California Rolls

I love sushi! I could eat sushi every day. Honestly I could! For my birthday my husband bought me a sushi rolling mat, so I had to try it out. Even if you don't have a rolling mat you can make sushi too. And I didn't use raw fish. I used imitation crab, avocado and cucumber. It was delicious. It tasted like regular California Rolls, but weren't as pretty as a professionals. Rice Ingredients:

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked Japanese medium-grain rice*
3 cups water

Sushi Ingredients:

3 sheets or sushi nori (seaweed in big squares)**
1 large cucumber
1 avocado
Fresh lemon juice
imitation crab sticks

* Only use Japanese rice in sushi making. It is a medium-grained rice and gets sticky when it is cooked. Long-grained American rice will not work because it is drier and doesn't stick together.

** Sheets of thin seaweed which is pressed and dried. As a general rule of thumb – good Nori is very dark green, almost black in color.

Making sushi rice:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat mixture just until the sugar dissolves (do not let it boil). Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use. Start preparing the rice approximately 2 hours before you want to make the sushi rolls. Wash rice, stirring with your hand, until water runs clear. Place rice in a saucepan with water; soak 30 minutes. Drain rice in colander and transfer to a heavy pot or rice cooker; add 4 cups water. NOTE: To improve the texture of the rice, after rinsing, let the rice drain 30 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking (put the strainer with the rice in a large bowl to catch the water). If you don't have a rice cooker, place rice and water into a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice rest, covered, for 15 additional minutes. When rice is done cooking and resting, transfer to a large bowl; loosen rice grains gently with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon by cutting and folding (do not stir, as this will crush the rice). NOTE: Either use the rice soon after preparing it, or cover it with a damp cloth to keep it moist. Do not refrigerate the cooked rice. Sprinkle the cooled rice vinegar mixture over the rice, mixing together as you sprinkle (add enough dressing to coat the rice but not make it damp - you may not need to use all the vinegar dressing). Spread the hot rice on top of a large sheet of aluminum foil and let cool.

Preparing sushi ingredients:

Wash, peel, and seed cucumber. Slice in half lengthwise, then cut into long, slender strips. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, then remove the pit; cut each section in half again (lengthwise), and carefully remove the peel. Cut the section in long slender strips. Sprinkle the sliced avocado with lemon juice to keep from discoloring. If you are using snow, crab, remove the crab meat from the thicker portion of the legs and cut in half lengthwise. If you are using imitation crab sticks, remove the plastic wrapping and cut each in half lengthwise. Place the cucumber slices, avocado slice, and crab slices on a plate; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Rolling Sushi:

Lay the bamboo sushi rolling mat on a cutting board with bamboo strips going horizontally from you. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the bamboo mat (shiny side down). Place the nori on top of the plastic wrap . Spread a thin layer, 3/4 to 1 cup, of rice over 3/4 of the nori leaving approximately one inch of uncovered nori at each end Note: It helps to wet your fingers with cold water when you are patting the rice onto the nori. Arrange strips of avocado and cucumber along the center of the rice; top with crab meat. Lacing your fingers on the ingredients, carefully bring the bottom end of the rolling mat and the plastic wrap up and over the ingredients (tucking the end of the nori to start a roll). Pull back the rolling mat and plastic wrap, as necessary, so it does not get rolled into the sushi. NOTE: Roll tightly with firm pressure. Continue rolling the sushi and pulling back the rolling mat and plastic wrap, as necessary, until you have approximately 1 to 2 inches of the top of the nori showing. Rub a small amount of cold water on the edge of the nori and bring the nori around so that it completes the sushi roll. Gently squeeze the rolling mat around the sushi roll until it is firm and forms an even roll (be carefuly not to squeeze too hard, as you may crush the ingredients or squeezed them out). Wrap the plastic wrap around the roll and set aside until ready to cut. Refrigerate or for longer storage. Repeat with remaining nori sheets to make additional rolls.

Cutting sushi rolls:

Place rolls on a flat cutting board and remove plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, slice the sushi roll first down the middle. From there you can cut it into 6ths or 8ths, whichever you prefer (wet the knife between each cut to make it easier to cut and keep the rice from sticking to the knife). Turn the cut California rolls on end and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger. Always serve sushi rolls at room temperature.

