Something to munch on...

My husband and I like to cook. His favorite food groups are beer, cheese and bacon. However, I'm a dietitian/nutritionist by trade and we try our best to find a balance here at home. While we both love to cook, we enjoy eating even more. It is my goal to share with you our dinner plans each week and links to recipes. 

Some things you should know: 

1.   We eat meat every meal or someone (we won't say who) complains.

2.   We work. Sometimes we cut corners in an effort to cook at home throughout the week. We try to eat fresh, seasonal foods, but that does not and will not always happen. 

3.   I'm not the English teacher. My husband is, but he is not getting paid to correct grammatical errors. Let's all agree to be graceful with my typos.

4.   This blog is meant for my friends and family with whom I share recipes. This is not meant to be nutrition advice. However, if you do have specific nutrition concerns, I'd be happy to discuss those in another setting. 

5.   Not all of these recipes are tried and tested. We like to try new things. However, many of the things we eat are old family recipes we have lightened up.

This week’s line-up:

1. Grilled chicken and asparagus with a smoked Gouda pasta.

I’ll be making the pasta salad while my husband grills the chicken and asparagus. To save time, we use a quick marinade on our chicken. We like the McCormick Grill Mate packets.

New recipe we are trying: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/spicy-pasta-salad-with-smoked-gouda-tomatoes-and-basil/

2. Pepita-crusted fish with roasted zucchini and sweet potatoes. My dad just sent us some fresh halibut he caught in Alaska, but you may use any mild white fish you like.  If you have time, make the Serrano cream sauce ahead of time to cut down on your prep work. We have been making this recipe for years and it still takes us a bit of time to get it on the table, but it is TOTALLY worth it!

Trusted recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/pepita-crusted-pacific-halibut-with-cilantro-serrano-cream-recipe.html

3. One pot Chili Mac and Mac. My in-laws sent us home with a freezer full of venison so that’s what we will be using in this recipe. However, you can use ground turkey breast or hamburger.  

http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/one-pot-chili-mac-and-cheese/1f2e8850-8ef8-0131-a573-22000a9f0f45

4. Spicy pulled pork tacos and black beans. I love all things done in a crock pot. I already made my beans this weekend. They were a little on the plain side. I added a can of hatch green chilies. I’d recommend you make the beans two nights in advance (soak over night the first night, crock-pot them the second night). Then, put the pork in a crock pot the morning you plan to have this for dinner.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/spicy-dr-pepper-shredded-pork/
http://cafejohnsonia.com/2013/02/how-to-slow-cooker-black-beans.html

5. Mini pizzas and Greek salad. No real recipe here. Split open the sandwich thins, smear on some pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheese and any veggies you want. Then, broil for a few minutes. For the salad, just top the romaine with some drained garbanzo beans, cucumber, shredded carrots, purple onion and feta (because olives are gross and not on the grocery list). This is for the night I will inevitably REALLY want to eat out, but will make myself eat at home

Grocery list:

Produce:

Shredded carrots

Zucchini

Asparagus

Romaine lettuce

Purple onion

Grape tomatoes

Basil

Cilantro (yes you need it)

Parsley

Serrano peppers

Sweet potato

Shallot

2 white onions

Garlic

Lime

Deli/meat counter:

1 chicken breast/person

1 filet/ person of white fish

8 oz hamburger meat 

5-7 lb Pork butt

Pepperoni

½ lb smoke Gouda

Feta

Shredded cheddar

Shredded mozzarella

Seasonings:

Cumin

McCormick grill mates packet (we like Sweet tea)

Salt, Pepper

Bay leaves

Dairy/fridge:

Eggs

Pint half and half

Dry goods:

Penne pasta

Elbow beans

White vinegar

Mayo (in the pasta recipe)

Greek dressing (or flavored balsamic vinegar)

Chipotles in adobo (2 cans)

Pepitas (or sunflower seeds)

4 cups chicken broth

14.5 oz of diced tomatoes

Pizza sauce

White kidney beans (regular can)

Kidney beans (regular can)

Garbanzo beans

1 lb dry black beans (or you can just warm up a can if you want for the tacos)

Corn tortillas

Sandwich thins

Flour

Brown sugar

2 cans of Dr. Pepper