't stop thinking about these kebabs.

Lemon Salmon Kebabs

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 lb. boneless skinless wild salmon
2 lemons, thinly sliced
4-8 bamboo skewers 
Olive oil

Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before prepping your kebabs. I was able to fit all of my lemon and fish onto 4 skewers, and had them all pretty full. If you are serving more people, divide the fish and lemons amongst 8 skewers. 

In a small bowl, combine oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, kosher salt and cracked pepper.

Cut salmon into 1 inch chunks. Beginning and ending with the salmon, thread salmon and folded lemon slices onto the skewers. Sprinkle evenly with the spice rub and add a little bit more salt and pepper on top as well. Drizzle with olive oil. 

If doing these on an outside grill, grill on medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes, until fish is fully cooked through. Make sure you turn the skewers often. For a grill pan, grill on medium high heat, turning often and cooking until the fish is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. 

Paleo Asian Lettuce Wraps

Another Instagram post, another recipe. I love scrolling through all of the delicious dinner posts I see on Instagram and I've been posting our dinners on my stories more. I seriously get so many questions when I post pictures of our dinners so why not post them here with the recipes included!

These Asian Lettuce Wraps are from 2011 and were a favorite staple dinner in our Illinois kitchen. I loved the PF Changs version so much that I found a copycat recipe online years ago and always found myself wanting to make them. They are easy, fairly healthy and full of flavor. The addition of Hoisin sauce adds wonderful flavor but unfortunately, lots of added sugar and sodium. 

Several years ago, I cleaned up my lettuce wrap recipe for what I'm posting here. Lean turkey, lots of veggies and coconut aminos make this a wonderful Paleo and Whole30 alternative! Ground chicken and lean beef work equally as well with this recipe- I used good quality ground turkey this week and it was delicious. You can also add whatever veggies you have on hand! We love the combo of onions, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts. Iceburg lettuce used to be my go-to for the wraps but lately I've been buying Boston bibb and it works so much better! If you want that slightly nutty flavor that you miss without the Hoisin sauce, a Tablespoon or two of almond butter in here gives it just that! 

These are delicious on their own, or served with an asian cucumber salad on the side! Just toss the cukes with some coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds (another PF Changs recipe replica!)

Enjoy!

Paleo Asian Lettuce Wraps

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 can chopped water chestnuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup coconut aminos 
Olive Oil
Bibb lettuce, for serving

Coat the bottom of a large skillet/saute pan with a few swirls of olive oil and place on medium heat.

Add garlic, onions, carrots and ground ginger and saute until the vegetables start to get soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Adding the ground ginger early on allows for the flavor to get nice and toasted and really amplifies it! Add mushrooms and cook for an addition 5 minutes. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper and transfer cooked vegetables to another bowl. 

Keep heat at medium and add ground turkey. Break up the turkey as it cooks. Once meat is cooked through, add the vegetables back in and add the can of water chestnuts. Add coconut aminos and toss it all together. 

Remove from burner and serve in lettuce cups! 

Summer Chicken Parmesan

I've gotten into the habit of trying at least one new recipe a week which has added a ton of new favorites to our ever expanding dinner rotation. Fast and fresh is my favorite in the Summer, so that we can maximize our time outside after naps!

This lightened up Chicken Parmesan is comforting and totally Summer-fied. The original recipe inspiration came from this Cooking Light recipe here, but I cleaned it up even more swapping out the panko for almond meal. I also added a layer of marinara on top of each chicken breast to brighten it up and, if I'm being honest,  because my kids love anything with a little sauce! Everyone in the Moore house loved this meal. Swap out milk for almond milk and leave out the cheese for a Paleo/Whole30 approved dinner.

Summer Chicken Parmesan
recipe adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup almond meal
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
3 chicken breasts, filleted
salt + pepper
olive oil
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
handful fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup marinara sauce
shredded mozarella cheese

Preheat Broiler and place oven rack in the middle.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and 1/4 cup of milk. Place the almond meal in a pie dish and season with a little salt and pepper, and mix up with a fork. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. 

Create a dipping station, and dredge each piece of chicken in egg, then the almond meal mixture. 

Add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Cook each chicken breast for about one minute on each side, transfer to a baking sheet prepped with cooking spray or parchment paper. Top each chicken breast with a layer of marinara sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Broil for 3-5 minutes.

