Tex-Mex Rice Bowl

This is an easy weeknight skillet from Cooking Light. Great with a little Cholula over the top and a salad.

TEX-MEX RICE BOWL

Recipe Notes

This is a great use for precooked rice.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

306 calories - 7.6 g. fat - 44.4 g. carbohydrates - 18.1 g. protein - 4.3 g. fiber

Ingredients

• One 8.8 oz. bag precooked brown rice (such as Uncle Ben's)


• 8 oz. ground sirloin


• 1/4 c. water


• 1-1/2 tbsp. taco seasoning (such as Ortega)


• 1/2 c. frozen or canned whole-kernel corn


• 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained


• 1 c. fresh pico de gallo


• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced


• 4 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat rice according to package instructions.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook ~3 minutes or until done. Stir to crumble.

3. Stir in water and taco seasoning and bring to a simmer.

4. Stir in corn and beans. Cook one minute or until heated. Stir in rice.

5. Top with pico de gallo and jalapeno, then sprinkle with cilantro.

Deviled Chicken

This is a quick and easy Cooking Light dinner. I served it with steamed broccoli and herbed cous cous pilaf and it all went very well together.

DEVILED CHICKEN

Recipe Notes

I didn't have any prepared mustard or dijon mustard on hand, so I used honey mustard this last time I made this recipe and it turned out great. Just a little sweetness to go with the tang and the spice!

You can also use chicken cutlets (as I did here). Your chicken goes farther, the portions are more reasonable, and the recipe cooks more evenly.

Ingredients

• Four 8-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves


• 1/2 tsp. black pepper


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 2 tbsp. prepared, dijon, or honey mustard


• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper


• Two 1-oz. slices of French bread baguette (I used white sandwich bread)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly coat with cooking spray.

3. Place chicken breasts on a rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 475 degrees for 15 minutes, remove pan from oven.

4. Combine mustard and red pepper and brush the mixture over the chicken.

5. Pulse bread in a Cuisinart until crumbs form (approx. 1 cup).

6. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over chicken and mustard mixture. Press lightly to adhere and lightly spray with cooking spray to prevent breadcrumbs from burning.

7. Return pan to oven and bake for 10 minutes more (or until breadcrumbs are browned).

Mint Oreo Brownies (aka St. Patrick's Day Brownies)

Found these on Pinterest as a St. Patrick's Day treat (original website located here), and BOY are they good. They would also be excellent at Christmas time. Even the non-dessert-eaters in our family liked these! Enjoy!

MINT OREO BROWNIES

Recipe Notes

The original instructions are a bit difficult to follow, so I have modified the recipe to make it easier and I think it likely tastes the same.

Ingredients

- 1 box of brownies (I used Ghiradelli), prepared in a 9x13 dish according to package instructions and cooled completely
- 12 mint Oreos + 18 mint Oreos (one standard package)
- 7 oz. jar marshmallow Fluff
- 3/4 c. white chocolate chips
- 1 can prepared vanilla frosting (I used whipped frosting)
- 1/8 tsp. mint extract
- 8 drops green food coloring (or more to your taste for a specific shade of green)

Instructions

1. Hand crumble 12 mint Oreos and then 18 mint Oreos, keeping the two batches separate.

2. Melt white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in Fluff, vanilla frosting, mint extract, green food coloring, and 12 hand-crumbled Oreos.

3. Spread green icing mixture over the top of the cooled brownies. Top with remaining 18 hand-crumbled Oreos. Slightly press down on Oreo garnish to make sure it adheres to the icing.

4. Chill until ready to cut and serve.

Meals for the Taking

I have found myself providing meals for multiple friends lately - some due to new babies in the house and some due to illness. It is good to have a stable of travel-friendly recipes for times like these. I have three true "go to" recipes that I have posted to this blog before, along with a couple of favorites that I have also taken to friends in a pinch. I think that they are worth mentioning again in case you find yourself in a similar situation.

Chicken and cheese casserole

Layered enchilada bake (this one can be made straight from frozen!)

Cooking Light hearty lasagna

Orzo with feta, chicken, lemon, and dill

Cooking Light tomato-basil lasagna with prosciutto

Happy cooking to all!

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach & Parmesan

Found this on Pinterest and Corey loved it. It's also very diet-friendly. The recipe is originally from skinnytaste.com.

CHICKEN ROLLATINI WITH SPINACH & PARMESAN

Recipe Notes

Requires some prep work, so make this on a night when you're not in a hurry for a meal. I saved some time by having my butcher make four large-ish chicken breasts into cutlets for me at the store.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 8)
195 calories - 7 g. fat - 24.2 g. protein - 7.2 g. carbohydrates - 1.5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 8 thin chicken cutlets


• 1/2 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs


• 1/4 c. grated or shredded parmesan cheese, divided


• 6 tbsp. egg whites (from approximately 3 large eggs)


• 5 oz. frozen spinach (1/2 box), squeezed dry of any liquid


• 6 tbsp. part-skim ricotta


• 6 oz. part-skim mozzarella (shredded)


• 1 c. marinara sauce (bottled)


• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.

3. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese in a bowl. In a second bowl, add the whites of two eggs.

4. Combine 4.5 oz. shredded mozzarella with remaining Parmesan, ricotta, spinach (squeezed dry), and remaining egg whites.

5. Lay chicken cutlets on a working surface and spoon 2 tbsp. spinach/ricotta mixture into the center of each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep the seam side down.

6. Dip rolled-up chicken in egg whites, then roll breadcrumbs. Place breaded chicken cutlets seam side down in a glass baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

7. When finished, lightly spray the tops of the chicken cutlets with non-stick cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and top with sauce and remaining mozarella cheese.

9. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, approximately 5 minutes. Serve with additional sauce and grated cheese on the side, if desired.

Honey Ginger Pork Tenderloin

Cooking Light suggests stovetop-grilling this recipe, but I still think that meat is always best on the BBQ. Thank goodness Corey is such a willing grill cook!

HONEY GINGER PORK TENDERLOIN

Recipe Notes

I would recommend marinating the pork tenderloin in the soy/ginger/honey mixture for about an hour before you plan to cook the pork. Cooking Light says to dive right on in.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)
178 calories - 2.7 g. fat - 24.1 g. protein - 14 g. carbohydrates - 0.1 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger


• 3 tbsp. honey


• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice


• 1 tbsp. soy sauce


• 1 lb. pork tenderloin

Instructions

1. Combine ginger, honey, juice, and soy sauce in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

2. Kristi's suggestion: marinate the pork in a zip-top bag in this mixture for 30 minutes or an hour before cooking.

3. Heat grill pan or charcoal grill to medium high and coat with cooking spray.

4. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to grill pan or grill.

5. Cook for 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145 degrees. Baste frequently with marinade.

6. Let stand for five minutes before serving.

Sesame Broccoli

This Martha Stewart recipe is a nice side of a simple Asian-inspired protein and rice.

SESAME BROCCOLI

Recipe Notes

This can turn out a bit salty because of the soy if you are not careful. I am generally not a huge fan of low sodium soy sauce, but this is a good recipe for it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. broccoli florets (about two crowns, cut into florets)


• 2 tbsp. olive oil


• 1 tbsp. soy sauce


• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice


• 1 tsp. sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss broccoli florets with olive oil. Roast until browned, approximately 20 minutes.

3. Toss with soy sauce, lemon juice, and sesame seeds.