When The Husband Cooks....

Scott isn't much of a chef, but every once-in-a-while he'll surprise me and say he wants to make dinner. He's got a few staples {You know....those things he made for me when we were dating so I would think he could cook.}  I guess I can overlook the fact that he doesn't cook since he's way better at doing dishes than I am.  

He lived in Puerto Rico for two years {serving a mission for our church} and has often talked about how they served rice and beans with almost every meal.  By the end of his mission, he was pretty tired of this side dish, but now he really enjoys it and the memories it brings back.   

He made this for dinner last night and it was really good.  The kids were a little skeptical at first, but once they tried it, they were sold!  This might just become a new family favorite.  I should start making it with every meal and see if Scott notices. 

**You can find the recipe he used here.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Protein Smoothie

HAPPY MONDAY!  Here's what I whipped up for breakfast this morning....so good and chocolatey.  A great way to start the week!

Ingredients:

     1 scoop chocolate protein powder

     1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

     1 cup unsweetened almond milk

     Liquid stevia {1/2-1 dropper full}

     1/2 cup frozen strawberries

     ice

Blend all ingredients together {have I told you how much I love my Magic Bullet?!} and enjoy!

{170 calories, 3g fat, 11g carbs, 4g fiber, 26g protein}

Cinco de Mayo!

I was so excited about dinner tonight. I love Mexican food!  Not that I ever need an excuse to whip up a batch of guacamole, but if I did, Cinco de Mayo would be it.

My GUACAMOLE recipe is simple....avocados, fresh lime juice, garlic salt & cilantro. I don't measure anything - just mix all the ingredients to taste.

Next on the menu....BLACK BEAN, CORN & EDAMAME SALSA.  

Ingredients:

     1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

     1/2 bag frozen corn, thawed

     1/2 bag frozen edamame, steamed and cooled 

     1/4 red onion, minced

     1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

     Juice of 1-1 1/2 limes

     1 tsp kosher salt

     pepper

Mix all ingredients together.  You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Scott was great and sauteed some sweet onions and peppers while I got the shrimp ready for the oven.  I seasoned them with Adobo seasoning and paprika and baked them at 425 for 6 minutes.

What do you get when you combine all of this awesomeness together....SHRIMP FAJITA SALAD!

Ingredients:

     romaine lettuce

     black bean, corn & edamame salsa

     sauteed onions and peppers

     baked shrimp

     fresh guacamole

I hope you all enjoyed Cinco de Mayo as much as we did!  Scott even made a side of rice and beans {more Puerto Rican than Mexican, but I was happy to have help in the kitchen and it was delish....I'll post that recipe later.}

95-Calorie Mexican Chocolate Shake

We went to my favorite Mexican place for dinner tonight.  It was so fun and festive there....balloons, banners, streamers....all in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  I ordered the "spinach salad" {my usual}.  It's so rare to find a really good, healthy salad at a Mexican restaurant, and this place nails it!

To continue my Cinco de Mayo celebration, I thought I'd whip up a little something fun for my evening snack.  This recipe was inspired by my original 95-calorie milkshake.

{95 calories, 0g fat, 16g carbs, 5g fiber, 8g protein}

Ingredients:

     1/2 pint Arctic Zero {chocolate flavor}
     1 packet fat-free hot chocolate mix
     3/4 cup cold water
     Liquid stevia {vanilla creme}, to taste {or 1 packet Truvia}
     1/4 tsp cinnamon
     pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients together {I use my Magic Bullet} and ENJOY!!! 

Note: I used 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and it was PLENTY spicy.  If you're afraid of spice, go easy on the cayenne or skip it all together.  It would still be delish!

Happy Cinco de Mayo {tomorrow}!

Asian Rotisserie Chicken Salad

I found this Martha Stewart recipe on Pinterest the other day and thought it looked like an easy meal for one of our busy weeknights.

I started with the dressing....

It called for 2 cups of cilantro, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup olive oil and coarse salt & pepper.  I was excited to use the new Magic Bullet blender I bought today at Costco....

I didn't measure and just eyeballed the ingredients, like I tend to do. Unfortunately, I think I overdid it on the lime juice!  In an attempt to tone down the limey-ness, I added a couple handfuls of spinach. When that didn't do the trick, I added a small container of fat-free plain greek yogurt.  It was still quite limey, but it had a really nice creamy consistency.  If I make this again, I think I'll skip the oil and just add the yogurt {making the dressing fat free and high in protein}.

The salad was simple....romaine lettuce, purple cabbage, red peppers, green onions, rotisserie chicken and cashews.

I added some wasabi peas as well.  {Cashews & wasabi peas...one of my favorite combos!}

The dressing tasted much better combined with all the yummy ingredients in the salad.  It was light and refreshing, but substantial enough for dinner.  I also served wonton strips with it for the kids.

Ingredients:

     Dressing

     2 cups cilantro

     1/4 cup fresh lime juice

     1/4 cup olive oil {or greek yogurt}

     coarse salt & pepper to taste

     Salad

     1 large head romaine lettuce

     shredded purple cabbage {a couple handfuls}

     1 red pepper, sliced

     2 green onions, chopped

     rotisserie chicken, shredded

     1/2 cup cashews

     wasabi peas & wonton strips {optional}

Instructions:

Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender.  Mix salad ingredients and serve with dressing.

Homemade "Sun-Dried" Tomatoes

I'm not sure why I ever buy bulk tomatoes from Sam's....I'm the only one in my family who eats them and they always go bad before I can get through the whole batch.  {See how these are starting to turn?}  Not wanting to waste, I dusted off the 'ol dehydrator and decided to try something new....

I sliced the tomatoes in quarters and put them in the dehydrator on the highest setting {155 degrees}.  This is what they looked like about 10 hours later....

They're slightly crunchy, slightly chewy and a little tangy.  I've been meaning to put them on a salad, but I keep snacking on them like chips.   

At this rate, there won't be any left! 

Oven Roasted Shrimp & Sweet Potatoes

Shrimp is one of my favorite types of seafood, but I rarely make it....that's all going to change after last night's dinner.  It was so easy and so fast!  

I bought frozen shrimp from Sam's Club that was already peeled and deveined and let it thaw in a colander in the fridge. When it was time for dinner, I just lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out the shrimp....

I sprayed them with a little olive oil and sprinkled on some Sweet Basil, Citrus & Garlic seasoning.  That's it!

Then I roasted them in a 425 degree oven for about 6-8 minutes and they were cooked to perfection!

Let me backtrack a little now....before I put the shrimp in the oven, I started roasting the sweet potatoes.  I peeled them and cut them pretty small to cut back on cooking time.  Then sprayed them with olive oil and seasoned them with salt & pepper. Super easy.  They went into the 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes and I added the shrimp at the end.

Add a side of veggies or a simple salad and you've got a quick, healthy, delicious dinner.  I was hoping to have some leftover shrimp, but the kids finished them all off.  Good thing they're so easy to make!

Ingredients:

     Shrimp {peeled, deveined & thawed}

     Sweet potatoes {peeled & diced}

     Olive oil spray

     Salt & pepper

     Seasoning of choice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spread sweet potatoes on baking sheet coated with olive oil spray. Spray lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, spread shrimp on another baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray shrimp lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper or seasoning of choice. Roast in the oven for the last 6-8 minutes of the sweet potatoes' cooking time.