Turkey Bisque Soup

A couple days ago I made Turkey Bisque Soup using the leftovers from Slow Cooker Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast  which we'd had a couple days prior to that. The soup turned out good:

Although I will say, as prepared per the recipe instructions, it is really, really bland. Too bland. once I added quite a bit of Tuscan seasoning blend, it was REALLY good. For the kids that night, I also boiled some ditanali pasta to add to theirs:

No Carb Pizza

This No Carb Pizza was a real surprise:

So that isn't my picture, by the way. We were all pretty hungry at dinner and I forgot to take a pic until it was already all gone. This pic is from the blog the recipe came from. Mine looked pretty much like the above, but pepperoni on only 1/3 of it for Steve, and imagine green peppers and tomato slices on the middle third.

We used to eat pizza all the time, now it's much less frequent, since Steve won't eat it since he's all Atkinsy and I can't eat it due to all the salt and my ear issues. And a no-carb pizza? That can't possibly be good, right? I had super low expectations and figured it would be an interesting experiment, if it was really bad we'd order in and/or pull something from the freezer for dinner.

But it was GOOD! Not exactly an authentic pizza experience but definitely a really spectacular substitute. I didn't have any homemade (lo so) sauce in the freezer so I used the jarred kind I use for a quick pasta meal for myself. I pepped it up with some extra italian seasonings too.

The pizza is hard to eat in traditional slice form... it's pretty floppy but the flavors aren't far off regular pizza. Just less bready. Definitely will be making it again, and probably being put into a regular rotation!

Italian Turkey Burger Soup

Tonight we had Italian Turkey Burger Soup:

And it was DELICIOUS! Sort of a minestrone but without the noodles (made the Atkins among us happy). Everyone liked it, and it will definitely be one I make again. We froze an additional 3 large servings of it as well after we were done, so that's meals for another 6 or so people in the freezer.

Slow Cooker Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast

Last night was Slow Cooker Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast:

It turned out really good, especially considering it cooked for 8+ hours in the crock pot, it was super super moist. I'd definitely make it again, though with a slightly smaller turkey breast -- this one only barely fit in my crock pot at 7 lbs (I had to tape down the lid). Everyone ate it, no one complained.

We have a ton of leftovers, some of which I plan on using for Turkey Bisque Soup. Stay tuned.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Arugula & Lemon

Back to new recipes... tonight we tried Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Arugula & Lemon:

Overall, it wasn't bad. I like cooking with goat cheese because I've found a low(er) sodium variety that's way lower in sodium than mozzarella and other types. Using arugla instead of spinach was a nice change from the usual too. It wasn't the best chicken recipe I've tried out this year, but somewhere in the middle. The kids ate it too, though they had pieces without a lot of the "stuffing" and passed on the sauce you put on top. Steve thought it was just ok -- he wasn't loving the goat cheese in it, though normally he likes that!

Apple & Goat Cheese Salad

This is what you do when you send your husband to Costco with a short list that includes the 2-pack, 3-lb block of fresh mozzarella cheese but he accidentally grabs goat cheese instead. You make Apple & Goat Cheese Salad:

The "recipe" is not rocket science, and I am really only posting it to the blog because A) it's delicious and B) I want to remember to make it again, which won't be hard with the goat cheese surplus I'm facing. I followed it as-is but added cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and some dried berries. And a LOT more goat cheese than called for. LOVE this dressing.

Oh and after I chopped the apple, I tossed it in lemon juice so I can have the salad sitting in the fridge for a few days without the apple getting gross. Kept the dressing separate, added as needed.

Grab & Go Egg White Bites

I've been getting pretty tired lately of my usual quick weekday breakfasts: toast or cereal or a yogurt. The kids, on the other hand, never get tired of their tried-and-trues (oatmeal or microwave scrambled eggs for Camden; bagels or waffles or cinnamon toast for the big kids). I decided on a whim to try something new, something that was quick to make initally and gives me a week of grab-and-heat breakfasts, Egg white bites:

I pretty much followed the recipe as written, though I used regular muffin tins (not mini) so it's a better portion. Also, I added a bit of shredded cheese, because who doesn't like that. I even bought the egg-whites-in-a-carton product which I found highly gross in theory but worked great, saved time on separating eggs, etc. Less wasteful.

And just to take it over the top, when I ate them today, I topped them with a bit of sour cream and avocado that I had leftover from last night's taco dinner. YUM.

(Disclaimer: no, my kids don't eat this. But I do!)

