Wait, what?

Hey beloved readers, followers & stumblers! Time to change up this blog a bit. While I've been thoroughly enjoying trying a new recipe every day, it's been next to impossible to keep up since my return to work. Obviously, I'm still eating but I do rely on old faithfuls on those days when I'm dragging my butt off the bus.
Also, this challenge (combined with my broken foot and lack of ability for my usual activity level) has had some serious consequences on my waistline. Now, a gal hates to admit her weigh ins...but I'll leave it at an extra 3 inches in all the wrong places.
That being said, I'm going to be using this blog as a motivational means to keep my diet on track! I'm still going to be posting recipes, and yup- even daily again. I think it'll help me stick to this diet I've started on. For those of you wondering, I'm following a strict "Amanda" diet, haha. I've taken pieces of the P90X nutrition plan, recipes from the biggest loser and tidbits of Weight Watchers and Atkins diets. I'm also using a great FREE support site Spark People to track my calorie intake, measurements and physical activity.

Being in my 20's and working a job that requires me to be reasonably active for the entire day, it's really difficult to lose the last 10 pounds. Exercise alone is not enough, so I'm excited to embark on this and I've even got my boyfriend on board for extra support!

Damn, I sure will miss my crispy chicken skin though....

Day 1. Let's do this.

Oven Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Drummies

Recipe 46.
MMMM. We had these for dinner last night and I knew this was a recipe that was blog worthy. It was SO good. Like so so so so good. And the smell- wow! The bf asked me about 15 times "is dinner ready yet?". Worth the extra effort of heating the sauce versus marinading in the fridge before hand. Truth be told, I didn't measure anything other then the honey in this recipe. I truly feel that it's one of those things that you can eyeball your ingredients and still end up with success.

7                  chicken drumsticks, skin on.
1/4 C            honey
4                  dashes on Tabasco sauce
2 T               soya sauce
1 T               Worcestershire sauce
2 T               lime juice
4 cloves        garlic, minced

Preheat your oven to 375F (400F if you want that extra crispy skin!).
Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine honey, tabasco, soya, worcestershire, lime and garlic. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and brush both sides with sauce. Bake at 375 for about an hour, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink, basting with the sauce every 15 minutes. Do not baste when you remove from the oven. Serve with salad and rice or potatoes! Mmmmm. This is actually a wing recipe that I adapted for what I had on hand.

Biggest Loser Buffalo Chicken-Blue Cheese Meat loaf

Recipe 45





Sadly, I'm getting pretty bad at remembering to take pictures of my dinners. And equally as awful as posting them- I guess it is harder to be an 365 no repeat urbanite after all. This recipe was yummy and super flavorful, definitely spicier the next day when reheated for my lunch. I bought the blue cheese with this recipe and the one that will follow in mind, so since it's a little expensive I suggest having another recipe in mind if you decide to make it! Not sure how well it went over with the boy, but I thought for a healthy chicken wing substitute, it was pretty delish.

2/3 cup                 old fashioned oats
1/2 C                    fat-free milk
2 1/2 T                 Frank's buffalo wing sauce, more or less to taste
1 lb                      extra lean ground chicken (do not substitute ground turkey here!)
1/2 C                    finely chopped celery
1/4 C                    shredded carrot
1/4 C                    finely chopped sweet onion
1 egg                    lightly beaten
1/4 t                     salt
1/2 C                    crumbled reduced-fat blue cheese

Preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly mist a 9x5x3 loaf pan with olive oil spray. I lined my pan with aluminum foil and then sprayed that, hello easy clean-up!
Combine the oats and milk in a bowl and stir to mix. Let stand for about 3 minutes or until the oats begin to soften. Stir in the wing sauce until well mixed. Add the chicken, celery, carrot, onion, egg whites and salt. Mix the ingredients with a fork or clean hands well. Add the blue cheese crumbles and gently mix to combine.
Transfer the mixture to your prepared loaf pan and press down, spread so that the top is flat. Bake for about an hour, or until the chicken is completely cooked and no longer pink. Cut into 8 slices and serve! I did a twice baked potato as the side for this recipe and thought it complimented it rather well- stick with a broccoli/cheese mix for the potato to keep it lightened up! Or, serve with a green salad.

Easter Egg Cake

Recipe 44...if you can call it that, haha.

Okay, so this really isn't a recipe per-say. It's a super cute way to add a little flair to your dessert, and sure way to get everyone complimenting your creativity. Because I used box cake mix and pre-made icing, this recipe really couldn't be any easier.

1 box          Duncan Hines white cake mix, prepared as per package instructions & divided evenly into 4 bowls
2 cans         Duncan Hines cream cheese white icing
                  food coloring (red, blue, green, yellow)
                  chocolate mini eggs
                  round sprinkles in light easter colors

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and divide the cake mix into 4 bowls. Add a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to one batch of cake mix. Stir to make a pink base. In another bowl, add equal parts blue and red coloring to make a purple base. Add green to another batch of cake mix and yellow to the last remaining batch. Pour the batter into 4 round cake pans and bake for about 15 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Place cakes onto a rack and allow to cook for about 30 minutes.

Decide on the order you want to assemble the cake and stack them, spreading a layer of icing in between each layer. Ice the cake and arrange mini-eggs around the bottom and tops, and then shake some sprinkles on top! Piece of cake ;) Enjoy!

Lemony Roasted Root Vegetables

Recipe 43.
Sadly, I didn't take a picture of this. By time we were all gathered around the table after first & second courses, I just wanted to dig in to the main event. These were a yummy take on traditional roasted vegetables. You can roast them in the same pan with the tenderloin, I just chose not to.

