Sometimes you want a big bowl of pasta but you’re trying to lose a few LBs. These are tough times for foodies like me. However, Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi has made what would otherwise be a heavy high carb meal- much better for you. The gnocchi is surprisingly filling and as long as you cook…
Tag: Weeknight Dinner
Weeknight Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
It’s warm cheesy comfort food with a blanket of sauce and more cheese. What’s not to love? I have several different recipes for them – red sauce and green – but this one is a quick and healthy weeknight version. It doesn’t require a ton of ingredients and you get your protein and veggies all…
Cacio e Pepe
If cacio e pepe is on a menu, it’s really hard for me to avoid ordering it. Pasta with the best quality cheese and a subtle spice from fresh cracked black pepper–you just can’t beat it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. There are different ways to make it, and historically it’s done…
Old Fashioned Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Sometimes you need some good old fashioned comfort food–nothing fancy or too difficult. Not sure what fits that description more than grilled cheese and tomato soup which my sister and I made last week on a cold fall night. This recipe is pretty simple and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. I do recommend you…
Steak Enchiladas
Usually when I make enchiladas I automatically think chicken. But why not try it with some tender, well-seasoned, thinly sliced steak? I took my ugly steak n cheese tacos and turned them into enchiladas baked and smothered in a spicy hatch green chile salsa. This recipe really is as healthy as enchiladas can possibly get. And…
Twisted Italian Wedding Soup
So the thought of meatballs in soup 🍲 never sat well with me and as you know from my “don’t knock em til you try em” recipe, turkey meatballs weren’t something I ever wanted to eat. But if cooking has taught me anything it’s that once you start using ingredients you previously thought were gross,…
Italian Zucchini Bowl
My mom had a brief stint as a vegetarian (before she met my father) and this recipe was something she often made for herself. She introduced it to us growing up mostly as a side dish but now as an adult I make it for the main event! If you’re craving a bowl of pasta…
Broccoli and Spinach Pesto
Pasta with broccoli is one of my favorite dinners. My mom always made it growing up with bowtie pasta as a side to flank steak or some other protein. It’s garlicky, cheesy, uses fresh veggies and is one the most comforting dinners any time of year. One night I had the idea to make the…
Sausage & Pepper Grinders
Sausage and peppers is an Italian classic. It’s easy to make and can be a meal on it’s own or on fresh Italian bread for a delicious sandwich. The catch is that this meal is all about getting the right ingredients. Go to an Italian deli and get their store made sausage, mozzarella and fresh…
Crock Pot Flank Steak Tacos
We all have busy days when we don’t have time to cook dinner so the crock pot is a wonderful tool for the working….any person. I was very skeptical about putting flank steak in a crock pot but I would never post anything I didn’t think was awesome. 10 minutes in the morning allows you…
Oven Fried Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
In an effort to keep things healthy post January 1, last weekend I decided to try a healthy spin on buffalo chicken wraps–one of my favorites. Whats better than a soft flour tortilla, crunchy fried chicken smothered in buffalo sauce, some mayo or ranch and crunchy lettuce…. amazing. So, how can we make this better?…
Baked Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Stack
I was somewhat complaining earlier today because all I had in my fridge for dinner was an eggplant and I didn’t feel like going to the store. I ended my night however with a meal that Kyle said was in my top 5 of all time. (Woo hoo!) I was able to pick some tomatoes…
Portabella Pizza
Want to eat pizza without all the carbs? Instead of using dough, buy some large portabella mushroom caps. They can hold a lot of toppings, they cook well in the toaster oven (or on the grill) and they pair wonderfully with all the traditional pizza ingredients. Tonight’s mushroom pizza was one of my favorites so…
Ancho Chicken Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Crema
It’s taco night!! Kyle and I LOVE tacos. We have multiple restaurants nearby that serve fantastic tacos: Bodega in Darien, Molcajetes and Tacos Mexico in Norwalk and in Hartford, my coworkers and I love (almost) weekly trips to the Lucky Taco truck parked on Bushnell Park. Tacos are versatile, incredibly flavorful and the best part,…
Caramelized Onion Turkey Burger
For a long time the idea of a turkey burger, for lack of a better phrase, grossed me out. I can’t explain it, but it just didn’t sound appetizing. Maybe because for years my father has repeatedly told us the ONLY bad meal my mother ever made in 30 years of marriage was turkey meatloaf….
Spinach Stuffed Filet of Sole
This is a very straightforward dish inspired by Italian flavors and made for the fish lover. It’s very easy to make and you can adapt the stuffing ingredients to whatever your heart desires! It’s also very healthy and satisfying. INGREDIENTS 4 pieces filet of sole Fresh spinach 1 shallot 3 cloves garlic 1-2 tbsp of whole…
Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Burger
I love burgers especially those huge juicy, cheesy ones topped with tons of fun things! However, I am always willing to try new things–especially if means a healthy alternative. In anticipation of our vacation next week, I decided to stick with low carb and low-calorie meals. For that reason I opted to rest the burger…
Shrimp Fried Quinoa
Fried rice is one of my favorite take out items. I can’t imagine it’s that great for you so why not put a healthy quick on it and make it at home. I made this “fried rice” with quinoa and lots of veggies. Feel free to use any vegetables you like or have on hand….
Black Bean Soup
Black bean soup has been on my food bucket list for a while now. (Yes, I have a food bucket list– which includes foods that I have never attempted to make. i.e. crab cakes, sushi, homemade ravioli, etc). Black beans are good for you and I happen to love them. And loving black beans is…
Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli and Cheese
I fell in love with spaghetti squash a few winters ago and made it almost weekly coming up with different recipes. There are so many ways you can use it–essentially you can substitute almost any spaghetti recipe. When you are watching your carb intake it’s a filling and warm winter meal! No, it’s not the…
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to do with chicken. It can get boring. One night after staring in my fridge for a few minutes analyzing ingredients I put together this pretty quick meal. It can be varied with different flavors. I went Greek but you can certainly use any kind of cheese you…
Mom’s Perfectly Crispy Chicken Cutlets
Growing up chicken cutlets were a delicious treat for dinner in our house as mom didn’t fry many things. This year for her birthday, Mom had a craving so we made her perfect chicken cutlets and served them in the perfect chicken cutlet sandwich. You can use this chicken to make chicken parmesan, you can…
Caramelized Onion Tomato Sauce
My friend Sarah participated in a CSA this year that gives her locally grown produce every week. She gave me a bag of tomatoes she couldn’t get through that were absolutely delicious. It’s rare to get a really good tomato anymore so when I do, I will usually just sprinkle salt on it and eat…
Fettuccine con Pesto
In continuing my theme of using ingredients from the garden, my friend Alex and I recently made pesto sauce. It’s a great time of year to make pesto and it is extremely easy to make. You can switch up ingredients depending what you have on hand making it a very versatile recipe. My favorite kind…
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