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Also last week, we tried Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup:

I followed the recipe pretty closely, though I probably nearly doubled the amount of chicken breast that went in there. I thought it was really good, as did the kids. Genevieve in particular is a big soup fan and really liked it. Steve abstained due to the noodles. If I were to make this again, I'd probably cook the noodles separately and just add them to the bowls as I'm serving. I put the leftovers in the fridge overnight and the noodles soaked up most of the broth. East enough to add more broth, but it made for some pretty soggy noodles. I later froze the rest in single portions, I figure it will be handy for when someone is sick and just wants soup and doesn't care about mushy noodles.

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Last week we tried Chicken Parmesan Meatballs:

The kids and I ate them with a low-sodium marinara sauce over some butter noodles (the Atkins husband skipped the pasta). I figured, most of us really like chicken parmesan, so here's just a different version of it. I may have sprinkled a bit too much crushed red pepper in there, but despite the zing I thought they were pretty good. Not AMAZING, but something nice and different than the usual. Genevieve and Camden loved them; I lost count of how many they ate. Owen grudgingly ate a small serving. Steve ate a whole bunch, yet wasn't a big fan. Maybe he got a few that had a few too many sprinkles of the red pepper.

Weight Watcher's Easy Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan

Although I have a basic Chicken Parm recipe I make all the time, I changed things up a bit last week by trying Weight Watcher's Easy Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan:

The biggest difference between this and my usual go-to recipe was the use of mayonnaise instead of beaten eggs as the "glue" to make the Panko stick. Also, the addition of a tomato slice and a fresh basil leaf really improved on the original. Finally, I used thick slices of fresh mozzerella on top (probably negating the WW label as a result...) but it was SO good. All 5 Newtons loved it. Using mayo in place of eggs really boosted the moisture in the chicken.

"My Best" Clam Chowder

I'm a little behind in posting recipes... I made "My Best" Clam Chowder a couple weeks ago:

It doesn't look like much, but it was really delicious. Per some reviewers, I used bottled clam juice in place of the water (probably not helping my sodium issues) but man, was it good.

Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad

About a week ago I tried Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad:

And honestly it was just ok. It had a nice texture but honestly it needed a ton more FLAVOR. And that was after throwing in some fresh basil I had leftover from a different recipe. The big takeaway from this recipe might be the method of roasting garlic in the microwave -- big time saver.

Easy Roast Chicken and Paula Deen's Mashed Cauliflower

Tonight I made Easy Roast Chicken and also Paula Deen's Mashed Cauliflower:

I used chicken quarters, but you only see the thigh here since the kids took the drumsticks. I marinated the chicken all day. It turned out really good. Very similar to some other chicken recipes I've used before, but just different enough to taste (and smell) like something new. Gigi ate at least three pieces and the boys, well, they ate *some*.

The mashed cauliflower was EXCELLENT (says me and Steve -- kids hated it. But then again they hate mashed potatoes too... who are these children?). I added a tad bit of cream cheese too -- sooo good.

Chili, Lime & Cumin Cod

A few nights ago, I made Chili, Lime & Cumin Cod:

I really thought it was ok at best. I guess I was pretty unimpressed because it took me days to remember to blog it. Steve ran late at work that night, and when he ate the leftovers the next day he said it wasn't bad at all -- I think my issue is, maybe I just don't like cod.

Honey BBQ-Marinated Chicken Drumsticks

I tried Honey BBQ-Marinated Chicken Drumsticks last night:

The weather here was terrible all day, so rather than brave the grill, I threw them in the oven for an hour. The kids were not huge fans but did eat them. Steve thought they were pretty good. I thought they were just ok -- I think on the BBQ they'd be better!

London Broil

I haven't made London Broil in years, and when we used to do it, it was under the oven broiler for use in a wrap we both loved (wrapped up with mashed potatoes, corn, a sauce, and I forget what else.... that recipe has been retired since I can't do the salty sauce and Steve won't eat all those carbs any more).

Anyway, I tried this marinade recipe and it turned out great:

The marinade was perfect. The meat itself was a little tough. Steve grilled it perfectly and it was still pink on the inside, but I think I just bought a particularly tough cut of meat. King Soopers doesn't always have the best meat. Will definitely make the marinade again!

Triple Citrus Glazed Grilled Salmon

Yes, it's another recipe for grilling -- and another salmon one at that. Tonight we tried Triple Citrus Glazed Grilled Salmon. And yet again, by the time we sat down to eat I was really hungry and forgot to take a picture. I'll just borrow the one from the Food Network:

My salmon didn't turn out looking quite so neat and fancy but man was it good. Two thumbs up from me. Steve thought it was a bit on the sweet side and preferred the grilled salmon recipe I tried last time much more, but he did think this was "ok". Eh, we'll be having it again for sure.