1/4 C           extra virgin olive oil
3 T              fresh chopped oregano
3 T              lemon juice
1 T              Dijon mustard
1/2 t each     salt & pepper
1/4 t             hot red pepper flakes
1 lb              mini white potatoes, scrubbed & cut in half
3                 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1                 large onion, chopped into large chunks

In a bowl whisk together olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Arrange potatoes, carrots and onions in a pan and toss with dressing. Bake in a 350 F oven for about an hour and a half. Serve with pork tenderloin!

Artichoke Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Recipe 42.
*recipe from Canadian Living, April 2011 issue
Happy Easter all! I had the honor of hosting Easter dinner for my parents & the bf's parents. On top of the fact that it was my first time hosting a holiday, it was also the first meet & greet for our parents! Talk about stressful- but very successful! We all had a great time and the meal came out perfectly! I took the safe route by sticking to ham & pork tenderloin (my chicken luck has been coming up short lately). Everyone raved about this pork tenderloin, enjoy!

2- 1lb               pork tenderloins, butterflied (you can google ways to do this but if you bat your eyelashes and smile                        ever so sweetly, your butcher will do this for you!)
1 pkg               baby spinach
3 T                  extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves            garlic, minced
1 leek                thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
1 can                 artichokes, drained, pressed & sliced
1 cup                shredded Gouda cheese (Tip: Freeze the gouda for 30 minutes prior to shredding. It'll be much easier)
3/4 cup             fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup             parmesan cheese
1/3 cup             chopped fresh italian parsley

In a dutch oven, cover and cook spinach with 2 T of water over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and drain well. Set aside in a large bowl to cool.
In the same pan, add olive oil, leeks and garlic. Saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add to bowl with spinach.
Stir in artichokes,cheeses, parsley and bread crumbs. Season with salt & pepper. I made this stuffing ahead and put it in the fridge until I was ready to put the tenderloin in the oven. It's safe to do this for up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the butterflied tenderloins onto a clean cutting board and mound a heaping portion of the stuffing mixture in the centre of each. Pressing the stuffing helps you get more of it in there! Roll the sides of the tenderloin tightly together and tie with string. Season the outside of the pork with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting pan and bake until the juices run clear and the temperature reaches 160 F. Yup, I got my hands on a meat thermometer the time. About an hour cooking time. Let rest on a cutting board loosely tented with aluminum foil. Slice into 6 pieces and serve!

day 40, recipe 41: Cuban Pork Roast with Mojo Crillo

This was way different then any pork roast I've ever done, but in a good way. It was definitely a nice change & that's what this challenge is all about. The fact that we had already eaten our side dishes more then 20 minutes before this roast was done was a little disappointing, but hey- that's urban cooking for ya. Live and learn, or buy a meat thermometer. Recipe from Canadian Living.

1             boneless pork rib roast, 3-4 pounds
2             garlic cloves, slivered
1/2 C       orange juice
1/4 C       lime juice (i used concentrated)
1/4 C       lemon juice (ditto)
2 T          extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp        each cumin, pepper, and dried oregano
3/4 C       chicken broth

Cut slits around pork & insert garlic slivers. Whisk together all other ingredients except chicken stock, pour over pork & place into a large resealable bag. Place in the fridge for 4-24 hours (the longer, the better), turning occasionally.
Place roast & marinade in a roasting pan and cover, roasting at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Uncover, baste & continue cooking for another hour. Broil until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove from pan and place on to a cutting board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile skim fat from pan juices and add enough chicken broth to make 1 1/4 cups of sauce. More broth if you want it less tangy.

Well, typing out this recipe I know now where I went wrong. Before I started in on it, I knew it was going to take 2 hours but for some reason I pulled it out and tented it after an hour and a half. Paying attention is the key to success. I don't have a picture of the cooked roast because I was pretty much over it by time I served it- BUT! I went to metro yesterday and just about fell over when I saw the price of them! We bought two roasts and froze them a few weeks ago when they were on sale. I paid $4.57 for the same exact roast (weight, type). Check out the price this week.

yay for being a smart shopper! I would have been royally pissed if I paid $20 and my roast didn't take center stage about dinner time!

day 40, recipe 40: Sassy Sides- Skinny Sweet Potatoes & Seared Brussel Sprouts

I really don't like brussel sprouts. Or at least I didn't until I came across this lovely little recipe. These are sooooo good, I went back for seconds. The skinny sweet potatoes are a nice change to the traditional mashed potatoes, and as an added bonus- no gravy required! Yay for skipping steps and less dishes.

Seared Brussel Sprouts

2lb            fresh brussel sprouts, washed & cut into half, outer leaf removed
1lb            slab bacon (I used 1/2 package of sliced bacon because it's what I had on hand)
2 T           extra virgin olive oil

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat & add bacon. Add just enough water to the skillet to cover the bacon and cook until the water has fully evaporated, about 8 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring around to break up the bacon. Remove bacon from skillet & strain off fat into a bowl.
Toss the brussel sprouts in the bacon fat and return to skillet flat side down over high heat (it'll be a little smokey, open a window in advance). Cook sprouts for 3 minutes without moving & then flip to cook round side for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat & toss with bacon crumbles. That's all, folks. Phenomenal. Seriously. I mean, it involves bacon, how could it not be?

Skinny Sweet Potatoes3                large sweet potatoes, washed & peeled, cut into pieces
3 C             low sodium chicken broth
3 C             water
2 T             butter
1/4 C           brown sugar (more or less, depends on how sweet you like it)
                   generous dash of black pepper

In a pot, bring water & chicken broth to a boil and cook potatoes until they are tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add butter, brown sugar & black pepper to pot and use your potato masher to create a creamy mashed potato texture. Serve immediately!

note the big empty space on the plate...sigh. I made a cuban pork roast to accompany these sassy sides and because I don't own a meat thermometer, it wasn't ready when the sides were. Truly disappointing.

day 39, recipe 39: Asian Vermicelli Chicken Soup

Oh no, we've got germs in the house. My boyfriend is uber-sick so I decided to make a hearty chicken soup in hopes of making him feel better! I got this recipe awhile back from my momma and made a few tweaks to it based on other similar recipes I found on the internet!