In the skillet, heat a little more oil and add garlic, zucchini, tomatoes and basil. Saute for 5 minutes until the vegetables are starting to get soft. Serve chicken with veggies on top and more fresh basil if desired. 

Nicoise Salad, Take Two

Ugh. I love this salad. My friend Sophie and I ate these together when we were both planning our weddings and it always reminds me of that magical, newly engaged time. #25forever. Mark fondly refers to dinner salads as single girl meals, but he happily eats them and for that I am thankful. Of all the salads we do for dinner, this one is my favorite. It had been awhile and I was craving this giant bowl of goodness. I first posted this recipe back in 2013 but I'm back again with it- mostly because I'm obsessed, but also because this version looks a little prettier. This is a great adult meal that works well deconstructed as a meal for the tiny humans in your house. You're welcome. 

I did a little research, and discovered that this salad originated in the city of Nice, France. Traditionally, it's made with tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, Nicoise olives and anchovies and dressed with olive oil. I think I'll give this a whirl someday.

I used my Lemon Garlic Salmon recipe and built our salads around that. The warm salmon on top of the greens wilts them ever so slightly which I love. Arugula stands up well to this and is my favorite to use right now. I always always add a few roasted potato wedges to my Nicoise salads, giving them a little comfort factor. Same with the roasted green beans. SO SO GOOD. 

Pour yourself a glass of white wine and it's almost like you're on a European vacay. 

Nicoise Salad

Lemon Garlic Salmon
Arugula/Baby Greens mix
Grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Roasted potato wedges
Roasted green beans
Kalamata olives
Capers
Red onion, thinly sliced

Dijon Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
salt + pepper, to taste

For perfect roasted potatoes and green beans:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut small redskin potatoes into wedges and wash and snip beans. Toss both the potatoes and beans separately with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread each evenly on two separate baking sheets. Potatoes will cook in 20-25 minutes and do the green beans for about 10-15. 

Follow my salmon recipe HERE.

To assemble the salads, Fill bowls with greens and top with all of the salad toppings. Finish with warm salmon and drizzle with dijon vinaigrette. 

Cauli Crust Skillet Pizza with Sausage, Mushrooms + Peppers

Pizza is our FAVORITE. Normally, I'm all about eating the real thing and just going all in on Fridays when we either make homemade pizza or venture out to one of our favorite local spots. But sometimes, I just can't wait until Friday and the craving hits hard. I'm all about clean and healthy eating but I've never really been into healthy pizza alternatives. If I'm going to eat pizza, I'd rather EAT PIZZA. 

I did, however, have a change of heart last week when my friend posted a picture of her cauliflower pizza crust on Instagram. My mouth was seriously watering and I saved the recipe. I've had cauli crust on my radar for quite some time and I was eager to give it a whirl. 

This cauliflower crust is AMAZING! I'm not saying that this should replace your weekly (real) pizza night, but I am saying that you should give this a try for when the pizza craving hits but you're trying to stay healthy. Mark was a skeptic and I totally won him over with this! If you're expecting this crust to hold it's own and act like a real pizza, it just doesn't do that. Know that you'll be eating it with a fork and just load on the toppings. 

Now, you can make this crust as easy or as complicated as you want. I ended up pulsing mine in the food processor and cooking for 15-20 minutes, then squeezing out some of the liquid, but I certainly don't think it's necessary. Next time I'm going to try just pulsing and mixing it raw, then cooking it in the oven before topping with my toppings. Skp the cheese (in the crust and on top) to make this Paleo and Whole 30 friendly! 

Make your Monday taste like a Friday. Kind of.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

recipe adapted from ifoodreal.com

1 small head cauliflower

1 egg

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. oregano

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Wash and chop cauliflower into florets. Place in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is finer than you would when making cauliflower rice.

In a bowl, combine cauliflower, egg, cheese and seasonings. Mix until combined. 

Form "dough" in a cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet, pressing it together. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Top with toppings of choice. (I did Italian sausage, peppers and mushrooms with marinara and mozzarella) Bake until cheese is nice and bubbled. Cut and serve!

Butternut Sausage Bake with Kale + Tomato Cream

I don't love calling a meal a "bake" but that's what this is and it's delicious and healthy so I'm just going to go with it. I've never been into casseroles but a hearty meal like this full of healthy things is something I can always get on board with. Especially when I only have one pan to clean up!

