Meat and vegetables

After a long day of unpacking and house projects (yes, we were crazy enough to buy a house and move within a week of Baby K due!), plus a few hours of pool time for Mommy, Mr. PT and I were famished last night!

Since it is never a good idea to go to the grocery store hungry, you would be smart to keep your fridge stocked with some lean meat and green vegetables you can easily prepare.

I started with some fresh kale from the farmer's market. I boiled it in water for about a minute, strained it, then threw it in a skillet with olive oil and sliced squash (green and yellow). I seasoned the veggies with a touch of salt and a lemon, peppery mix of spices.

While those were browning, I took some chicken cutlets, dipped them in egg and coated them in a breadcrumb-herb mixture. If you have the time, breadcrumbs are pretty easy to make, but if you are in a pinch, try to buy crumbs without trans fat. It can be done, you just have to search a little. I like the Japanese style crumbs because they are thicker and chunkier. You can add pepper, parsley, lemon peel, ginger, whatever spice you like to the crumbs!

I browned off and cooked the chicken through in a hot pan with olive oil. I always check the chicken pieces with a meat thermometer to ensure they are not undercooked (aim for 165-170).

Served together, this type of meal may give new meaning to a meat and vegetable dish!

Remember this?

This one is too good to not post again!! Check out the original post at

http://marriedpt.blogspot.com/2012/08/salsa-salad-bruschettaall-in-one.html


This time we toasted our bread then put a layer of avocado on before the salsa mix. It definitely complimented the flavors well!

Enjoy! One week till due date!

The perfect summer snack

Back porch salad

Glenn and I were meandering the local farmers market recently with my mom and we stumbled upon an amazing invention! The salad pot! A large pot filled with planted lettuce, chard, and spinach! It's so convenient! It sits on our front porch, so when we want a salad, all we have to do is chop off a few stalks and throw them on a plate! Amazing!

I must say! The lettuce is much more flavorful than the store bought stuff. See of you can find one of these, or better yet, plant your own!

Slow cooker flautas!

Today was Mr. PT's first official day of summer vacation, so what do I tell him to do while I'm at work? Make dinner of course!

Luckily for him, I already had a plan.

Into a slow cooker, he put:
-a 1 lb roast
-1 green pepper, quartered
-1 red pepper, quartered
-1 red onion, quartered
-an almost full jar of mild salsa
-a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper

He cooked this on low (while lounging around the house) for about 7 hours. By the time I got home it was deliciously marinated in salsa and pull-apart tender. Yum!

I shredded the meat and sliced the gooey vegetables. Then I filled whole wheat flour tortillas (no lard, no trans fat) with the meat mixture and cheese.

I heated a skillet with olive oil and browned off the little burritos...flautas!

We ate these with salsa and homemade guacamole. Yum! I browned five of them for dinner and put the uncooked ones (about 12) in the freezer for crazy baby days.

Happy summer to Mr. PT! 6 more weeks till baby!

Simple goodness

Need an easy, healthy meal?

Not to mention cheap?

Wash a russet potato and rub in olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in a 425 oven for about an hour.

Meanwhile, wash and drizzle some asparagus with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Put on a pan and cook in the oven with the potatoes for the last 20 minutes or so.

When all is cooked and ready, throw on a plate, dress your potato as you wish and enjoy! A simple dinner!

Lemon gingerness

Asian cooking is not a strength for me. However, when I saw a recipe for lemon ginger chicken, I couldn't help but taste the delicious poultry paired with fried rice and broccoli!

Cook 2-3 servings of rice as directed and set aside. Steam a heaping handful or two of broccoli florets and set aside as well. Heat a skillet with about a tbs. olive oil. Squeeze 1/2 lemon's juice in a bowl and whisk with 1 tsp ginger. In another bowl, mix 1/3 cup breadcrumbs with about 1 teaspoon of your seasoning of choice (I used a mixture of salt, lemon peel, garlic and pepper). Dip chicken in lemon-ginger liquid then dip and dip and cover with breadcrumb mixture. Cook in the hot oiled pan until crispy and cooked through.

When chicken is done, remove it from the pan, place on an oven safe plate and keep warm in a 250 degree oven.

With the oil and chicken bits still in the pan, add the rice and broccoli. Cook rice and broccoli with 1/4 cup low-salt soy sauce (more or less to taste) and a tsp ginger. Season with pepper if you desire. Cook the rice until browned.

Throw it all together on a plate and enjoy!