6 C              chicken broth
4 C              fresh spinach, washed & cut into bite size pieces
1 C              mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 C        matchstick carrots
4 ounces      vermicelli rice noodles
1/2              onion, cut into thin slices
1 t               ginger
3 T              fish oil
3 ounces      snow peas, halved
1/2 t            chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 C        cooked diced chicken
2                 stalks of celery, sliced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Bring chicken broth to a boil and add carrots, celery, onion and snow peas; cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in chicken, spinach, mushrooms, ginger, fish oil & chili flakes. Let stand for 3 minutes for flavours to absorb.
Place a heaping amount of rice noodles into a bowl & spoon broth and vegetables over top. Garnish with fresh tomato slices if you want!

day 38, recipe 38: Potato Frittata

It's really, really hard to find brown bag lunch recipes that I actually want to make. And they have to stand up to the options available in the food court if I'm going to be happy to bring them, y'know? This recipe doubles as a breakfast on the run or a yummy healthy lunch! It can be eaten cold or hot, and is especially good with a little bit of salsa. Modified from original recipes I found because I didn't have any spinach on hand.

6               large eggs
1/3 C         milk
7               white mushrooms, diced
1/2            broccoli head, cut into bite size pieces
2               cloves of garlic, minced
3               medium potatoes, washed, peeled & cut into thin circles
2               green onions, white & green parts, sliced
2 T            vegetable oil
1/2 C         part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a bowl, combine eggs & milk; whisk together to "scramble" the eggs.
Heat oil over medium heat and add potato circles. Season with salt and pepper and cook covered for about 8 minutes.
Add all your vegetables to the skillet and cook for about 2 more minutes.
Pour egg mixture into skillet and reduce to medium low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until all the egg has cooked.
Heat the broiler in your oven. Sprinkle frittata with cheese & place under broiler for about 3 minutes.
Remove from oven, let stand for 3 minutes. Cut into 8 slices & serve, or pack into individual ziploc containers!

day 37, recipe 37: Steak & Potato Salad (Healthy Choice Recipe!!)

Mmmmm steak, potatoes, salad. Superb. However, most of the time that we dish up this meal, it's so far from healthy. Adding a little greens to your plate in hopes of lightening up your sour cream loaded baked potato just isn't quite cutting it. Here's a supper salad that will satisfy all the cravings and only has 390 calories per serving- now there's a reason not to feel guilty : )
Recipe courtesy of Light & Healthy 2010

Dressing

3 T              red wine vinegar
3 T              water
1                 green onion, sliced
2 T              extra virgin olive oil
1 T              honey
1 T              whole grain mustard
1                  garlic clove, minced
1/2 t             fresh thyme
                   salt & pepper, to taste


Salad
1 lb               boneless top sirlion steak
1 T               canola oil
1 lb               red potatoes (about 3 medium), cut into wedges
3                  romaine lettuce hearts, torn into bite sized pieces
1/3 C            thinly sliced red onion
1 C               matchstick carrots (my addition)
1/4 C            part skim mozzarella, shredded (my addition)
1 T               Keg steak spice
1 T               paprika

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Best to do this step first so the dressing gets really well flavored!

In a small skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat & toss in potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, steak spice & paprika. Cover and cook for approx 10 minutes until potatoes are crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.

Meanwhile, grill your steak to your liking. Medium rare works best for this salad, so about 125 degrees F or 10 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes and slice into thin strips.

Assemble your salad by combining lettuce, carrots, onion and cheese. Toss and then layer the steak strips and potatoes over top. Stir the salad dressing a few times & pour overtop. Serve immediately.

day 36, recipe 36: Meatball Nirvana

Pretty sure there is nothing as yummy as a plate of spaghetti and meatballs! They are so easy to make & cost way less their frozen friends. I got a huge batch of meatballs out of this recipe- enough for dinner, leftovers to take to work for both of us & even to freeze. Reviews of this recipe said they freeze well both raw & cooked!

1lb           extra lean ground beef
1/2 t         sea salt
1              small onion, diced
1/2 t         garlic salt
1 1/2 t      italian seasoning
1 t           dried oregano
3/4 t        dried red pepper flakes
1 dash      Frank's Red Hot (or to taste)
1 1/2 T     Worcestershire sauce
2 T           fresh italian parsley, finely chopped
1               large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 C         parmesan cheese
1/2 C         seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, add ground beef and season with salt, onion, italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, parsley, Franks and worcestershire sauce.
Add egg, cheese and bread crumbs- stir well to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
Form into even sized balls and arrange on a baking sheet. No need to grease it, the fat will drip out of the meatballs while cooking.
Cook for 20-25 minutes until no longer pink in the center. Serve over spaghetti with slow-cooker sauce!

day 35, recipe 35: Slow Cooker Greek Chicken & Potatoes

I don't think I've ever been happier to have dinner ready the second I walked in the door as I was last night. I was super exhausted and my dogs were barking. Being able to do nothing more then toss a salad & serve dinner was heaven. Slow cooker for the win, as per usual. I will say, this recipe wasn't as fabulous as I had hoped. I think that 8 hours was a little too long for my drumsticks but live & learn!

2 lbs                   mini red potatoes, washed & skin on
2 lbs                   chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs
1 onion               cut into big chunky slices
5 cloves              garlic, minced
1 T                     lemon pepper
1 T                     oregano
2 T                     olive oil
2 t                      fresh rosemary
3 T                     lemon juice

Place potatoes and onion in the bottom of the crockpot. Layer chicken over top.
In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and then spoon over top of chicken. Sprinkle liberally with salt and then cover, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with a salad & squeeze additional lemon juice overtop if desired.

day 34, recipe 34; Parmesan Chicken Salad Wraps

These made a delicious & healthy lunch! I made it using two boneless skinless chicken breasts and it made enough filling for 4 large wraps, but you could probably stretch it out if you used small/medium tortillas. I chose to use spinach wraps for added flavor!

