Rosemary chicken with broccoli rabe (if you're into that sort of thing)

I wanted a really quick dinner for tonight, and I had some fresh rosemary to use--hence, this recipe. I didn't have any broccoli rabe, or collard greens, or mustard greens.. okay, all I had was spinach. So I made the chicken as the recipe specified (subbed a little vermouth for some of the chicken broth), and served it over spinach cooked in lemon juice and a little garlic. NYAM! Extremely quick and easy!

Rosemary chicken with broccoli rabe

Mediterranean chicken salad

I like salads, and with good reason: they're versatile, quick, and cool. And it's freakin' hot in Texas. That said, this has been one of my favorite salads I've made lately. It's super-quick because instead of cooking the chicken myself, I pick up a roasted one at the grocery store. Grant loves this stuff.

Mediterranean chicken salad

I cut back the oil to 4 T. and upped the lemon juice and mustard. Didn't have tarragon vinegar, so I used white balsamic; didn't have tarragon so I used fresh basil. Also subbed mini whole wheat elbow macaroni for orzo, and Craisins for currants. Served in whole wheat pitas. DELICIOUS!

Spicy turkey burgers

Made these tonight with 93% lean ground turkey, and they were surprisingly good--even Grant liked them, and he's a die-hard beef guy. Before he tasted them, he did ask why I didn't just use 93% lean sirloin: the answer is, honestly, I've never attempted to make burgers with beef that lean. I think the nice thing about turkey is that it takes on flavors so well: you can add just about anything to help keep them moist.

Changes: I reduced the oil in this to just one T. (olive oil), added a big fresh chopped jalapeño, and a teaspoon of ancho chili powder. I did use a "fresh"-style salsa (not the chunky Pace crap), but soaked up a bunch of the salsa's liquid with paper towels before throwing it in with the turkey. Straining would have been easier if I had cheesecloth! :) The salsa I used was medium, not mild. Wimpy! :)

Spicy Turkey Burgers

For those who are wondering, versus 93% ground sirloin, 93% ground turkey has 34 less calories, 1.4 grams less fat, 1.51 grams less saturated fat, and 2.18 grams less protein. That's not too huge of a difference.

Does anyone have any good recipes for 93% lean sirloin burgers? :)

Tomato / cuc / scallion salad!

Today's lunch was an incredibly simple one inspired by my friend Rach (aka, Mama Fluffy). I was very surprised at how filling this was (I did make a lot of it, I guess) and flavorful at the same time. Throw it in a Gladware container and take it to work. Eat it with a little bit of hummus or something like that for protein if you'd like!

Half of a med-large cucumber, sliced; slices cut into halves
A nice big handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved down the center
2 green onions / scallions, both white and green parts, chopped
Rice vinegar (unseasoned); add a few dashes of white wine vinegar if you like tang like me :)
A little handful or so of crumbled feta
Salt and pepper to taste (I like a substantial amount of salt and pepper)

Mix up all the ingredients and enjoy!

A new twist on tuna salad!

This would be a terrific lunch to take to work, but we actually had it for dinner and it was still very satisfying! Next time I make it, I will skip the tuna in oil and opt for tuna in water instead--I'm sure it won't be as creamy, but there's a lot of olive oil in this recipe as is.

Grant thinks next time I make it, I should skip the olive oil entirely and use Miracle Whip light instead--it sounded a little crazy at first, but in all honesty I think with Miracle Whip it would just end up like a traditional tuna salad except improved. We both agree the kalamata olives, lemon juice, and herbs are what make this dish. I used both parley and basil, and skipped the bread--you can eat it on salad greens just as well. :)

Tuscan tuna and bean sandwiches

I have some catching up to do!!

I've already got a couple of super-yummy recipes for you. The first is courtesy of Jenn over at Dirty Kitchen Adventures (and Epicurious). :) It's a steamed fish and asparagus in parchment paper dish and it's SO FAST AND EASY.

I'm sure the called-for tarragon in this recipe is delicious, but I didn't have any so I substituted dried rosemary and fresh parsley. The only other change I made was to throw some sauteed garlic and shallots on top of the fish before baking; I also added a T. of chardonnay to the OJ along with a splash of Newman's Own Light Raspberry and Walnut (this is SO GOOD on fish and chicken!). It turned out deliciously!

As a side note, I didn't have cod or halibut; I used swordfish steaks. Basically - this recipe is very flexible. :)

Fish filets in parchment with asparagus and orange

Welcome!

I was inspired to start this blog after merely a week of committing to eating healthy / easy / yummy (henceforth, "HEY!!") and deciding it was really fun. I'm certainly no chef, so my aim is basically to test recipes that I find here and there, and report what worked and what didn't--the changes I made, what I might do next time, etc. :)

Please feel free to send me ideas or submissions!