Lighter Side- Beef Satay

YUM!! Made this Cooking Light Recipe for Beef Satay last night and it turned out perfect!
Seriously, the meat was tender and juicy and the hosin gave it the perfect flavor - and the dipping sauce was an easy recipe that I will use again and again, for sure!!
The only step that they ommited was soaking the skewers.. if you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes before threading the steak on, to avoid scary oven or grill fires!!
These would be a great addition to a cocktail party - they come off the skewers easily, and the sauce has a good consistancy so it wouldn't drip if people migrated with them.. For dinner we had some brown rice with carrots and soy sauce.

Lighter Side - Jamaican Spiced Chicken

So I made this Jamaican Spiced Chicken recipe from Cooking Light, using chicken breast tenders instead of thighs, and it was another home run from Cooking Light!! Almost like jerk seasoning.. (sort of jerk-lite). The one thing I would've changed had nothing to do with the recipe, it was all my fault - I have been cooking my tenders in a 400 degree oven, cooking for maybe 8-10 minutes and then flipping and cooking another 5-8 minutes until they are done but juicy. Last night I left them in a bit too long, about 30 minutes, and they were a bit dry, which was really obvious since it is a recipe with no sauce to hide the dryness... my bad, watch the chicken better next time, Keri!!

Anyway, as you can see, The Hub had his with corn, and I had broccoli with half a slice of turkey bacon and some minced garlic - yum!!

National Margarita Day!!

Yesterday was National Margarita Day!! To celebrate we whipped some up, old school... (no sicky sweet pre fab mixes for us!!)

Into a shaker with ice:
1 and 1/2 oz tequilla
1/2 oz tripple sec
1 oz lime juice

Shake well, strain into glass (with salted rim if desired) and enjoy... It isn't a crazy size, it isn't a frozen mix of sweet and sour mix and cheapy tequilla, it has class, it has flavor... it has plenty of booze!!
We each had two doubles :)

To go with our drinkys, I made Baked Potatoes ole - baked potatoes with spicy ground turkey, cheddar, my usual yogurt mixed with taco sauce (Really good on the potatoes.. creamy and zesty and yum!), salsa, guacamole, and jalepenoes all piled on top...

The Hub loved it... maybe it was the drinks talking ;)

LIghter Side -Buffalo Chicken and steamed veggies..

I've made this buffalo chicken before, and I am sure I will make it again.. often... It is crunchy and spicy and tangy and answers my cravings for "junk food" in a very NON junky way...


I used Italian bread crumbs this time, so they had some seasoning already in them - I mixed in a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder to add some extra flavor to the breadcrumbs... Then I dipped each chicken breast tender in egg substitute, brushed off the excess, and then coated both sides of the tenders in the crumbs, again brushing off the excess. On a broiler pan sprayed with non stick spray (to let the air circulate on all sides of the chicken) the chicken cooked in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes on one side, then I turned it and cooked about 10 minutes more... a LIGHT drizzle of pre-made wing sauce keeps calories in check and adds plenty of flavor...


To complete the quick and easy meal, I popped this into the microwave:
I don't usually buy things like this, but they were on sale at the grocery store for a great price, and they came out perfectly steamed... I would get the product again if the price was right..

P.S. - I stuck a pot roast with some worchshire sauce, beef broth, cumin, garlic, ketchup, and salt and pepper into the crock pot before I left this morning... Can't wait to sample it tonight!!

Can't resist the delicious confusion...

I admit it, it is a CRAZY week at work... We have been having very simple dinners as I prepare for a big event tomorrow evening at the office... ugh...

We again had Sweet and Spicy Chicken last night, and we again LOVED IT!! So. Freakin. Good.

The night before was ground turkey tacos (well taco salad for me), and the night before that was Frozen Chicken Cordon Bleu **GASP** (I know, that is NOT on the "Lighter Side".. but it was tasty and very easy with roasted potatoes on the side!)

But I digress... try the chicken people.. TRY IT!

Lighter Side - Spiced Chicken with Yogurt Sauce

I used my favorite Chicken breast tenders, and we had Quinoa instead of Cous-cous, but other than that, I followed this Cooking Light recipe using the amount of spices listed for 5 tenders and coating them completely... It was good!! The Hub even used the yogurt sauce, which I put on the side of his in case it was too, um, exotic, for him...

Cooking light has been giving me some wonderful lighter options lately!! YUM!

Stolen Moments - black bean saute..

This sounds yum... black bean saute
The Hub wouldn't dig the onions and garlic, so I will have to make it for guests, or maybe for me to have when he has something different....

Steak Ceasar Salad

Ok, ok... I recovered from the dreaded cold that had me feeding The Hub frozen pizza (and a pretty burnt grilled cheese with some frozen french fries that I made him another night... yikes!)

Last night I thinly sliced some top round steak, and coated the slices in a mix of black pepper, garlic powder, and cumin - shaking off the excess before sauteeing just a couple minutes on each side, for medium rare and tender strips.

The Hub had his over some bagged "American salad topped with a ceasar vinagerette... I had the same salad, with 3 oz of the steak, some sauteed onions, and lemon juice...
Simple, quick, and yummy...