1/2 C           low-fat mayo
1 T              lemon juice
2 t               fresh basil
2 1/2 C        chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 C           grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C           thinly sliced green onions
3 T              finely chopped celery
                   salt & pepper to taste

For dressing; stir mayo, lemon juice & basil together. Set aside.
Combine chicken, parmesan cheese, onions and celery. Pour dressing overtop and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately on bread or divide into portions for later consumption.

I refrigerated the mixture in a ziploc container and made my wraps one night ahead. I found they didn't get soggy at all and were even better the second day! Definite winner for an easy brown bag lunch. Pack some fresh berries & a yogurt and you'll have a satisfying meal!

day 33, recipe 33; Cajun Shrimp

No Frills had frozen shrimp on sale for $3 - yay! However, the shrimp were still in shell, which made for some pretty funny dinner prep in this house. Thankfully, they were de-veined because otherwise, they would have stayed in the freezer until the end of time...haha.
I've mentioned before that we're a relatively heat-free household. I love it, but bf doesn't so if I'm going to kick up something, I usually wait until I've portioned it out. Wellllll, although the reviews for this recipe stated it wasn't that spicy, they were wrong. I rarely think anything is too spicy and this definitely had a whole lotta kick to it. It was really, really good though. Just be warned!

6-8             fresh vine tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 C       chicken broth
3 T             paprika
1/2             onion, chopped
1/2 t           cayenne pepper
1/2 t           black pepper
1/2 t           thyme
1/2 t           basil
1 T             chopped garlic
1 T             Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t            tabasco sauce
2 T             sugar
1/2 C          green onions, sliced
1 lb             shrimp, dethawed & skins removed
2 T             olive oil

Saute onions in olive oil for about 4 minutes. Add garlic & stir, cooking for another 2 minutes. Add paprika, cayenne, black pepper, basil, and thyme; stir well. Add everything else but shrimp and cook on low for about 45 minutes.
With 10 minutes left in a seperate frying pan, melt some butter and saute the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp turn pink throughout and then add to sauce.
Serve over rice with steamed broccoli...you might need a glass of milk or a slice of bread too, just saying.

day 32, recipe 32: Oh-so-simple Pasta Primavera

Yay, update time! So, since I cooked these meals according to the true day, I'm going to label them as such even though I'm posting them a little late. I guess it's easy to keep up the cooking, but not quite as easy to find the time to post them.
Anyways, this is ready to go in under 20 minutes. I've made it with Knorr Vegetable soup envelopes AND Knorr Cream of Vegetable soup envelope and I think I preferred the non-creamy variety. I guess it just depends if you want a lighter sauce or not! Feel free to add whatever veggie blend you want, I added an asian blend the first time around & it was really good.

1 pkg            Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 1/2 C         milk
1/4 C            butter
                    fettucine pasta, cooked as per package directions.

Bring a pot of water to a boil & throw your pasta in there to cook.
In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add soup mix and milk, stirring well. Bring to a slow boil, reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Drain cooked pasta, pour sauce overtop & serve garnished with parmesan cheese. Pretty easy, huh?

I swear, I'm still cooking...

So, we had a party hardy weekend & I went back to work yesterday. Now I'm like 4 days behind in recipes, but don't worry- I'm still cooking.
I'll catch up on them on Thursday- there were so delish dishes : )
xo.

day 31, recipe 31: Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms

Woo! One whole month of no repeats down and eleven more to go! It's been a fun month, but I digress..I'm starting to struggle a wee bit. I guess I'll just have to learn to think outside the box a little more.
We all love a good steak. It's easy to find bottled steak marinades, or rubs that'll ensure you'll have a tasty steak but it's more fun (and flavorful!) when you make your own. This was by far one of the best marinades I've ever used!

Marinade

1/4 C            extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C            soya sauce (low-sodium if you prefer)
1/4 C            Worcestershire sauce
1/8 C             balsamic vinegar
1/8 C             dry white wine
2 T                Keg steak spice
1T                 dijon mustard (shhh, this is my "secret" ingredient; mainly because the bf HATES mustard. hehe)
                     salt & pepper

In a large shallow dish, lay your steaks down & sprinkle with salt, pepper and steak spice. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients & stir well. Pour overtop of steaks, cover dish with cling wrap & place in fridge to marinate for a minimum of 3 hours.

Preheat your grill or bbq. I've got an indoor counter top grill that's super handy for winter days when you just don't want to stand around bbq'ing. I set the temperature at "3"- using a medium-low setting allowed me to cook the steaks long enough to achieve a medium-rare without burning or charring the outside of the meat.
Add your steaks to the heated grill & brush top side with remaining marinade. Cook for 7 minutes on the first side; turn over and cook for 5 minutes on the second side, once again brushing top with marinade. Discard remaining marinade. Allow steaks to sit for 1 minute when they have reached desired doneness & serve with sauteed mushrooms and oven roasted potatoes!

Sauteed Mushrooms- Easiest & Tastiest : )

You can use fresh or canned mushrooms for this. In a strange way, I almost prefer the canned mushrooms when I'm cooking them up like this. To each their own, right?

1 can                   sliced mushrooms
2 T                      butter or margarine
2 T                      soya sauce
2 T                      Worcestershire sauce
1 onion                 cut in half, then into thin rings
1 T                       garlic salt
                            pepper to taste

Melt butter in a small frying pan & add mushrooms. Saute just until soft; add mushrooms to pan & mix well with onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add soya, Worcestershire, garlic salt & pepper. Continue cooking until all the liquid has evaporated & been absorbed into the mushroom mixture. Remove from heat & serve over or on the side of your steak!

day 30, recipe 30: Stuffed Pork chops

Mehhhhhh....this was alright. It's basically what you'd expect from the ingredients. Easy enough to make, but I'd reserve my chops for more original ideas next time.

