Salmon and Broccoli

This recipes is from Allrecipes.com. It is packed with tons of flavor, is super diet friendly, takes 2 minutes to put together, & makes no mess at all to prepare!



3 7 oz Salmon fillets
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 TBSP bottled minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
1/2 cup chopped red onion

Mix the dijon, garlic, and herbs in a bowl. Spread a heaping TBSP of the mix on each fillet, sprinkle each fillet with the red onion, divided evenly. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 20 mins!

Since my oven was already hot, I paired it with Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli.


Fill a baking dish with broccoli florets, drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and a dash of garlic powder. Bake for 15 minutes and 400 degrees. Squeeze a slice of lemon over the broccoli when it comes out. Viola!

Roasting broccoli is a great way to cook broccoli versus steaming it. Steaming can leech the nutrients from the broccoli so you might as well drink the water in the steamer bowl and skip the broccoli! Preserve nutrients and knock down the goitrogens and sulfer by roasting it! HUH? People with sensitive thyroids have to limit foods high in goitrogens and sulfer, like cauiflower, cale, cabbage and broccoli, found in RAW forms of these foods. COOKED forms of these foods are fine!

3 beans plus a green

Four-Bean Salad



1 can garbanzo beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can green beans (NSA- no salt added)
1 bunch finely chopped green onion
1/2 c cider vinegar
1 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp dry ground mustard
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper

Dump the canned beans into a colander and rinse thoroughly. Shake to dry. Move beans to a large glass bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Toss to coat. Serve hot or cold.

While helping me cook, Preston ate at least 1/2 a cup of beans one by one from the bowl while I chopped onions. Once they sat in a bowl in front of him, he didn't eat a single one! Since he doesn't like to eat at dinner time, I encourage this munching, as we go. He thinks he's such a sneak but little does he know...

Preservative Free; Trans Fat Free

Easy & delicious. Makes a great dip as well!

Ranch Dressing



1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayo (use Smart Balance Omega Plus)
1/2 cup sour cream (use Fat Free)
2 TBSP fresh dill
2 TBSP fresh chives
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash pepper

Stir and refrigerate one hour before serving.

Peachy Keen

Kevin requested peach margaritas tonight and after experimenting with everything from fresh lime juice and fresh peaches to Triple Sec and canned peaches, our taste test declared this the winner. He said that these are better than On The Borders.

Peach Margaritas



4 oz tequila
2 oz peach schnapps
2 oz sweet and sour
1 1/2 cups fresh frozen peaches
1 1/2 cups ice

Blend and serve in matching "his" and "hers" margarita glasses. ;)

Warm All Over

I haven't made these since last summer, oh man, I forgot how good they are!

Raspberry Margaritas!



5 oz Sweet and Sour
2 oz Tequila
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Chambord
2 cups ice

Serve blended or on the rocks! If you make these on the rocks, be sure to use a premium, clear, tequila, like Patron or Casadores, for a lovely raspberry colored drink. No one wants to drink a BROWN margarita! I like my margaritas blended because it slows me down and fills me up so I can't drink as much. Better for the brain, better for the body!

Margarita May!

Grapefruit Margaritas



1/2 can frozen limeade concentrate
3/4 cup ruby red grapefruit juice
3/4 cup tequila
2 cups ice

I stumbled on this recipe online and I am so glad I did. I love margaritas, one of my favorite cocktails! I haven't tried it with fresh grapefruit juice yet but Ocean Spray works well. As does cheap tequila!

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken
12 frozen boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
2 Cups BBQ sauce*
1/2 cup Italian dressing*
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce.

Throw all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 7 hours. Shred with fork. Serve over a baked potato (Daddy's) or bed of spinach (Skinny Mom's). Any way you want!



*The best way to eliminate excess sugars and preservatives? Make your own! And it couldn't be easier and tastes SO much better!

Barbecue Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
4 TBSP white vinegar
2 TBSP yellow mustard
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

This is my "crock pot" bbq sauce. I almost NEVER use a measuring cup/spoon so the measurements are approximate. I use this recipe often for pork and chicken. Since it isn't a dark sauce, I sometime mix in a couple TBSP of bottled Hickory BBQ sauce to give it a smoky flavor and to give it color.

Italian Dressing
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons salt

Let your toddler measure the dry ingredients into a Tupperware container and shake to mix! To prepare dressing whisk together 1/4 white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix. Let the ingredients "marry" overnight!

Nacho Ordinary Saturday Night

FLAUTAS


2 pounds pork roast
16 oz pico de gallo
7 oz Mexican tomato sauce (If you don't want heat, use regular tomato sauce instead)
7 oz salsa verde
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin

4 slices jack cheese, cut into 3 strips.
12 tortillas
olive oil

Throw the pig, salsas, and spices into a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred and pull apart beef with fork. Pour meat into colander and drain excess liquid, so they don't get soggy when you bake them. Spoon a couple ounces of pork into a tortilla and layer with 1 strip of cheese. Roll tortilla, pin with a toothpick. Place on a single layer cookie sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy.


Serve with sour cream (or plain greek yogurt!) and guacamole!

My oiler and tooth picker hard at work.


Skinny Mom Modification:
In the past, I have used a beef pot roast instead, simmering it on the stove for under an hour but pork doesn't fare so well this way. To keep it tender, I use the crock pot. A lean pork roast only yields 110 calories for 4 oz and has less fat than beef. So the additional cook time is worth it. To get a little more bang for my buck in terms of health, I use multi-grain tortillas instead of flour. I even prepared a few tonight with La Tortilla's Low Carb Tortillas, which have only 50 calories each. (They make a GF tortilla/wrap as well.) I prepared mine without cheese and ate two for under 300 calories, total!