I couldn't love this recipe any more if I tried. It's the ultimate weeknight meal for the Fall- easy, healthy and all of the good Fall flavors. We had it on regular rotation in our house last Fall and it's made it's way back to our menu again. It's loaded with the good stuff- roasted butternut squash, Italian sausage and tons of kale. The coconut milk in the tomato cream is an unexpected twist and it all bakes up perfectly in the oven in my cast iron skillet. 

Butternut Sausage Bake with Kale + Tomato Cream
recipe from Paleo Running Mama

3.5 cups chopped butternut squash
olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
3-4 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 egg, whisked
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400. 

Toss squash with a Tablespoon or so of olive oil, and a little salt and pepper to season. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes. 

In a large skillet (I use my cast iron), cook sausage and onions. When sausage is almost cooked through, add marinara and coconut milk. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer on low. 

Add kale and toss, allowing it to wilt and soften. Once butternut squash is done roasting, remove pan from heat and add squash to the sausage, tomato and kale mixture. Toss everything evenly. If you are baking it in a separate dish, pour into baking dish. Drizzle whisked egg mixture over everything and gently toss to combine. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bake is golden brown on top and set.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

#EatMooreDinner, Vol. 2

It's a new week with a new menu and I'm already planning the next time I make some of the dinners we had last week. I cannot stop thinking about these meals!! 

The Paleo Moroccan Chicken Bowls were by far my favorite dish from last week. I'm so obsessed with the flavors and everything was so fresh and good. The leftovers just as tasty!! I passed this recipe along to so many friends! Thursday night was another new dish and I actually never got to photograph it OR taste it since I was eating fried chicken before the Zac Brown concert! I'm going to recreate it again soon. 

My Asian Beef Lettuce wraps are a staple around here. I've tossed the recipe aside really and just saute up ground beef or turkey with whatever veggies I have on hand and season it with Tamari and freshly ground ginger...and a heavy drizzle of Sriracha! When I crave these things, I really think it's that crazy spice I want. My original recipe is linked below! 

Here's what we ate last week:

Lemon Garlic Salmon with Sauteed Broccoli Rabe

Paleo Grilled Moroccan Chicken Bowls

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

Mexican Quinoa Bowls with Chorizo and Pico de Gallo 

Margherita Pizza

Lemon Garlic Salmon

This is the easssiesttttt and also my favorite way to make Salmon. It takes literally no time at all and comes out of the oven perfectly every single time. There's something so satisfying to me about only using a few ingredients. Gourmet cooking at home doesn't need to be complicated! Salmon is a food that my body craves and I start to go a little crazy if we haven't had it in a couple of weeks. It's one of those things that just makes me feel healthy and good after I eat it. Bonus points because, call me crazy, but I always swear it gives my skin a little extra glow. 

I kept it simple on Monday night and paired our salmon with sauteed broccoli rabe. Broccoli rabe has become one of our favorite greens. The bitterness isn't for everyone, but we honestly love it. You can blanche it in water for a minute or two prior to sauteing, as this takes out a little bit of the bitter taste. I have done this before but I usually just wash, chop and cook! 

And as pesky as that salmon skin is...I find that the skin on salmon has better flavor.

Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Salmon

1 lb. wild salmon
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, sliced
a few thin slices of unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

Top Salmon fillet evenly with garlic. Season with salt and pepper and place a few thin slices of butter on top. Finish with lemon slices lined up on the fillet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily. You will need more or less time, depending on how thick your fish is. 

Sausage + Veggie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This is hardly a fancy dinner post and the photo doesn't do dish justice, but easy and healthy dinners are worth documenting- and sharing! I made these sausage + veggie stuffed sweet potatoes the night before I did a weekly grocery shopping haul so this dinner really came from nothing! I surveyed the kitchen to see what I had and this is what I came up with. Baking sweet potatoes and stuffing them with a protein and some veggies is a great way to use up your produce from the week. I almost always have some sort of sausage in the freezer so I pulled that out, too. A little cheese on top is a tasty addition when you place the stuffed potatoes under the broiler but you can leave that off to make this a Paleo/Whole 30 compliant meal! We loved this!

Sausage + Veggie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

2 Sweet potatoes, baked
2 cups broccoli, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion 
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 links mild Italian sausage 
1/2 cup marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Wash potatoes, dry and poke holes all over with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1-1.5 hours, or until potatoes are soft. 