1 box                Stovetop stuffing, prepared as per instructions

4                      boneless pork loin chops, with a pocket cut into each
1 can                cream of mushroom soup
6                      white mushrooms, sliced
1 C                   milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season chops with salt and pepper, and cut pocket into each.
Spoon 1/2 stuffing into pockets.
Sprinkle tops with mushrooms & then pour mushroom soup and milk overtop; allow to settle to bottom of pan. Spoon remaining stuffing mix on top of each pork chop. Bake uncovered for about an hour. Serve with rice & veggies.

day 29, recipe 29: The BEST French Fries EVER

One of lifes little luxuries is owning a deep fryer. I know, it's not exactly the most health conscious way to eat your foods but really, you aren't fooling anyone when you eat your mushy oven baked fries & claim they taste as good as ones from a fast food restaurant. These sweet & salty fries will be sure to satisfy!


3          large white potatoes, washed & scrubbed well, cut into shoe string pieces
4 C       vegetable oil, for frying

After you slice your potatoes into desired length/thickness, immediately transfer them into a bowl with ice cold water (throw a couple cubes in, too!). Allow to sit in the cold water for 30 minutes, until your oil has heated to correct temperature.
Transfer potatoes into your frying basket & shake off excess moisture before putting into oil. Lower basket into deep frier & place lid overtop (mine has a lid, yours might not). Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat & allow to drain of oil in basket for two minutes. Lower fries into oil again & fry for an additional 3 minutes. Yup- that's right; TWICE fried potatoes. The secret for crispy success. Mmm.

Remove fries from oil & unplug your fryer- dump fries onto a plate with paper towel & allow to drain of excess oil. Sprinkle seasoning over top & enjoy!



Seasoning
1 T                   granulated sugar
1 t                    sea salt
2 t                    paprika

Combine ingredients & shake together in a small ziploc baggie. Great for popcorn as well, reminds me of kettle corn!

day 28, recipe 28: Best Salisbury Steak

Here's another recipe I've heard of, but never had. Sure, I've seen it in the frozen section at the grocery store but never really given it a second thought. I wanted to do something with ground beef today and didn't want anything involving cheese, tortillas, tomato sauce or pasta and I remembered this little gem. Knowing my boy had only the frozen variety to compare it to, I thought I found a winner. After eating this delicious (easy!) dish, I'm sad that I hadn't discovered it sooner.

1 1/2 lbs                   ground beef
1 envelope                dry onion soup mix, divided ( I prefer Selection brand to Lipton, I find it less salty & more mild )
1/4 C                       dry bread crumbs
1 egg                       lightly beaten
2 T                          vegetable oil
1 1/2 C                     water
6-8                          fresh white mushrooms, sliced

In a bowl, combine ground beef, 1 tablespoon of the soup mix, bread crumbs and egg. Lightly stir together to ensure even mixing of all ingredients. Shape into 4 patties & let sit in the fridge for an hour.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the patties on both sides, remove from skillet & drain the excess fat.

Return meat to skillet and add remaining soup mix & flour. Slowly stir in water and mushrooms. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve patties over egg noodles smothered in gravy & vegetables. Mmmmmm.

day 27, recipe 27: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

If I've ever needed a reason to love my slow cooker- it's today. Not only do I have a brand spankin' new one (thanks ma!!) but I decided to do NINE loads of laundry today. One of the little luxuries of living in an apartment is having use of more then one washer at a time. Sadly, we're only privy to three washers so it still took me about 6 hours, sigh.

ANYWAYS, I'm fairly certain that if I didn't have a slow cooker, we would have eaten kraft dinner & hot dogs for dinner...seriously. If you take anything away from my blog at all urbanites, it should be this; slow cookers are a god send.

1lb                 chicken thighs, skin on
1 can              diced tomatoes
1 can              tomato paste
2 T                 ginger
1 T                 curry powder
1 T                 chili powder
1/4 C              butter
1                    medium onion, halved & thinly sliced
1 t                  cinnamon

2 t                  garam masala
4                    cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 C              water
1 C                 plain yogurt
1/2 C              half & half cream
                      salt & pepper to taste
                      green onion, sliced (for garnish)

Turn your slow cooker on to high heat. Add the butter and cover for 15-20 minutes until it has melted. Add onions, garlic and spices.
Lay chicken on top of butter mixture. Pour tomato paste over chicken, then diced tomatoes & then water. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (high 4-6). About 30 minutes before serving, add yogurt and half&half, stir well. Cover and cook on low for remaining 30 minutes. Serve over rice, spooning lots of sauce overtop! I also bought naan bread to make it a little more authentic!
As an after note, I probably would have not added the 1/4 C of water. The liquid in the diced tomatoes proved to be enough and I found that the "gravy" was a little on the runny side. You can always thicken up with flour or corn starch if you find this, but I'd air on the side of caution and just omit it, rather then ruin the buttery flavour!

Day 26, Recipe 26: Sunday Roast Dinner

One of my favorite memories of being a kid, is sunday dinners. What is served at these dinners always varies, but it's always delicious- like a mini-holiday feast! The bf & I love to carry on this tradition, whether its pork tenderloin, roasted chicken or a beef roast, we'll prepare all the fixings & enjoy a great meal as we wind down from the weekend. I'm fortunate that he's the meat & potatoes kind of guy, because before he came along, I couldn't cook a cut of beef if my life depended on it- seriously, runs in the genes or something.

We found a cute little 2 lb sirlion tip roast at Metro yesterday for $10 (which is a really, really good price- we've paid upwards of $25 for our roasts before). It was the perfect size for us & we even had leftovers. Here's my marinade recipe, followed by my gravy sauce recipe.