Salmon & Bok Choy

I discovered this recipe from a blog I read. I really like bok choy but dont' find many recipes calling for it. The lime in the sauce is a great addition and a little bit of salt on salmon makes it taste so good. It really doesn't need anything but a little salt and pepper to make it taste amazing. It was so easy to make!




1 cup brown rice
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
4 teaspoons canola or peanut oil
4 salmon fillets (4 to 5 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 head bok choy (1 1/2 pounds), cored and chopped

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, and agave, if using. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Season salmon with salt and pepper and cook until opaque throughout, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.In same skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium. Add garlic and bok choy; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until bok choy is bright green, about 3 minutes. Serve salmon and bok choy with rice and soy-lime sauce.

Corn Chowder

A few weeks back I attended a church activity and they instructed us on how to make corn chowder. The original idea was to serve it in a pumpkin or instead of bowls us acorn squash that's been cooked, but I did neither of those. I typically don't like corn but I really like this corn chowder and it's so simple to make and it makes a lot. 1 pint cream
1/2 lb bacon
2 cans creamed corn
2 cans corn (or a frozen bag)
2-3 potatoes
Cajun seasoning
parsley
basil
salt and pepper

Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes. Place in a pot with water covering the potatoes. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook bacon and chop. Drain half of the water. In a crock pot add all ingredients and potato water and season to taste. Let cook for 3 hours.

Rice with Roasted Shrimp

week 2/day 4
This recipe was good but it could have been better. It calls for arborio rice, but since I have a lot of long grain white rice I decided I'd just use that. Which it worked but I would eliminate the white wine (or the white wine vinegar I substituted with). I think a green vegetable along the side would make this meal even better. And a warning, when you bite into a grape tomato that's been in the oven, it's VERY hot.

2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 c rice
1 c dry white wine (or white wine vinegar or disregard)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 lb frozen peeled deveined shrimp
2 pints grape tomatoes
thyme
2 cloves garlic, sliced

Heat oven to 400. Heat 1 T of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft. Add the rice and wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is absorbed. Add 2 c water and salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the shrimp, tomatoes, thyme, garlic and remaining oil and salt and pepper. Roast until the shrimp are cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves 2.

Pork Chops and Garlicky Broccoli

week 2/day2
I was brave enough to have pork chops again. Every time I hear the words "pork chop" I think back to when my parents wouldn't let my sister leave the table until she ate her pork chop. btw she hates pork. Anyways, this was a quick fix dinner. I didn't think the broccoli was very garlicky. If you want it more add 2 more cloves of garlic. Otherwise it's a really simple meal when you are running low on time.1 c white rice
3 T olive oil
4 pork chops (original recipe called for bone-in, I used boneless)
kosher salt
black pepper
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T soy sauce

Heat oven to 400. Cook the rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 1 T of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste and cook until browned on both sides. Transfer to a baking dish and place in oven let cook about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, garlic, soy sauce and 1/3 c water. Cook covered, until broccoli is tender. Serve with pork and rice. Serves 4.

Chicken Posole

week 2/day 1
I love Mexican food. LOVE IT! The husband, not so much! But with following the Real Simple menu for a month we ate it. I really liked chicken posole. Definitely a meal for a cool day (which was not yesterday). I made some adaptions to the chicken. The recipe called for shredded rotisserie chicken, which would have been a lot easier, but my way was cheaper. I took about six chicken breasts and thawed them. Then seasoned with red pepper and oregano, wrapped in three different tin foil packets and baked at 450 for about 30 minutes. Then I used a fork to shred the chicken. Yum! Chicken posole has a nice spiciness to it and the lime added some good flavor. 1 T olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
black pepper
32 oz chicken broth
1 can 28 oz diced tomatoes
1/4 crushed red pepper
2 cups shredded chicken
1 can hominy, rinsed (you can find hominy in the Mexican aisle and it comes in a 29 oz can, at least that's all I found, and I used the whole can)
1 lime, cut into wedges

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 t of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken and hominy and simmer until heated through. Serve with lime. Serves 4.

