Southwest Chopped Salad

lightly adapted from lilluna.com

I love to have a great big healthy salad for dinner. This is one of our family's favorites. I promise there is lettuce under all those delicious toppings pictured above!

1 large head of Romaine lettuce
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered)
1 cup corn
1-2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1 avocado, cubed

1 cucumber, sliced

1 cup carrot sticks
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
green onions (optional)

I make the Tomatillo Ranch Dressing found here to go on this salad. 

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

BBQ Chicken Salad

Romaine

1/2 bbq chicken breast, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 c black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 corn

ranch

additional options: 

shredded cheese

avocado, chopped

bacon slice, crumbled

Chop the romaine and top with ranch dressing. Mix. Then load on the the toppings. 

This was an easy lunch when I had left over bbq chicken. This would be great to prepare the ingredients at the beginning of the week and have two or three times. That way you only open one can of beans and use most of it over the course of the week. And that way you only cook the chicken at one time and have it ready to go. Healthy eating is much easier with healthy options ready to go!

My rating: 4 stars

Honey Balsamic Chicken

from ourbestbites.com

Ingredients
2 – 2 1/2 lbs chicken drumsticks (10-12 drumsticks)
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon onion powder

Sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse chicken, pat dry.  Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, toss to coat.  Add seasoning mixture and use hands to massage into all pieces.  

Heat large dutch oven (or heavy oven-proof skillet with an oven proof lid) to medium heat.  When hot add 2 teaspoons olive oil and use a brush to make sure it’s distributed over the entire surface of pan.  Brown chicken 2 minutes per side (in batches if necessary.)

While chicken is searing, whisk sauce ingredients together and add to pan.  Gently toss chicken to coat.  Cover pan and place in oven.  Bake for 20 minutes, flip chicken pieces and baste with sauce and return to oven for 20 minutes more.  

Remove chicken from pot and cover to keep warm.  Bring sauce to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes until thick and glazy.  Return chicken to pan and gently toss in glaze.  Let sit for a few minutes before serving. 

Strawberry Spinach Salad

spinach

strawberries

poppyseed dressing
sliced almonds (optional)

Put spinach in a big bowl.  Mix dressing into leaves.  Top with strawberry slices and almonds.

Husband rating:  4 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up (It's chicken legs, how could they not love them?!)

Slow Cooker Ham, Raspberry-Pear Salad

Slow Cooker Ham

INGREDIENTS:

1 (6 pound) bone-in country ham 30 whole cloves 3 cups apple cider, or as needed 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 tablespoons ground cloves 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional) 1 orange's peel

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Press whole cloves into the ham so they are evenly distributed. You may score the ham for easier insertion if you wish. Place the ham in a slow cooker. Pour in apple cider until only about 2 inches of ham is above the surface. Pack the brown sugar on top of the ham, pressing into the cloves. This will get washed away in the next step but any that stays on is a bonus.
2.	Pour the maple syrup over the ham. Season the apple cider with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves and vanilla. Add the orange peel to the pot. Fill the slow cooker as full as you can with apple cider without going over the fill line. Cover and set to Low. Cook for 8 to 10 hours.

I used a dinner ham that had no bone in it.  I cut the recipe in half and did only 7-8 cloves and 1/2 tbsp cinnamon instead of 1 tbsp.  Next time I will shorten the cooking time to 4-5 hours on low.  This had a great flavor.

Raspberry-Pear Salad

spinach

pear, cut up

raspberries

poppyseed dressing (I like Brianna's)

sliced almonds (optional)

Put spinach in a bowl.  Add desired amount of dressing and toss.  Add fruit and top with almonds, if desired.

Husband rating:  4 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Taco Salad

This is a good recipe to feed a large group.  It's easy to add more and even divide it up if others are helping to bring something for a gathering.

ground beef, brown then add taco seasoning and water according to package directions

black or refried beans

lettuce, chopped

tomatoes, chopped

shredded blend of cheese

sour cream

guacamole

tortilla chips

favorite dressing-we often just use ranch

Husband rating:  3.5 stars

Boys say:  thumbs up

Easter-Ham, Rolls, Apple Walnut Salad, Funeral Potatoes

Slow Cooker Ham from allrecipes.com submitted by LITTLEMSTXTHANG

2 c packed brown sugar
1 8 lb ham

Spread about 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the ham flat side down into the slow cooker - you might have to trim it a little to make it fit. Use your hands to rub the remaining brown sugar onto the ham. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.

I added a small can of pineapple tidbits and only cooked for about 4 hours, per the recommendations of other reviewers on the site.  It was still a little drier than I like and would probably do it for less time next time.

Apple Walnut Salad  

2 handfuls baby spinach
1 romaine heart chopped
1 apple chopped
1/4 chopped walnuts
1/4-1/2 cup Craisins
poppy seed dressing

Combine spinach and romaine.  Add dressing (I like Brianna's Poppy seed Dressing) and toss to coat.  Add apple, walnuts and craisins.  

Potato Casserole

1 bag hashbrowns

3 tbsp butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c sour cream

1 c milk

3 tbsp finely chopped green onions

3/4 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

3/4 c dry bread crumbs

2 tbsp butter, melted

3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Place hashbrowns in a a 2 or 3 quart casserole dish.  Pour melted butter over potatoes.  Mix together soup, sour cream, milk, green onions, and cheese.  Pour evenly over potatoes.  Toss crumbs with melted butter and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle on top of casserole.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Makes 8-10 servings.

Husband Rating:  4 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up

Sloppy Joes

from food.com submitted by Mama T of Two

• 1 lb ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/3 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
• 1 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 hamburger buns
  In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown hamburger, green pepper, and onion. Cook and drain all grease. Add the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve on toasted buns.
  
  
  
  
  We had this with the steak fries recipe already posted and a strawberry spinach salad.
  
  
  Husband rating:  3.5 stars
  Boys say:  messy thumbs up
  
  

French Toast

French Toast
from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook, with a few changes

3 eggs
3/4 c milk
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
cinnamon
about 8 slices favorite bread

Mix eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt together.  Sprinkle mixture with cinnamon.  Heat griddle to medium heat (around 375 degrees).  Dip bread in egg mixture.  Cook about 2-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  After dipping 1-2 pieces of bread in egg mixture I sprinkle more cinnamon onto the mixture.  That way all pieces have a little hint of cinnamon.

Fruit Salad

1/2-1 apple
6-10 strawberries
1 banana
2 tbsp orange juice

Chop apple, strawberries and bananas.  Gently mix together in a bowl with orange juice.  You may want more orange juice to coat all the fruit.

Husband rating:  4.5 stars
Boys say:  2 thumbs way up!

Sweet Pork Burritos

Sweet Pork Burritos (or Tacos or Salad)
by my friend, Shari

1 onion, chopped

3 lbs pork roast

1/2 jar salsa (mild)

1 8 oz jar red taco sauce (medium)

1 small can diced green chilis

1/4 cup cola

1 c brown sugar

Put onion in crock pot.  Top with roast.  Cook on low for about 6 hours or until it is tender enough to be shredded.  Drain the liquid and shred the pork with 2 forks, then return meat to the crock pot.  Add rest of the ingredients and continue to cook on low for 3 to 6 hours.

Butter whole uncooked flour tortilla and put shredded colby jack cheese ( any cheese you like) on one half of tortilla and fold over.  Cook tortilla on skillet on both sides until butter is lightly browned and cheese is melted.  

Open tortilla and spoon on some pork.  Squeeze 1 small slice of lime onto the meat.  Then add your choice of refried (or black) beans, tomatoes, lettuce, ranch, sour cream, guacamole, maybe even some cilantro lime rice!

I didn't have red taco sauce on hand so I made one.  Here is the recipe I used: 

Taco Bell Taco Sauce
from food.com by JustaQT

• 1 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant minced onion
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
  1. Place in sauce pan and stir well, simmer at a very low temperature for 15- 20 minutes.
  2. Remove and cool.
  3. May be kept in refrigerator for several days.

Because I use the lean pork tip roasts from Costco I don't feel like I need to drain them.  So next time I'll put all the ingredients in the slow cooker at the same time.  Then I'll shred the meat an hour before serving and put it back in the slow cooker and mix it all up with the sauce.  We have family members who don't like spicy food so I omitted the green chilis and it was still great.

Husband rating:  4 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up

Baked Salmon Fillets Dijon

Baked Salmon Fillets Dijon

    •    4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
    •    3 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
    •    salt and pepper to taste
    •    2/3 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
    •    1/4 cup butter, melted

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil.
    Place salmon skin-side down on foil. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the top of each fillet, and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter then mix with bread crumbs.  Top salmon with butter/bread crumb mixture.
    Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork and is no longer bright pink inside.  Serve over rice. 

Crazy for Berries Salad
inspiration from Zupas Nuts about Berries Salad

1/2  cup raspberries
1/2 blackberries
1/2 chopped strawberries
1/2 blueberries (we didn't have those on hand)
1-2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 romaine heart, chopped
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1/8-1/4 tsp cinnamon
poppy seed dressing

Combine spinach and romaine.  Toss with poppy seed dressing.  Top with berries.  In a small bag mix walnuts and cinnamon.  Add walnuts to the salad.  

I tried to make a lemon mustard sauce with this but it turned out to be the consistency of peanut butter and it wasn't very good.  Hopefully you have a better plan for a sauce up your sleeve and please pass it along to me!

Husband Rating:  2 stars (fyi-Joseph doesn't like salmon so most anything with salmon isn't going to get a high rating!  I happen to like this dinner, but then again I don't mind my food on the dry side.)
Boys say:  thumbs down to sauce but they didn't mind the rest of it

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin and Apple Walnut Salad

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin

Posted By Kate @ Our Best Bites

Recipe lightly adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
1/3 cup orange marmalade
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 1-pound(ish) pork tenderloin
Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the marmalade, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and honey. Reserve 2 tablespoons and set the sauce aside.
Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the tenderloin and cook for 1-2 minutes or until a golden brown crust starts to form. Flip the tenderloin over and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the entire tenderloin is golden brown. Remove from heat. Pour about 1/2 of the sauce over the pork. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the tenderloin over. Add the remaining sauce (not the reserved 2 tablespoons) and place the pan back into the oven. Cook for another 10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 155 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Drizzle with reserved sauce and cut into 1/2″ slices. Serve immediately with a salad or vegetables. 1 1-pound tenderloin serves 4.

Apple Walnut Salad  

2 handfuls baby spinach
1 romaine heart chopped
1 apple chopped
1/4 chopped walnuts
1/4-1/2 cup Craisins
poppy seed dressing

Combine spinach and romaine.  Add dressing (I like Brianna's Poppy seed Dressing) and toss to coat.  Add apple, walnuts and craisins.  I'd love to hear what cheese you like on this type of salad.  I usually don't add cheese, but I'm sure it could only add to the yumminess!

Husband Rating:  4
Boys say: thumbs up (one son said this was the best meat he'd ever had!)

Sesame Beef and Asian Salad

Sesame Beef

1 lb beef boneless sirloin steak

1/2 c teriyaki marinade or sauce

3 medium green onions, finely chopped (about 3 tbsp)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 c hot cooked rice

1 tbsp sesame seeds (if desired)

Cut beef diagonally across grain into 1/8 inch slices (beef is easier to cut if partially frozen, about 1 1/2 hours).

Mix teriyaki marinade, onions and garlic in medium glass or plastic bowl.  Stir in beef until well coated.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Remove beef from marinade, reserve marinade.  Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook beef in oil stirring occasionally, until beef is brown.  Stir in marinade.  Heat to boiling; boil and stir 1 minute.

Serve over rice, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Asian Salad

Romaine lettuce

can mandarin oranges

1 carrot

handful crunchy chow mein noodles

asian sesame dressing

I usually clean, dry and chop one romaine heart.  I mix that with some of the dressing.  Then I add some mandarin oranges, the chow mein noodles and carrot slices.  For the carrot I use a peeler to make thin carrot slices.  

I add chicken to this salad to make it a meal for lunch time.  Yum!

Husband Rating:  4 stars

Boys Rating:  Thumbs Up

Marinated Chicken, Salad, Rolls and Beans

It was -2 that morning taking the kids to school and I was done with the cold!  I wanted to think warm weather so I picked a meal I would usually do in the summer.  It was too cold to grill so I broiled the chicken instead.  A woman does what she has to do to make it through winter!

Marinated Chicken
from allrecipes.com-submitted by LETSGGGO

1/4 cup cider vinegar 3 tablespoons prepared coarse-ground mustard 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 lime, juiced 1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt ground black pepper to taste 6 tablespoons olive oil 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large glass bowl, mix the cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hours, or overnight.
2.	Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3.	Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Discard marinade. I didn't have fresh limes and lemons on hand so I used 1 tbsp lime juice and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice.  I also only used 4 tbsp olive oil.   Karla's Waldorf Salad 1 large apple, chopped 1 banana, chopped 1/2-1 celery stalk, finely chopped handful of walnuts, finely chopped handful of raisins 2 tsp mayonnaise 2 tsp milk lemon juice Mix chopped ingredients and raisins in a large bowl. with a teaspoon or so of lemon juice  Mix mayonnaise and milk together in cup.  Pour mayonnaise mixture over the rest of the ingredients and mix. Karla is my grandmother.  So I know a handful of an ingredient isn't exact, but it's the kind of thing you throw together and add more of whatever you're feeling like! Jim's Beans 1/2 onion, diced 1 tbsp minced garlic white wine 1 can white beans, rinsed 1 can black beans, drained 1 cup barbecue sauce 2 tbsp molasses 1 tsp ground mustard Sautee onion, garlic and some white wine for a couple of minutes over medium heat.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes.   Again, this is family recipe.  Thanks, Dad! My mother makes the best rolls, but I'll save that recipe for another day.  I had store bought rolls on hand this night. Husband rating:  chicken and salad- 3.5, beans- 4 Boys rating:  Thumbs Up

Slow Cooker Turkey Dinner

Turkey, stuffing, corn and strawberry spinach salad

Slow Cooker Turkey

1 turkey breast

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix

1/2 c chicken broth

Rinse turkey breast and pat dry.  Rub soup mix all over turkey.  Pour chicken broth into slow cooker.  Place turkey breast in slow cooker.  Cook on low all day.  I did mine on high two hours and then low for five.  The meat fell off the bone.  You will have enough liquid to make gravy, I didn't have time so I don't have a recipe here for that.

Stuffing was from Stove Top (remember-four boys-it has to be fast!)

I heated up frozen corn and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

spinach

strawberries

poppyseed dressing
sliced almonds (optional)

Put spinach in a big bowl.  Mix dressing into leaves.  Top with strawberry slices and almonds.

One way I used the left over turkey for lunch was a:

Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich
Chop the turkey, an avocado, tomatoes and toss in a bowl.  Add real bacon bits and ranch dressing.  Mix.  Put on a whole wheat sandwich thin that has a leaf of lettuce on each side (so the bread doesn't get mushy, especially if you're packing this before you head out to work).  Yum!