2 lb               Beef roast (Sirlion Tip or other lean cut)
1 T               olive oil
1/4 C            red wine
2 T              Worcestershire sauce
1 T              montreal steak spice
5                 cloves of garlic, minced
1                 small onion, minced

Prepare the marinade in a small bowl (all items excluding the roast). Place roast into a shallow pan (you can also place it on top of a rack, if you have one). Drizzle the marinade over top of roast, brushing all sides. Place into fridge and allow to sit for 2 hours.
Remove roast from fridge and preheat oven to 325 degrees F- using a low heat is ideal for this cut of beef. We also prefer our roasts medium-rare so we can afford to cook at this low temperature and not have to wait for hours to eat.
Place roast into the oven & cook for approximately 30 minutes per pound. If you have a meat thermometer, it should read about 140 degrees for medium-rare. We don't, so we just eye it out.
After roast is cooked to desired doneness, allow to sit on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes. Then thinly slice & serve with prepared gravy, horseradish, etc.

Now, take the drippings from your roast pan and make some gravy! It's sooooo much better then using packaged gravy if you do it right. The more spices you use on your roast, the more flavorful the drippings will be resulting in a more rich gravy. I nailed it first try and I'll never look back to that little brown package. A little shinfo on making gravy- it's important to know how much fat/drippings you have. If you like a thick gravy, the ratio should be 1:1 for drippings:flour.

1 T                roasting pan drippings
1 T                flour
1/2 C             beef broth/chicken broth
1/4 C             red or white wine (use red for beef & pork, white for chicken)

If you have company or you just want a ton of gravy and you don't have enough fat, melt down some butter in it's place.
Start with the drippings in a pan over medium heat. Stir in flour until it is well mixed & begins to slightly bubble. Add 1/4 cup of wine in slowly, stirring to ensure all the bits from the bottom are mixed in. Now add broth 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well. As the gravy begins to thicken, reduce heat to low & simmer for about 10 minutes. The result? A thick, tasty homemade gravy!

Day 24, Recipe 25: Hashbrown Casserole

Casseroles offer so much versatility. For example, in this recipe you could follow it exactly...or you can sub ground beef, ground turkey, or mashed potatoes for hashbrowns, or cream of chicken for cream of mushroom. You can add eggs (to make a breakfast casserole), add cheese, even add more vegetables to the mix!

1- 750kg pkg            frozen cubed hashbrowns
1 can                       cream of mushroom soup
1 C                          sour cream
1/2 C                       milk
1/2 C                       frozen corn, thawed
1                             medium green pepper, chopped
1                             onion, diced
2                             green onions, sliced (for garnish)
1 lb                          mild italian sausage
1 tsp                        black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a skillet, cook sausages until no longer pink- approx 15 minutes. Slice into quarter sized pieces.
In a 9x13 pan, add the sausage pieces, corn, green pepper and onion. Cover with hashbrowns.
Mix together milk, sour cream & black pepper. Pour overtop of hashbrowns. Pour the mushroom soup overtop & stir gently to mix together. Cover with foil & bake for 45 minutes; remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked. Sprinkle with green onions for garnish & serve!

This was really, really good. It kind of tasted like scalloped potatoes, we decided and was way less fuss! Definitely adding this to the collection for my post-365 no repeat days, of course. : )

Day 24, Bonus Recipe: Zesty Vinaigrette

Happy Friday! I love salad. All forms & all types of salads ('cept for that bagged stuff- keep it away!). This is by far my FAVE salad dressing. I make it from scratch. I know that the recipe came from my mom, but all I rememeber is the pepperconi juice and honey so I make it off the top of my head. You can double, triple etc to suit your needs- you can also store it in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! If you chose to increase the recipe, remember the 3 to 1 oil to vinegar ratio. Heck, knowing that ratio- it's not hard to come up with your own vinaigrette!

6 T             extra virgin olive oil
2 T             red wine vinegar
1 T             pickled pepperconi brine
2 t              lemon juice
1 t              honey
                 crushed bay leaf, oregano, salt & pepper to taste

Best served over a greek salad, but I've used it on chefs salads, tomato/cucumber salads and once even as a marinade! It has a certain twang about it that makes you want to eat up all those veggies. Seriously!

Day 23, Recipe 24: Mediterranean Crockpot Chicken

I know, I know- I'm addicted to the slow cooker. I heard it's making a comeback, just sayin'. This is pretty much the adult version of "throw stuff in a pot" and see what happens. I forgot to take a picture before we ate it all.

4-6                 chicken thighs
1 jar                black olives, drained of liquid
1 jar                marinated artichoke hearts, 1/4 of liquid reserved
1 can               diced tomatoes with liquid
1/2                  red onion, sliced
5 cloves           garlic, whole

Yup, you guessed it- toss it all in that slow cooker! Turn on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6. I thickened the sauce after removing the chicken & served it over gnocchi as a side. Sprinkle both with freshly grated parmesan cheese! I thought it was okay, bf went back for a huge pile of seconds. The chicken was frozen when it went in so I cooked it on high and it was so juicy, it fell right off the bone!

Day 22, Recipe 23: Mini Pita Pizzas

Cute, great for portion control & healthy. What more could you ask for? Surely, I can't be talking about pizza you're probably thinking. Oh, but I am. I came across this idea on another blog of a "starving student". These are really cheap to make (depending on toppings) and really fast. They taste as good as the real deal too! And yes- you can eat the WHOLE thing for under 450 calories. Score!

Basics:

1 pkg                 Greek style pita breads (the ones without the pockets)
1 jar                   Pizza sauce (I use homemade, but use whatever you're comfortable with)
1/2 C                 shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
                         assorted toppings (pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, olives- etc etc)

Arrange the pitas on a baking tray. Sauce, cheese & dress them however your little heart desires & then bake them for 10-12 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees F. Even easier- you can toast them little pizzas in the toaster oven & they'll still be amazing! I made four different pizzas, here are some topping/sauce combos I tried:

White Pizza Sauce (enough for 2 pita pizzas )

1/4 C           cream cheese, softened
3 T              creamy Ranch dressing

White Pizza #1
White Pizza Sauce
Spinach
Artichokes
Black Olives
Red Onion
Red Pepper Flakes
Mozzarella Cheese

This one got the second highest rating from my taste tester (boyfriend). The cream cheese base was AWESOME and surprisingly, had a light taste.

White Pizza #2White Pizza Sauce
Mushrooms
Red Peppers
Cooked bacon crumbles
Ranch dressing
Mozzarella Cheese

After I added all the toppings, I zig-zagged a line of ranch dressing overtop. This pizza was ranked highest (duh!).

Veggie Pizza #1Tomato Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Spinach
Red onions
Black Olives
Mushrooms
Feta Cheese

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Veggie Pizza #2
Tomato Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Red Peppers
Red Onions
Mushrooms
Black Olives
Parmesan Cheese

Sprinkled with parmesan cheese, it changes the flavors of the veggies between pizza 1 and pizza 2.
Topping possibilities are endless, don't be afraid to play around! The great thing here is that you don't have to worry about making this huge pie that has some wacky toppings on it & no one liking it! These freeze well too for lunches on the run : )



 

Day 22, Recipe 22: Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeno Thingies

These are out of this world. Pretty much nothing else to say about them other then that. If you're bringing these somewhere, I'd double or triple the amount...they have a way of disappearing really, really fast.

5                      fresh jalapeno peppers
1/2 C                cream cheese
1/2 pkg             bacon, cut into half


Start by washing & drying the peppers. I didn't wear gloves to cut them & seed them but I live on the wild side. If you're making a huge batch of these, better safe then sorry- put the gloves on. Slice the peppers down the middle from stem to end & remove seeds and the white "pepper pulp". The heat in jalapenos comes from the seeds and the pulp, so make sure to get it all out of there if you don't want the spice. Leave a little if you like it HOT.

When the peppers are seeded, put them onto a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Using a spoon, scoop and fill each pepper with cream cheese. Use as little (or as much) as you like- the more the better in my opinion. Take a bacon half and wrap it around the jalapeno. You may choose to secure the peppers with toothpicks once they are wrapped, I didn't need to though- they stayed in place just fine!

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until bacon is done. Serve warm.

Day 21, Recipe 21: Spicy Broccoli Mango Salad

This was AWESOME. I found a bunch of recipes for salads with the two main ingredients but alot of them called for mandarin oranges (yuck) so I'll say that this is very loosely based on a Betty Crocker recipe, but I changed so many things I'm dubbing it an original.
Also, call me crazy- but sauteed crushed walnuts kind of simulate bacon, no joke. 

Spicy Walnut Topping

1 C            coarsely chopped walnuts
2 T            vegetable oil
1/4 C          crushed red pepper flakes

Heat oil in a skillet and toss walnuts with red pepper flakes until coated & heated, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Salad
1 head          fresh broccoli, cut into pieces
1                  mango, peeled and sliced into cubes
1/2               red onion, chopped

In a bowl, combine ingredients. Toss with dressing and serve immediately, topped with spicy walnut pieces. I made this in the early afternoon and tossed it into the fridge for a few hours so I made the walnuts last minute & added them right before serving.

Dressing

1/4 C             plain yogurt
3/4 C             low fat mayo-type salad dressing (you know the stuff)
3 T                apple cider vinegar
                     splash of orange juice
1/8 t               salt

Mix all ingredients together & pour overtop salad. Seriously- so good & healthy to boot!

Day 21, Recipe 20: Whipped Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

I know, I know. Doesn't make much sense to have this healthy dinner prepared and then counter it with a luscious dessert, but hey- that's just the way I roll. As I said, I'm not a baker and when it comes to desserts, I like 'em to be relatively low fuss. This recipe is just that- even baking the crust is totally optional!

The only thing I would suggest, is serving this for a weeknight dessert. It doesn't come out of the pan intact so it doesn't make for a great presentation. But it's yummy...so SO yummy!

1 C                  graham cracker crumbs
1                     container Light Cool-Whip, thawed
1 pkg               instant chocolate pudding
2 C                  cold milk
1 pkg               cream cheese
1/3 C                butter
1/4 C                granulated sugar
1/4 C                icing sugar

*The walnuts are for the salad I also made, so disregard them in this picture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Baking the crust is optional, but I chose to do it. Mainly to give me some time to whip together everything else.
Melt butter in the microwave. Combine granulated sugar, butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press down into a pie dish evenly at the bottom to make the crust. Bake for 15 minutes and then allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make your pudding according to package directions. I used No Name instead of Jell-o brand, and it called for only 2 cups of cold milk. Use your hand mixer and mix it on up for 2 minutes. Set aside.
Next, add package on cream cheese, 1/2 of the thawed cool whip and icing sugar to a bowl. Mix together on a medium setting until it is smooth. Then use a spatula to fold in the remaining cool whip.

Spoon the whipped mix on top of the graham cracker crust and smooth out lightly so that it is all even. Next, spoon the pudding on top of the whipped layer. Chill for 4-5 hours and serve. Betcha can't have just one piece.

day 21, recipe 19: Pesto Salmon Foil Packets

I did it again- ate too much for dinner & was left way unmotivated to put up the recipes I tried yesterday. Oops. However, I cooked a ton of stuff yesterday- 3 new things! Now, I'll finally be able to catch up on those missing days.

Recipe one was a salmon recipe. This was okay- boyfriend really liked it, I didn't hate it. Problem is, I realize why people put dill cream sauces on salmon fillets- to tone down the strong flavor. I think I forgot that when I decided to make this recipe so be warned- if you prefer to mask that fish taste, this probably isn't going to be a big hit for 

you

.