In case you haven't had enough grilling recipes, come back very soon. Already have tomorrow night's marinading in the fridge... and another one on deck for the next night too. London Broil and chicken drumsticks, coming soon.

Oatmeal banana breakfast muffins

I was intrigued by these Oatmeal banana breakfast muffins which have no flour. So I made them tonight, with the hopes they'll be a well received quick breakfast treat in the morning when our time is short with the dash to school:

I followed the recipe as-is, though I forgot to add some ground flaxseed that I was going to pump them up with. Next time. I did add a bunch of cinnamon and of course we had to have chocolate chips. It took almost no time to whip up the batter in the Vitamix. Just dump and blend and you're done.

Soooo good. I think they'll be slightly less-delicious once they are cooled completely -- they threaten to turn rubbery -- but nothing a quick buzz in the microwave can't take care of. They were amazing right out of the oven.

Grilled Salmon

Tonight we made Grilled Salmon and it was spectacular. Probably the best new salmon recipe I've tried in ages. Steve, who is sick to death of salmon, even loved it and said we should make it again soon.

The marinade took maybe 5 minutes to throw together early this afternoon... the fish sat in it all day and then was ready to be thrown on the grill at dinner.

Sorry no picture... I forgot again! We were eating outside so it slipped my mind.

Unbelievable Chicken

Our grill got another workout tonight, with corn on the cob and Unbelievable Chicken:

And in fact, it did turn out really, really good. I used such fat chicken breasts that it had to cook a long time in order to be done, and yet it didn't get dried out at all. The only thing I might do differently next time is to make the marinade the night before (not the morning of) and let it soak overnight. All four of us (Owen's still away at camp) plus our special guest thought it was worthy of doing again.

Alton Brown's Spicy Beef Kababs

After almost three years of no working grill, we finally got our new BBQ working in our new backyard. Brace yourselves for lots of BBQ recipes -- I have three years of grilling to make up for.

Our inaugural meal was burgers, which is seriously boring and nothing exciting to report on the blog.

But last night we tried Alton Brown's Spicy Beef Kababs. Unfortunately I was so excited to eat them, I forgot to take a picture, so I'll have to borrow Alton's. I'm sure he won't mind:

The main thing I did different was I doubled the marinade recipe and also made a whole bunch of skewers of just veggies: zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms. I also marinaded the veggies along with the meat prior to grilling.

It was fabulous! Two thumbs up! Owen's off at camp and wasn't here to eat/review, but Steve, Gigi, and I all loved them (Gigi liked the meat portion in particular).

Summer Chickpea Salad with Honey Garlic Lime Vinaigrette

I forgot to mention I made Summer Chickpea Salad with Honey Garlic Lime Vinaigrette last week:

Absolutely delicious. I had it for lunch like 4 days in a row (and the babysitter and some visiting family had some too). Highly recommend!

Garlic-Yogurt Baked Chicken

I tried Garlic-Yogurt Baked Chicken tonight, which was somewhat similar to Greek Marinated Chicken from a few months ago. I followed the recipe except I used boneless skinless thighs instead of breasts.

This one though... meh. Nothing to write home about and terribly bland. Edible and yet nothing I will be making again. Skip this one.

Mexican Chopped Salad

Last night I made the Mexican Chopped Salad:

(I took the picture before putting the dressing on or adding avocados, tomatoes, and homemade tortilla strips.)

I loved it, which is a good thing because that is a ginormous bowl which I'll be eating the rest of the week. I also added some leftover red cabbage and some sauteed chicken breast pieces to give it some  protein. It's nice and crunchy and very refreshing. Steve thought it was just ok... maybe I killed it for him with all the cilantro I added ;)

Brown Sugar Baked Peaches

Holy cow:

I don't even know what to say, you just have to make it for yourself.

People-Pleasing Chicken

The original name of this recipe is really lame so I refuse to use it. However it was delicious:

I followed the recipe as directed but used dried rosemary mixed in the sauce rather than fresh on top.

Good stuff! (Steve and I both liked it, Gigi thought it wasn't bad, Owen hated it but managed to eat it, and Camden wasn't touching dinner tonight).

Waffles

We've been doing Breakfast for Dinner at least once a month for as long as I can remember, it's clearly a kid-favorite. But I've always made pancakes/bacon/eggs etc. That changed tonight since I splurged on a waffle iron a few days ago (never had one!). I used this basic recipe:

(This is just one stack of three that I produced -- I doubled the recipe so we can freeze some for breakfasts)

 Per some reviewers' suggestions, I doubled the vanilla and separated the eggs first, whipping the whites up before adding in the yolks and the rest of the ingredients. I also added some cinnamon and ground flax seed and substituted half the white flour with whole wheat.

