Chicken Chipotle Chowder

from ourbestbites.com

1 large onion, minced
6-7 cloves garlic, minced
2 colored bell peppers, chopped
1 chipotle chili, chopped (seeded if you’re worried about heat)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 heaping cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
5 cups low-fat milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 small red potatoes, chopped
1 small can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
Adobo sauce from chipotle chilies to taste (we used 2-3 teaspoons)
Chipotle Tabasco sauce
Shredded sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and chipotle chili until the veggies are tender. Add the flour and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and cook until the flour is smooth and the broth starts to thicken. 

Add the milk and bring to a low simmer. Add the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk isn’t burning. 

Add the chicken, corn, black beans and a small amount of adobo sauce at a time, and any additional salt to taste. Serve with chipotle Tabasco sauce and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Serves 8-10.

I've made this recipe twice. The second time I left out the chipotle chilis and the black beans and like it just as well as the first time. That's what recipes really are: suggestions! We get to take what sounds best to us and try and try again until we get it just the way we like it!

Husband rating: 4.5 stars
Boys gave it a thumbs up

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Asian Dry Rub

lightly adapted from the Costco Connection magazine

2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 pork tenderloins (around 1 pound each, trimmed if needed)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a medium baking pan with foil.

Stir together brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cloves in small bowl. Rub pork with mixture.

Place pork in prepared pan and roast until the pork's internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, probably between 25-35 minutes depending on the size of the tenderloin. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 3 minutes. Cut into slices. Serve with mashed potatoes, seasoned rice, green beans or roasted broccoli.

My youngest son said described this pork as "epic!" Our whole family loved it. This is easy, healthy and inexpensive. 

Breakfast Parfait

For a super easy and healthy breakfast use greek vanilla yogurt, granola and your favorite fruit. Here I used bananas and blueberries. My husband likes to use raspberries. It's fun to layer the cup with a couple of scoops of yogurt, a layer of granola, then the fruit and repeat.

Shredded Sweet Pork

lightly adapted from allrecipes.com, submitted by Dean

3 pounds pork shoulder roast
2 cups salsa (not chunky salsa)
1 (12 oz) can or bottle cola-flavored carbonated beverage
1 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp fajita seasoning
2 tbsp taco seasoning mix

Place pork roast in the crock of a slow cooker, and add 4 cups water. Cook on High for 5 hours.

Remove pork from the slow cooker and drain liquid. Shred the pork and set aside. Combine the salsa, cola, brown sugar, fajita seasoning and taco seasoning in the slow cooker. Add the pork and mix. Cook on low for an additional 1-2 hours.

We made tacos and a salad out of this. We used black beans, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, cilantro lime rice (cook 2 cups of rice then add 2 tsp fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro and salt to taste), the pork and the Tomatillo Ranch dressing I love. For my salad I also added some guacamole.

This is a perfect meal to have with friends. Everyone can bring something and it makes it so easy.

I have other sweet pork recipes on this blog. I've been trying to find just the right flavor. This is it! This is our favorite sweet pork recipe.

Husband rating: 5 stars

boys say: thumbs up

Mom's Applesauce Pancakes

from allrecipes.com, submitted by Shirley Smith

2 c dry pancake mix (I used a whole wheat mix. Also good with a gluten free mix)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 c unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 c milk

Whisk together pancake mix and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in center. Add eggs, applesauce, lemon juice and milk and stir until smooth. 

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat. Working in batches pour batter onto griddle, using about 1/4 c for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on top, then flip and cook until browned on bottom, about 1 minute more. Serve hot.

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Tomatillo Ranch Chicken

adapted from life-in-the-lofthouse.com

This sauce makes a regular grilled chicken breast something special.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 c mayo
1/2 c buttermilk
1 (1 oz.) package ranch dressing/seasoning mix
2 tsp minced garlic
1 c cilantro
2 tomatillos, husked and cleaned
1 tsp lime juice
2 c prepared white or brown rice

In a blender mix the mayo, buttermilk, ranch dressing mix, garlic, cilantro, tomatillos and lime juice. Blend until creamy and combined. Pour 1 cup of dressing into a large ziplock bag. Add chicken breasts. Seal and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat grill. Remove chicken from bag and discard the bag and dressing used for marinating the chicken. Grill chicken until no longer pink in the middle. Serve over cooked rice. Top with additional dressing and serve. Enjoy!

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Super Easy Fruit Salad

The salad doesn't even really require a recipe! Just chop up half a honeydew melon, half a cantaloupe and mix in a bunch of red grapes. It's really that easy. This is a great side dish for a brunch or lunch.