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil (a few swirls of the pan). Cook sausage and break apart while cooking. Once sausage is cooked, add garlic and onions and saute until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add remaining veggies and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Add marinara and stir to combine.

Cut potatoes down the middle and mash the inside with a fork. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Top with sausage and veggies and a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Greek Turkey Meatballs

Meatballs are a weeknight dinner staple around here. I love throwing in different flavors and they make for delicious lunch leftovers. Bonus points because Will almost always eats them. These Greek Turkey Meatballs are so fresh and light for Summer. The lemon zest is an incredible addition to the meatballs and makes all the difference I think! Thanks to my friend Faith for passing along this yummy recipe! 

I prepped the chopped ingredients during naptime and just mixed the meat in and popped them in the oven, making for a dinner that was ready in 30 minutes. I served these on top of my favorite salad (arugula, romaine, green onions, feta and kalamatas with roasted lemon vinaigrette) and it was bright and delicious! Minus the small amount of crumbled feta in our salad, this meal was entirely Paleo and Whole 30 friendly. 

If I wasn't Italian, I would want to be Greek. 

Greek Turkey Meatballs
recipe adapted from Primally Inspired

1 lb. lean ground turkey breast
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form meatball mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls. Line up  on prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until meatballs are firm and cooked through.

Chicken, Bacon, Avocado + Roasted Asparagus Salad

When the weather is warm and we are looking for lighter meals, big salads are my go to for healthy weeknight dinners. During a typical week, my grocery list consists of about 75% produce, all of which is probably enough to make a different salad every night of the week! 

Mark and I spent all day last Thursday at the Wells Fargo Championship here in Charlotte and this salad came together in no time at all. It was perfect after a day outside- it was light, fresh and still filling enough for dinner! I had some leftover grilled chicken breasts from the night before so all that I had to cook was a few strips of bacon and asparagus with some red onions. I plated each salad separately with a dijon balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Roasted mushrooms, blue cheese and even some fresh sliced strawberries would be delicious additions to this. 

We LOVED this salad.

Chicken, Bacon Avocado + Roasted Asparagus Salad 
serves 2


2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
4 cups chopped romaine
6 asparagus spears, chopped into 1" pieces
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
4 pieces bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced
olive oil, for drizzling
salt and pepper, to season

Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to season

In a medium skillet, cook bacon until done. Drain on a plate with paper towel and roughly chop. 

While the bacon is cooking, add asparagus and red onion to another medium skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and saute on medium until onions are translucent and asparagus is tender. Season with a little salt and pepper if desired.

To assemble the salads, divide romaine into two bowls. Top with asparagus and onion mixture, bacon crumbles and sliced chicken breast. Finish with sliced avocado an drizzle of dressing.

Pulled Pork, Sweet Potato Salad, Jalapeno Lime Slaw + Roasted Okra

YOU GUYS. Mark fired up the smoker this weekend for the first time this Spring and we enjoyed the most delicious meal on the screened in porch. The weather was incredible and our azaleas were in full bloom. I love love love love love this time of year! 

We bought a pork butt from Harris Teeter and rubbed it with a brown sugar coffee rub from Trader Joe's. Mark smoked it for several hours and it was perfect. Along with our pulled pork we had sweet potato salad, jalapeno lime slaw and roasted okra. 

Gina's Sweet Potato Salad was a winner! I only used about 1/4 of a Vidalia onion because the one that I found at the grocery store was huge. I also opted to only use the green parts of the scallions and used only 1/4 cup of mayo. We try to stick with sweet potatoes vs. white potatoes so this was a yummy way to get our potato salad fix- and even better the next day! 

This Jalapeno Lime Slaw has been a long time favorite. It's so easy to toss together and has few ingredients but big flavor. The only thing I swap in this recipe is honey instead of sugar. We love this salad! 

Nothing fancy for the okra. Just washed, trimmed and tossed in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I baked this at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, tossing every five minutes.

For more dinner ideas, you can check out my hashtag on Instagram, #eatmooredinner! 

Roasted Sweet Potato, Black Bean + Pulled Pork Bowls

My love for "bowl dinners" knows no bounds. They are colorful, healthy and full of so much flavor. All of which are stellar key details for weeknight eating, if you ask me! I've been re-mixing some of my favorite recipes and transforming them into bowl form. Can't stop, won't stop.

