Power Outage Meal- Fajita Style Chicken

We lose power to our house more often than anyone living in a major metropolitan city should!! This happened for the umpteenth time this summer last night. We were told power would be restored by the end of the night, so I risked opening the fridge up to grab my cold ingredients. It would have been easier to order in, but why spend the money when I've got perfectly good (and fresh) food I can make in the same time it would take me to order and go pick up something decent? The catch- it was dark in my kitchen when I opened the fridge so I couldn't quite tell what I was grabbing, but I knew I was making fajitas. It wasn't until later that I realized I had forgotten to buy tortillas and had to modify my plans. The sides weren't what I had planned either, but everything turned out really well and it was a tasty dinner despite not having any power.

On the menu:

Marinated grilled chicken

Green Beans

Fresh White Corn

Grilled Tomatoes

Green Salad

We grew up on fajita chicken being marinated in zesty Italian salad dressing. Mom always used Kraft, but I find the store brand is good too. It's super easy and gives the chicken a great flavor. Since I didn't have the tortillas for fajitas, I just topped the grilled chicken with a little salsa, sour cream and a sprinkling of cheese. It was the taste of fajitas without the complication of eating an overstuffed tortilla- perfect!

The green beans were just boiled- and I bought the microwave in a bag kind. I topped with a small amount of butter and some crazy salt seasoning. Just enough to taste.

The corn and tomatoes were grilled, as I'll do several times a week in the summer.

Dinner on the Grill- Easy Salmon

Ready to Grill!

Seems like every time we've had a storm lately, I've grilled up a meal with this salmon as the main course. My godmomma gave this salmon recipe to my mom and she gave it to me... but to be cooked in the oven. We lost power the night I was first planning on making this, so I had to use the grill instead. The results were great, so I've just continued to grill it. You will not believe how easy and delicious it is!!

On the menu:

Grilled (or oven-baked if you prefer) Salmon

Grilled Vegetables

Pasta Tubes with Fresh Herbs

Green Salad

The salmon: Top salmon with mayonnaise and liberally sprinkle with Montreal Seasoning. That's it! I've used regular mayo and it's certainly tastier than low fat, but low fat works just fine and is what I typically use. You can cook the salmon in a dish at 400 for 20 minutes, or grill for about 20 minutes at the same temperature. I use skin on salmon for the grill and I place it on a piece of aluminum foil for grilling. Easy clean up, bonus!

We all hear about the health benefits of Omega-3's and you get a lot with salmon. Salmon has a ton of other benefits as well... especially for pregnant and nursing moms. I'm trying to make it more of a regular part of our diet even though it's not my most favorite fish and I'm still getting over some of my intimidation about cooking fish. This recipe is an easy way to start adding more salmon into your diet. Try it!

Turkey Meat Loaf- An Easy Dinner

On the menu:

Turkey Meatloaf

Sauteed Hericot Vert

Rice

Roasted Tomatoes

Spring Lettuce Salad

This is one of my go-to meals when I'm short on time. I substituted ground turkey in my meatloaf this week to see if it could stand up to the standard beef I typically use. The result? I'd give it an A-. Sort of like how a turkey burger isn't as good as a juicy beef burger, but you can still have a really good turkey burger. If I have time, I'll do a homemade meatloaf recipe from Ina Garten. If I'm in a hurry, I use half a pack of the Lipton's Onion Soup Mix (pictured) for the seasoning. The recipe for meatloaf is on the back of the box, so I won't repeat it here. I use 1 lb. of meat instead of two, and adjust the recipe accordingly.

The beans pictured are good because they are ready to cook. A little more pricey, but helpful when in a time crunch. I saute these with just a little butter and some minced garlic. The rice is just plain ole' Uncle Ben's White Rice. I've been cooking with brown rice, but had run out and white was all I had in the cabinet. We grew up on white rice, and I do still love it! Roast the tomatoes and add a green salad and there you have it.

What I liked about this meal is that I cut out a lot of fat by using the ground turkey breast, and the meal is balanced and tasty and has the comfort of a home cooked meal without the complication of any difficult recipes.

My kitchen secret:

Add a dash of Worcestershire to any ground turkey recipe and it enhances the flavor.

A Girl Who Can Grill

Time-saver turkey patties


Grill master

Basil from my garden- topped the tomatoes

I've been grilling out more this summer than I ever have before. My husband typically handles the grilling, but with the new baby and his work schedule, I've learned to love what the grill has to offer when preparing a meal in a hurry. Why was I so intimidated for all these years?? Most of tonight's dinner was cooked on the grill... all with great results.

The Menu:

Turkey Burgers (for a time-saver, I love the Jenny-O premade patties. I season them before grilling to make them even tastier.)

Fresh Grilled Corn

Steamed Broccoli with Lemon Juice

Grilled Roma Tomatoes topped with Garden Grown Basil

Green Salad with Feta Cheese

This meal took about 35 minutes to prepare, from start to sitting down to eat. Benefit of grilling- less dishes to clean!

Menu highlight: Grilled Corn

I've read a lot of recipes for grilling corn. Most suggest cooking the corn in the husk. I never had good luck with my corn turning out with that method. Instead, I shuck the corn and wrap each ear in aluminum foil. I add a pat of butter and a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper before wrapping. We throw those on the grill and rotate every so often. They are best when cooked for about 25 minutes. Simple, tender, juicy and the perfect summer side dish!

This meal comes in around $12 to feed all three of is.

Sunday Night Supper

Dinner on the table (or in front of the TV) in less than 40 minutes. On the menu tonight:

Panko-Parmesean Encrusted Tilapia

Roasted Asparagus with Fresh Lemon

Roasted Potatoes with Herbs and Parmesean

Baked Tomatoes with Garden Grown Basil

Fresh Salad with Garden Grown Cukes and Cherry Tomatoes (not pictured)

I made up this tilapia recipe based on flavors from a pre-made tilapia we used to get weekly from The Fresh Market. I realized I could make it more affordable by coming up with my own "crust." I don't measure anything out with this recipe... and it's always good. Mix about 1 cup of pank crumbs with about 1/4 cup of parmesean cheese. I find that the kraft kind sticks better. Chop up some fresh parsley and mix in some "crazy salt" and dash of red pepper flakes. Melt about half a stick of butter in a separate bowl. Dip the tilapia in the butter and then the panko mixture. After preheating the skillet and adding just enough olive oil to coat the pan, add the tilapia. Cooking time varies depending on the size of the fillets. Never more than 4-5 minutes per side. Add fresh lemon juice after you plate the fish. Very fresh, healthy and delicious!!