Roasted Pork with Brussels Sprouts and Apricots

week 1/day 4
I took a chance with this recipe. I don't like pork and I have never had Brussels sprouts but have not heard good things about them. I took a greater risk by having dinner guest over for dinner. However everyone really enjoyed it. My mother-in-law said the Brussels sprouts were the best she's ever had, the apricot was great with them. The corn and cornbread (batter left over from the night before) were a great addition to the meal.
2 T olive oil
1 1/4 lb pork tenderloin
Kosher salt
black pepper
12 oz Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
1/4 c dried apricots, chopped

Heat oven to 400. Heat 1 T of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer pork to a baking dish and place in the oven and roast until cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Rest before slicing. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts, apricots, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper and cook, tossing until the Brussels sprouts are just tender. Serve with the pork. Serves 6.

Spicy Orange Glazed Drumsticks with Green Beans

week 1/day 3
The only suggestion I have for this, is it needed more of an orange flavor and it definitely wasn't spicy. Besides that it was really good. It's a keeper. I've been racking my brain on how I can make it have a more orange flavor. I would suggest doubling the orange sauce and to put the sauce on again right after you take it out of the oven. I made the cornbread from scratch and it was a great, easy recipe. This is most definitely a kid friendly meal.

1/4 c orange marmalade
1/2 t chili-garlic sauce
8 chicken drumsticks
Kosher salt
black pepper

Heat oven to 400. In a small bowl, mix the marmalade and chili-garlic sauce. Season the chicken with 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Roast on a foil-lined baking sheet until cooked through, 35-40 minutes, brushing with the marmalade mixture during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serves 4.

Cornbread

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c yellow cornmeal
2/3 c white sugar
1 t salt
3 1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1 c milk
1/3 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a muffin pan or a lightly greased 9 inch round cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serves 12.

Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Week 1/Day 2
Another success! We are two for two. Again this was a simple, quick dinner. This was the first time I've use flank steak. I'm still learning the many different cuts of meat and this was a new one for me. I got it London broil and wasn't quite sure how to cut it so it ended up in pieces instead of strips. Nonetheless it was delicious. The sauce had a strong ginger taste, which I liked. I'll definitely be using it again.

1 c rice
1 T olive oil
1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced
kosher salt
black pepper
4 heads baby bok choy, quartered
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1 T ginger
1 T brown sugar

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the streak with 1/4 t each salt and pepper and cook, turning often, until cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Transfer the steak to a plate. Whip out the skillet. Add the bok choy and 1/4 c water and simmer, covered, until tender, 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and sugar. Add to the bok choy in the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the steak and any accumulated juices and cook, tossing, until heated through, 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves about 4.

Tilapia with Bell Peppers and Olives

Week 1/ Day 1
It's official we've kicked off our month of ALL NEW recipes. First up was fish. I was a little nervous for this because I really only like salmon. I figured this could go two ways a) good b) horribly bad. Luckily it was the first. It was good. We both liked it, well minus the olives for dearest husband. It didn't have an overly fishy taste. Really it took on the taste of the other ingredients. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fish entree. I reduced the amount of bell peppers and onion because two peppers and a whole onion would be way too much for us. I used a half of each and since I had sliced green olives I used what I had. I will probably make it again. Especially since Tilapia was cheap!


2 T olive oil
2 tilapia fillets
kosher salt
black pepper
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c pitted green olives
1/2 c parsley
2 T fresh lime juice

Heat 1 T of oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season fish with 1/4 t each salt and pepper and cook until opaque throughout, 4-5 minutes per side. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a second skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the peppers and onion, stirring frequently, until tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in olives, parsley and lime juice. Serve with fish.

Ratatouille

I searched high and low for a meatless meal that I know my husband would eat. It's really starting to become a real challenge. I stumbled across this recipe and it looked really good. Then I discovered that it had a lot of cheese on it, and I recently discovered I'm lactose intolerant. No meat and no cheese in a meal. What can you eat? None the less I went a head and made the meal. Half with a lot of cheese, half with a sprinkle of cheese. I really enjoyed this meal. So did said husband, for being meatless.

1 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped onion
2 c peeled and chopped eggplant
2 c chopped zucchini
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 T basil
1 T parsley
1/2 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
8 0z frozen cheese ravioli (I didn't use frozen but a bag and followed the directions on the bag)
3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic, onion and eggplant until vegetables are soft. Stir in zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and black pepper, bring to a boil and stir frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender. Cook ravioli according to directions on package. Spread cooked ravioli in a layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon vegetables over the ravioli and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling. Serves 6

Chicken Pot Pie

I've always wanted to make a chicken pot pie. I really like chicken pot pie, mostly the crust. Every time I think of chicken pot pie I think of Marie Calendar's frozen chicken pot pies, which honestly aren't good and I don't know why I think of those. This recipe was delicious. I used a frozen bag of vegetables, frozen peas and fresh celery. I also made my own pie crust, which can be a little tricky and if you aren't up to it don't feel ashamed using prepackage crust.

(photo courtesy of allrecipe.com)

Crust

1 c shortening
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 c cold water

Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or a pastry blender until very crumbly. Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork. Roll gently, one crust at a time, on a floured pastry cloth, to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half. Lift to pie plate, and unfold. Fit into pan. Makes 2 pie crust.

Filling

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 c sliced carrots
1 c frozen green peas
1/2 c sliced celery
1/3 c butter
1/3 c chopped onion
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 3/4 c chicken broth
2/3 c milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.) In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Angel's Pasta

It's getting to be a challenge to find vegetarian meals that I know my husband will eat. I try to focus on a lot of vegetables and usually pasta because those are pretty basic and enjoyable. This one turned out really good. I had some left over sliced olives in the fridge so I added that to the mix and it was great. Instead of mozzarella I would try feta cheese. I really enjoy cooking without meat some times because the meals take very little time to make.

8 oz angel hair pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
1 T crushed garlic
1 T olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3 tomatoes, chopped
12 leaves fresh basil
4 oz shredded mozzarella

Bring a larger pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Pour in oil and saute garlic until golden. Stir in zucchini, salt and pepper. Saute 2 minutes, then mix in tomatoes and cook a few minutes more. Chop basil and add to vegetables right before mixing with pasta. Combine pasta and vegetables. Serve topped with mozzarella. Serves 6.

Sour Cream Chicken & Veggies

This is a new take on cream of chicken and rice recipe. It is super easy. It's one of those last minute idea meals. I'm sure everyone has a can of cream of chicken, sour cream, rice and chicken in your cupboards or freezer. I spiced up the original recipe because it just seemed to blah. And it called for white wine but seeing as I don't keep it in the house I used water instead and it tasted great. I baked some veggies in tin foil like this and it made a complete dinner.

Sour Cream Chicken

1 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c water
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
garlic salt
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sour cream, soup, and water. Season with garlic salt and Italian seasoning to taste. Mix well. Place chicken breast in 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour mixture over chicken and bake for 1 hour. Serve over rice.

Tri-Tip Steaks, Sweet Potato Fries & Sugar Snap Peas

Lately I seem to be hearing more about sweet potato fries and how delicious they are. I already knew that sweet potatoes are good for you so I decided to take on the task of making sweet potato fries. And what could be better then a steak to go with and a side of sugar snap peas in a lime, ginger dressing? The only down side with the sweet potato fries is they don't get crispy like regular potatoes that you deep fry, but I'll take baked fries over deep fried any day. It was a delicious meal.Sweet Potato Fries

3 sweet potatoes
1 t salt
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t lemon pepper
1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to broil. Cut sweet potatoes into thin slices, about 1/2 inches thick. On a baking sheet spread potato slices evenly and sprinkle with olive oil and seasonings. Bake for about 40 minutes, turning them over half way through. Serves 4.

Tri Tip Steak

Tri Tip Steak (depending on amount serving)
kosher salt

Season steak with kosher salt and bake in same oven as fries for 15 minutes rotating after every 5 minutes.


Sugar Snap Peas

8 oz sugar snap peas
1 T ginger
1 T fresh lime juice
1 t kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together and let sit in fridge for one hours, at least. Make sure to coat peas well. Serve cold.

Greek Pasta with Tomatoes and Beans

Here is a healthy pasta dish. It contains whole grain pasta, tomatoes, spinach and black beans. The last two are "super foods." Remember when I mentioned super foods? Seriously you should eat them more because I'm guessing most people don't get enough. Since my dear husband can't handle more than one meatless meal a week I made this pasta a side to the Greek Style Rib-Eye Steaks. It was a great combination. But the pasta would have been good on it's own too.

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
10 oz chopped fresh spinach
8 oz whole grain penne pasta
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta in a large pot until al dente. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach to the sauce, cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over pasta and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.

Eggplant Parmesan

I was a little skeptically when I decided to make this. I had never had eggplant in any form and I was more nervous that my husband wouldn't like it. But it turned out great. I loved. Husband loved it. It was easy to make. The hardest part was peeling and cutting the eggplant, and that wasn't very hard. It's a great alternative to chicken.
1 eggplant peeled and thinly sliced
1 beaten egg
1 1/2 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 c spaghetti sauce
8 oz mozzarella cheese
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese (use fresh)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dip eggplant in egg, then bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes on each side. In 9x13 baking dish spread sauce to cover, Place layer of eggplant then sprinkle with cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients ending with cheeses. Bake for 35 minutes. Serves 4.

California Veggie Sandwich

With summer here I like to keep my meals light and flavorful. I discovered this meatless sandwich and really enjoyed it. It calls for grilling but since I don't own a grill I changed it and did it in the boiler. I also added the marinade and asparagus, since I didn't have yellow squash and I don't care for onions. The recipe calls for focaccia bread but I did asiago cheese bread. I added a side of a sliced mango. It was a perfect summer dinner.

1/4 c miracle whip, or mayo
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T lemon juice
1/8 c olive oil
1 c sliced red pepper
1 small zucchini, sliced
handful of asparagus, cut
1 small yellow squash, sliced
bread of your choice
1/2 c feta cheese

Marinade
1/2 c brown sugar
4 1/2 T soy sauce

In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Set aside in the refrigerator for one hour. Mix brown sugar and soy sauce. Marinate vegetables in mixture. Preheat boiler. Cook vegetables in oven for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Spread mayo mixture on slices of bread and sprinkle with feta cheese. Place bread on separate baking sheet and place in oven until cheese melts, watch to make sure bread does not burn. Remove and layer with vegetables. Enjoy.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

This is a great chicken recipe, because it requires no effort! I was a little skeptical at first because I am not a huge fan of honey and my husband is not a fan of mustard, by any means. But the honey and mustard neutralize each other to create a great taste. I added broccoli rice and a fruit & lettuce salad with feta cheese crumbles.
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c honey
1/4 c mustard
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t paprika
1/2 t parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings and place in a lightly greased baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the honey and mustard, mix well. Pour 1/2 of mixture over chicken. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over and pour remaining mixture over chicken. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

*For more servings add chicken and double honey, mustard mixture.

Greek Style Rib Eye Steak & Salad

I'm not a big red meat fan, but I do try to have it every once in a while because it has good iron in it and I've been known to lack in iron. Also red meat can be a little on the expensive side. So I bought one steak to share and added a lot of sides. This was a great recipe. Really simple, no grilling and it tasted delicious. I could have eaten my entire portion but I'm trying to eat until I'm full, not beyond.
Greek Style Rib-Eye Steak

1 3/4 lb beef rib eye steak
1 t garlic powder
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 T crumbled feta cheese
1 T sliced black olives

Rub garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper on both sides of steak. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Cook steaks in skillet for about 4-7 minutes on each side. I'd flip mine after every two minutes so it wouldn't get too burnt. (for medium-rare the meat thermometer should read 145 degrees, medium 160 degrees, well done 170 degrees). Take off skillet and sprinkle lemon juice, cheese and olives. Serve.

Fruit & Lettuce Salad

2 c baby spinach
1 Romaine lettuce heart cut
1 apple
1 c Crasins

Dice apple and place in bowl with spinach and cut romaine lettuce. Sprinkle Crasins over salad. Serve with Poppy Seed or Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.