2                    fresh salmon fillets, about 6oz
1-3                 fresh tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 T                 olive oil
4 t                  pesto (you can use fresh, frozen, or storebought)
                      aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Tear two sheets of aluminum foil big enough to wrap the salmon in and stack one on top of the other.
Sprinkle the olive oil in the center of the sheets and lay salmon side by side. Spread about 2 tsp of pesto onto each fillet and cover with tomato slices.
I sprinkled them with parmesan cheese too- I felt it needed it. Close the foil up, making sure to double over the ends & the sides. Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes (salmon should flake when touched with a fork when it's done).
Remove from oven and let stand for 2-3 minutes- it'll be way hot. Serve over couscous!

This is why I love the Internet....Pre-recipe research.

I honestly laughed so hard when I saw this video. For one, it's nice to know that other people have the same dumbass ideas for cooking as me. And really, I might have actually attempted to make this is I didn't see this video. Enjoy!

(Recipe obviously not ever to follow...hahaha)

Day 20, Recipe 18: Sweet and Spicy Beef Stir-Fry

Yep, took the weekend off once again.Hit Tortilla Flats downtown on Saturday night for epic burritos and enjoyed a delicious pork roast Sunday night with the boyfriends family (..really need to get his moms gravy recipe- it's out of this world). We went grocery shopping yesterday & it's safe to say, I now know why people choose to shop at No Frills. They have chicken drumsticks on sale this week (expect drumstick recipes to follow later in the week) and just overall a better choice for savings!
I've purchased VH stir-fry marinades in the past and have always been disappointed. But "authentic" recipes you find are always way too much work. This one is easy to make and if you want to skip the marinading stage, feel free. I happened to have the time to toss it into the fridge to soak in for a few hours, so I did.

And yes, I've finally moved on up in the blog world- I'm adding photos of my meals for your viewing pleasure : )

Marinade


1lb              1-inch steak strips  (I bought pre-cut strips specifically for stir-fry- yay, timesaver!)
2 cloves       garlic, minced
1/4 C           low sodium soya sauce
1/2 C           Catalina salad dressing
2 T              oyster sauce
2 T              red chili pepper flakes (*recipe called for 1/2 cup, but adjust to your desired heat level!)
1 T              olive oil




In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except steak and stir well. Pour over top of meat, cover and let marinade for 3 hours.

Stir-FryThe great thing about stir fry is that just about any combination of veggies will work- use what you have & still achieve desirable results!

1 pkg            Thai rice noodles, prepared as per package instructions
1 medium       red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small           onion, cut into chunks
1 small           baby bok choy stem & leaves, sliced
6                   button mushrooms, sliced
1 C                bean sprouts
1/2 C             matchstick carrots
1 C                canned baby corn, chopped into pieces
1                   green onion, sliced (for garnish)

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add marinated beef mixture. Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes covered.
Meanwhile, heat a wok over high heat. Add 1/4 cup of water and all vegetables except for bean sprouts & green onion. Stir and cover to steam for about 2 minutes.
Add soaked rice noodles to vegetables and pour beef sauce overtop. Cover and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in bean sprouts, remove from heat. Serve with a sprinkle over green onions. Yum-o! You can use more noodles and less veggies, or vice versa. This dish is so easy and versatile, I'm happy it worked out better then the oven baked mini spring rolls I attempted to whip up as an accompaniment. Recipe not to follow- steer clear haha!

day 18, recipe 17: honey glazed ham

Easter is coming & if you don't have a huge family to feed- or just don't want to be bothered with the whole turkey 'thang, ham is a great alternative. You can buy fully cooked, smoked hams for about $8, that'll more then feed two people. I even had a little bit left over to scramble into some eggs this morning. This was good but to be honest, smelled horrible the first few hours. The cider vinegar was such a strong odour that when I actually tasted the glaze overtop the ham, I was shocked that it wasn't more dominant. My "glaze" didn't thicken up during cooking, so it was more just a liquid to boil & give extra flavour. I sliced up the ham after 6 hours and returned to the slow cooker for another 30 minutes on high so that each slice would be fully glazed. Mmm. Definitely a keeper, I only wish I'd saved it for Easter now.

4-5 lb              ham, boneless or bone-in (smoked, fully cooked is what I used)
1/4 C               butter
1/4 C               cider vinegar
1/4 C               honey
1 t                   Worcestershire sauce
1 T                  brown sugar
2 t                   dried thyme

Put your ham into your slow cooker. Melt the butter in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and add vinegar, honey, worcestershire sauce, sugar & thyme. Mix together, pour over ham and turn slow cooker on to low for 6-7 hours. The ham bastes itself, and turns out awesome! I rotated my ham a few times during cooking, and spooned some of the juices overtop each time.

day 18, recipe 16; Unstuffed mushrooms

I've always thought of mushrooms as an additive to any dish, a vegetarian meat (portabello), or a condiment for steaks (seriously, haha). Yesterday I started thinking that I've never made a side dish where plain old button mushroom are the star. I came across a few options but this one stuck out seeming to be the easiest. Of course, I used my slow-cooker again to make a honey glazed ham & served with cheesy scalloped potoatoes, but the mushrooms were the definite fave of the evening. Because this recipe is kind of a "look & feel", you can play around the with amount of each ingredient until you get to your desired consistency.

1-2 packages            fresh button mushrooms, roughly chopped
                               fresh parsley
3 cloves                   garlic, minced
1/4 C                       bread crumbs
                               extra virgin olive oil
2 T                          parmesan cheese
                               salt & pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and toss mushrooms in for two minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together parsley & garlic, finely chopping both together.
Arrange mushrooms on a baking tin and sprinkle in olive oil, stirring to ensure all is covered.
Add garlic mixture, bread crumbs and parm cheese to mushrooms. Add more olive oil and stir around until coated. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Season with salt & pepper and serve!

If the mushrooms are too dry, add more olive oil. Too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Voila!