This recipe started as a roasted sweet potato and black bean chopped salad, then I pulled out my rock pot and cooked up my favorite pulled pork. Done and done! This recipe for Slow Cooker Beer Carnitas from How Sweet Eats is fantastic. You can never go wrong with a bottle of good beer and a solid combo of spices. While this pork is great for tacos, we often eat it plain or on top of a salad, like we have here! 

I have said it before and I will say it again, every time I use the crock pot, I'm reminded of how much I love this method of cooking! It's perfect for busy days and leaves minimal prep work when dinner time rolls around. Williams-Sonoma has a new slow cooker cookbook that I'm thinking of adding to my collection. As the weather gets cooler and Fall rolls in, slow cooker recipes are perfect. 

Roasted Sweet Potato, Black Bean + Pulled Pork Bowl

2-3 large sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks and roasted

1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed well

2 ears of corn, cooked and cut off the cob

1/4 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 Romaine heart, chopped

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Olive oil

Salt and pepper, to season

Lime wedges

Crockpot Beer Carnitas pork recipe

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a bowl, toss sweet potato chunks in a Tablespoon of olive oil and season with pepper. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, or until slightly brown and crisped on the outside. 

To assemble your bowl, start with a bed of romaine. Add all vegetables and top with pulled pork. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with a lime wedge! 

Tomato, Corn + Zucchini Frittata

I love, love, LOVE a good frittata. I started making them when we lived in Illinois and they quickly became a favorite weekend breakfast. But what's better than having frittata for breakfast? Making it for dinner and eating the leftovers for breakfast the next day. Frittatas are also one of those dishes that you can scrounge up what you have in your kitchen to make your masterpiece. 

I like to load my frittatas with vegetables and every so often, bacon or ham may make an appearance. This Tomato and Zucchini Frittata from SkinnyTaste served as my inspiration. I opted for 8 whole eggs instead of 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites and swapped out the asiago for cheese I already had on hand. Corn seemed like a good addition so I threw some of that in, too. A splash of half and half made my frittata extra creamy.

Tomato, Corn + Zucchini Frittata

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 small zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 cup frozen sweet corn
8 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt  pepper to taste
1 medium vine ripe tomato, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium (about 10") skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onion, and saute until translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and corn and saute for another 3 minutes. 

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, half and half, and cheeses. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Pour eggs into the skillet over the vegetables and gently move the eggs around, making sure the vegetables are even at the bottom. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the eggs start to set on the sides of the pan. Place tomato slices evenly atop the eggs.

Place skillet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until frittata is cooked and the center is set.

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

Sometimes, the best kinds of dinners come from a kitchen scavenger hunt and a little outside the box thinking. Almost a year ago, a can of enchilada sauce appeared in my grocery bags mysteriously and has been sitting in my pantry ever since. It became a joke every time I opened the pantry because I never buy this stuff and I just didn't have any use for it. Fast forward to last week when I had the idea to make a new spin on stuffed peppers- enchilada style. I always see creative new stuffing combos and decided to make my own creation, and something to finally use up my funny little can of sauce. Next time, I'll make my own enchilada sauce, which I know will be even better. I was just happy to get that pesky can out of my kitchen!

This meal was tasty, healthy and a super easy weeknight dinner. 

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

3 large bell peppers, halved
3 cups shredded chicken breast (A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store would work great!)
1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, cooked
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt + pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling
Shredded mozzarella
Enchilada sauce 

To prepare the pepper stuffing, sautee garlic, onions and black beans until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the bag/box. Combine chicken, black bean mixture and some salt and pepper to taste. 

Cut peppers in half vertically and scoop out the seeds. Stuff generously and top with fresh cilantro and cheese. Finish with a tsp. or so of enchilada sauce on each pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Chicken, Artichoke + Sundried Tomato Risotto

When the cupboards go bare in our house and a trip to the grocery store is desperately needed, I always seem to get a creative bone to work with what I have. It's like having my own top chef challenge with myself.

Last weekend, our kitchen was literally OUT of all fresh ingredients. After a day full of cleaning, house projects and a baby that requires A LOT of attention, a trip to the grocery store was last on our agenda. I scoured the pantry and freezer to see what we could make into a meal and my Chicken, Artichoke and Sundried Tomato Risotto was born- all with staple items that are always in my kitchen.