Needless to say, they were a huge hit all around the table. Steve's at a late meeting so it was a perfect night to have a carbs feast without Mr Atkins around.

Baked Tempura Vegetables

Tonight I made Baked Tempura Vegetables to go on the side of some rather unremarkable salmon. The vegetables totally stole the show (confession: I didn't even eat most of my salmon because the veg's were that good).

I made a few alterations to the recipe. First of all, the blogger who created the recipe must be feeding an army. I got about halfway through chopping the fresh veg's per the recipe and could see it was waaaaay too much for us (us, being Steve and me, and Gigi eating a ton of the broccoli, and the boys maybe tasting it). As it was, I filled two 9x13 pans and that was after stopping halfway through all the chopping. Also, I am not sure what "vegetable seasoning" is -- sounds pretty generic. Per google, I randomly mixed garlic powder, dried minced onion, onion powder, and my fake salt. Finally, the baking time ran a bit longer than what the recipe indicated. All that aside, this was a fabulous substitute for the "real" tempura veg's we order with sushi. Definitely a keeper! You only need the tiniest bit of lo-so soy sauce for dipping... the vegetables still had a ton of flavor and weren't dry at all. Hoping the leftovers re-heat well for tomorrow's lunch. I'm not even going to pretend to eat the salmon.

Oven Baked Fajitas

With company for dinner, I decided to try Oven Baked Fajitas:

(That's before we put the filling in tortillas with sour cream and cilantro).

So glad I made these! Sooo much easier than regular fajitas on the stovetop. Thumbs up from all around the table (minus the kids who had some chicken I set aside for Oven Fried Chicken Fingers which baked right along at the same time as the fajitas).  It was nice to throw the filling in the oven and have it be done in 40 minutes, and not be tethered to the stove with a sizzling skillet. I'll definitely be making these again.

Portillo's Chopped Salad

We have company in town this week so there's a lot of eating going on. I wanted to toss this recipe up, which I made for lunch for today (and tomorrow, and the next day, etc) and it's really really good. Portillo's Chopped Salad:

A tad bit more filling than plain salad, with the addition of the pasta. I omitted the bacon and used crumbled goat cheese in place of Gorgonzola due to the sodium. Keeping the dressing on the side is helping it last longer in the fridge, not getting soggy. The dressing has very strong flavor, so a little goes a long way!

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Tonight I tried this very basic recipe, Garlic Butter Shrimp:

Definitely heavy on the butter, but still good. Nothing so exciting though that I am looking forward to making it again ;)

Summertime Tilapia

Rather than stick with my tried and true tilapia recipe tonight, I decided to try a new one, Summertime Tilapia. Mainly because I didn't realize I was out of parmesan cheese until the last minute.

Tonight's tilapia had a very different flavor. I thought it was due to the tequila (which I did use, this optional ingredient) but I think the red wine vinegar was actually the culprit. If I make it again, I think I'd try balsamic. Per reviewers' suggestion, I also did blend the marinade in the food processor to get a uniform texture -- I definitely recommend that.

Overall it wasn't bad. Steve and I both thought it was ok. Nothing to write home about but definitely a nice change. (the kids had no complaints about their fish sticks....)

Garlic and Basil Baked Chicken Thighs

I had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs on hand and I was going to make one of my standby thigh recipes that I normally use bone-in for, but at the last minute I decided to search for a new recipe. Which worked out well because I still had a bunch of fresh basil to use up from last week's Baked Mozzarella Chicken Rolls. I ended up trying Garlic and Basil Baked Chicken Thighs:

I basically followed the recipe, but used dried rosemary instead of fresh, and added some Mrs Dash (chicken) seasoning since it seemed like it would end up pretty bland. And... it was pretty bland anyway. Nothing special, but definitely edible. Steve, Camden and I ate it just fine. Gigi didn't love it but she still ate hers. Owen mysteriously became full pretty early in the meal. Definitely not a do-over but not terrible. It smelled really good when cooking!

Strawberry Avocado Couscous Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

This was not a dinner; I made Strawberry Avocado Couscous Salad with Lime Vinaigrette today for lunch for Camden and me. And it is goooooood!

Light, refreshing, tangy and delicious. I pretty much followed the recipe, but I did toast the pine nuts (and used about 5x more of them than called for). Highly recommend!