 We don't eat much pasta or rice around here, but I always keep some arborio rice handy for times like these. Chicken broth is another pantry staple. I've been buying Trader Joe's frozen chicken breast tenders and make sure to always have a bag in my freezer. These little guys are great for stir fries, grilled atop a salad or turned into Giada's Crunchy Parmesan Chicken tenders. They thaw so quickly by just placing in a bowl of warm water from the kitchen faucet. Frozen artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes are the other two must have items in my kitchen- great for salads, tapenades and risotto of course!

Chicken, Artichoke + Sundried Tomato Risotto

1 cup arborio rice
1 large shallot, minced
1 lb. fresh or frozen chicken breast tenders, cut into large chunks
2 cups frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (or 1 can of quartered artichoke hearts)
4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth (plus more water if needed)
A few turns of the pan of olive oil
salt and pepper to season
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Freshly grated parmesan 
Handful of fresh basil

Combine shallots and olive oil In a large French oven or saute pan. (drizzle oil until it just covers the entire bottom of the pan). Heat until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Slowly add chicken broth, a little at a time. Do not let the rice dry out. This is a slow process, but well worth the time and love. The risotto will be nice and creamy when it's done. You may need more than 4 cups of chicken broth. Instead of adding more broth, I just use water, or keep watering down the broth that I'm using until the risotto is done. 

While the risotto is cooking, warm some more olive oil on medium-high heat in a medium saute pan. Add artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes and heat through, about 5 minutes. Remove and add chicken. Saute until chicken is fully cooked.

When the risotto is done, fold in chicken, artichoke- sundried tomato mixture and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper and finish with grated parmesan.

Curing the Holiday Hangover

With the holidays behind us, so is all of the reckless eating. Cookies constantly within an arm's reach and an eggnog latte or peppermint mocha coffee break just to enjoy and savor the beloved red cup. And there always an excuse for an extra cocktail. Or five. I don't eat everything in site but I also don't spend my holidays worrying about every morsel I put in my mouth because honestly, I just enjoy it and know that we'll return to our regularly scheduled eating habits once the season comes to an end. What's fun about indulging if you have to rationalize everything you eat? This also goes for every extra dollar that has cause the grocery budget to just be completely ignored.

The cookies are gone, the red cups are no longer available at Starbucks (sigh) and it's time to focus on cleaning up a bit and getting back into our usual routine and stocking our refrigerator with healthy fuel. I have said this before, but I don't like the word diet. You can't stick to a diet. You CAN stick to a lifestyle. And that's how we do it around here.

I meal plan every week. Ashley and I did it while living in our apartment and I have never gone back. At the beginning of the week, I sit down with my laptop, cookbooks and recipe binder and plan our dinners for the entire week. I find that one trip to the grocery store a week not only saves me time, but saves me money! Shopping with a well thought out list is key. I do most of my grocery shopping around the perimeter of the grocery store and besides a select few items, I try to stay out of the aisles since that is where most of the trouble is.

If you are in need of some healthy recipes to jump start your new year, keep reading! Below is a week worth of clean and healthy dinners, plus one for good measure. With the exception of the soup, all can be made in under an hour, making them ideal for your weeknight menus. I added many of these to our dinner menu for last week. Some are new, some are from my daily web browsing and some are my own blog recipes that I cleaned up with a few simple swaps.

Salmon roasted with fresh lemon & garlic

{salmon fillet, 2 cloves garlic minced, 6 lemon slices, salt,

pepper, brush of olive oil, 20 minutes on 350*. Easy!}

Roasted Red Pepper Pistachio Pesto

Simple baby greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette

The Culinary Couple's Tortellini Soup- one of my favorite all time recipes

(Double the sausage, skip the tortellini)

Grilled Chicken Breast with Olive Tapenade

Baby spinach salad with champagne vinaigrette

Garlic & Herb Dijon Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Green Beans Salad with Pickled Red Onions and Fried Almonds

Roasted Chicken Thighs

Spinach salad with sauteed mushrooms and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

(Use ground sirloin and swap Hoisin sauce for 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter)

Seared Marinated Flank Steak

Pan roasted brussels sprouts

(I use olive oil instead of butter)

Tomato, cucumber and red onion salad with red wine vinaigrette

Grilled chicken breast over romaine & baby greens

cucumbers, grape tomatoes, green onions and avocados

Simple Caesar Dressing

Cheers clearing out the bad, shopping smart and to a fresh start in the kitchen in 2012!