Crockpot turkey breast

Rather than heat up the house with the oven on this 85° day, I decided to try out turkey breast in the crockpot:

I threw it in with lo-sodium chicken broth and a bunch of seasonings (paprika, Italian blend, garlic powder etcetera). It cooked on high for about five hours and turned out pretty good. Very very moist and not at all dried out. Genevieve really liked it, as did Camden who was in eat mode and had 3 adult servings. Owen tolerated it. Steve thought it was ok, but he's not a big white meat person.

Baked Mozzarella Chicken Rolls

Tonight we tried Baked Mozzarella Chicken Rolls:

Similar in concept to Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese, which I made a few months ago. Yet seemingly less work -- I am not sure why. Actually, I do know why. I cheated on tonight's recipe and bought raw thinly sliced chicken breasts, instead of having to pound out regular ones:

Taking out the pounding process made a HUGE difference in time required to prep everything. Plus the already sliced breasts were uniformly thin with non-ragged edges -- much easier to work with than my pounded alternative.

The recipe was delicious! The whole family ate it. I was all prepared to tell Owen that the "green stuff" (spinach) in the cheese filling was the italian herbs, but he didn't even notice/ask! He deemed the recipe "acceptable" (that's 5 stars coming from him judging a chicken dish). Gigi really liked it, as did Steve and I. Camden even found room to eat half a roll. Definitely a recipe we'll repeat.

I pretty much made it as outlined in the recipe, except slightly less spinach (anticipating the kids' protests that didn't happen); I used panko with herbs I added instead of italian breadcrumbs. Also didn't bother sorting egg white from yolk, used the whole thing. And used about 4x the garlic in the filling, and didn't have fresh basil for the top.

Slow cooker taco chicken bowls (wraps)

I was really glad today for the convenience of a crockpot meal, we were really busy and it was nice to have dinner magically ready at the end of the day. I tried out Slow cooker taco chicken bowls which we made into wraps:

I wish I could say they were delicious. They were just kind of meh. Certainly edible but more bland and mushy than you'd choose. I made my homemade salsa the other night instead of using jarred for this recipe... I don't know if that's why, but after cooking all day, when I pulled the chicken out to shred, it looked like there was way too much liquid in the crock pot so I ended up straining off over 90% of it before mixing the chicken back in. Again, meh. Nice idea but we weren't loving it.

Scallop corn chowder

It was a nice little cooking and blogging hiatus, as I was traveling in Ireland for the last 8 days. Now that we're back, it's back to the cooking grind. Inspired by quite a few really good seafood chowders we tried across the pond, I gave this one a try: Scallop corn chowder. Unlike the ones we tried in Ireland, this recipe is very low-sodium friendly.

(Note that we were so hungry and ready to sit down and eat, that I forgot to take a picture of a bowl of the chowder. That photo is looking into the pot, after Steve and I had had several servings and may or may not have fished out a lot of the actual scallops).

Really good! Steve took a bit of an Atkins break on our trip, but was back on the wagon today so he didn't eat a lot of the body of the soup -- namely the potatoes, corn, and carrots. So he wasn't as impressed by the recipe as I was, but the flavors and everything were really top notch.

Quinoa with Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella

Tonight I made the Pioneer Woman's Quinoa with Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella, pretty much for myself. The kids and Steve (still Atkins-y) had hot dogs and brats.

I liked it -- and plan to be eating it for the next 4 days because that isn't a bowl, it's a trough!

Felafel FAIL

Let's just say it's a good thing that last night's rosemary lamb turned out so good because it meant we had something to eat for dinner tonight. Thank you, repurposed leftovers.

So I mentioned that in preparation for tonight, I had already made tzatziki sauce:

That turned out really good actually. Steve didn't love-love it but I thought it was great.

Then this morning, Camden helped me make homemade hummus (why go to all the trouble for homemade versions of these things? I can't find any premade in stores that is low enough in sodium, unfortunately). Here was the hummus, before blending:

And my happy helper, who decided that hummus is the best thing ever:

The hummus, unlike the falafel (foreshadowing) was awesome -- smooth and silky as whipped butter and full of flavor. We made a huge amount accidentally, so it was a great lunch with cucumbers.

Then, dinner. I attempted this felafel recipe and I don't understand what went wrong -- I followed her recipe to a "T". What's even more surprising is, I love that blogger, she's a great low sodium guru, and I've used many of her other recipes with great success. Something did not go well this time. Here were my sad little felafels halfway through baking, as I attempted to flip them:

And it only got worse, after they were done baking:

It's like they just... melted.

So getting back to the lamb leftovers... it was quite fortuitous that we had so many lamb leftovers from last night, because I sliced it thinly, and swapped it in place of the felafels, making some really good lettuce wraps along with the hummus and tzatziki sauce: