Pork Tenderloin

Well, each and every pretty flower and herb I planted in the garden has died - imagine that. My brown thumb is KILLING me. The one and only survivor (and I completely blame the heat) was my rosemary. I have so much rosemary I could never run out if I tried (that is, if it lives). I decided to be resourceful and make something new, which led me to pull out every single cookbook I own. I cam across this recipe from Ina Garten & was immediately sold when I read "fresh rosemary" .... YES! I HAVE THAT!

It was a huge success! Pork Tenderloin usually comes bundled with 2 or 3 pieces, and half a piece was plenty for the mr and I. I lied and told him the rest was for Bible Studu this week, and now that he hasnt been "able" to touch it, we've had it again and STILL have some left for lunches - go me!

Pair this with a side of rice and veggies and you have a great, healthy dinner. Yum (ps: sorry this is about 8 months overdue)

Ingredients
1 lemon, zest grated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
Freshly ground black pepper


Combine everything (other than the pork and 2 extra sprigs of rosemary) in a dish. Submerge (ooooo big word, sunny) the pork into a dish to marinade overnight. Ina said (and I did since I couldnt wait 24 hours) that 3 hours will work in the fridge if needed. Next time I'll be good and let is sit overnight, but I was anxious to try it! Start your grill and let them cook about 15-25 minutes, flipping a few times. Once you've flipped yor last time, plop the extra rosemary and marinade drippings and let cook about 7 more minutes. You will be a hero in your house.....until your people get hungry again that is. Enjoy Xx

Lime Shrimp Tacos

Well, as every one knows, I love shrimp. Why not mix my love for my mexican looking husband with my love for squigglies of the sea?

Get these things together, and get ready for a yummy dinner with someone else, or eat it all for yourself. I won't tell....

*2 garlic cloves crushed

*buy some fresh shrimp @ the deli (I get about 3/4 pound for the two of us)

*juice of one to two limes

*zest the skin of half a lime

*finely chop fresh tomato

*chop fresh avocado

*boil 2 corn stalks and use a knife to remove the corn and place in a side dish

*salt & pepper (im so tempted to put a reference to the band here, but I digress)

*soft taco shells

*shredded lettuce

sauté your shrimp until pink in olive oil and lemon juice after softening your garlic for a minute or so. Don't burn your garlic!!!!

Serve with a slice of lime for extra flavor. Add toppings as you like. Enjoy

Tomato Mozzarella Panini

Well, it's about that time again....time to mix up dinner with something new. It's a love/hate relationship for me. I love coming up with new things to cook, but I also find it nice to just stick with my "go to"s and breeze through it all. This was definitely a treat & Joey finished mine off when I got full, meaning it was a success as well! Give it a try if you have a handy dandy panini maker. If not, try it in a george forman or maybe on a grill skillet. Regardless, give it a whirl :) It's a yummy way to eat dinner, not to mention, quick!



this part is pretty important......you MUST find a hungry boy and lure him to the kitchen...
Have him pay very close attention. This means that next time you guys eat this meal, HE can cook it for YOU :)

Then get all of your ingredients. You'll need fresh mozzerella, tomatoes, bread (I used regular but a fresh loaf at publix sure would have been nice had I had any on hand), pesto sauce, basil, fresh garlic, and melted butter.

spread your butter on the bread, then turn and spread a thin layer of pesto. Put the bread butter side down on your panini and build on top of the pesto with tomatoes, strips of mozzerella, basil, garlic shavings, and top with another piece of bread with pesto side down and butter side up. Cook it until it browns and serve with a yummy salad.
WARNING: this meal is warm & comforting...meaning your eyes may droop with that thanksgiving day sleepiness once you'rve finished. Grab the remote and your favorite pillow and get ready for a great nap! Aspyn certainly did.

A new spin on spaghetti

It's safe to say that a Jones family favorite has been spaghetti right from the start. We are always content with a pound of beef, some prego, and a pile of noodles, but I'm usually on the hunt for a healthier version that makes you feel a little less "I'm going to vomit" when you're finished. To make one of Mr. Jones' new favorites, start off with these simple ingredients and grab yourself two cutting boards.

olive oil (extra virgin.......no hussy's in my kitchen)

noodles (any brand...I use ronzoni smart taste bc its high in fiber) and I went with angel hair since there isn't a thick sauce involved. The skinnier they are the more flavor they'll soak up.

cherry tomatoes

FRESH basil & oregano (dont be sprinkling your stuff on here)

parmesan cheese (made with 2% milk for a lighter version)

chopped garlic cloves (I went with 5 cloves for 3 servings)

chicken
chop your garlic and herbs as well as your tomatoes in half. I use two cutting boards - one for veggies and one for meats. This will help eliminate any germs passing in the future since the dish washer can only do so much :)

chop your chicken into bite sized pieces. Season with fresh ground pepper and salt and cook over medium heat until finished. Then set it aside somewhere covered to keep it warm.

In the same pan, heat your olive oil over medium heat and add your garlic until you can start to smell its fragrance. be super careful not to burn your garlic. Otherwise it can be a nasty taste when you're finished. Keeping the heat low to medium add your tomatoes and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes until soft. During this step I go ahead and work on the pasta according to it's instructions. Remember that angel hair doesn't take much time at all so save that for the last 2 minutes or so of your cooking time.

Pour your chicken and tomato/garlic mix over your pasta. If it's a little dry add a bit more olive oil as well as some reserved pasta water. Top with your fresh basil, oregano, and parmesan cheese. Then sit back and have a yummy version of Jones Chicken Spaghetti. You can thank me later.

xxx

Homemade Pizza For Two....

Time to share the recipe I created with my momma years ago that convinced me what fun cooking could really be. It's changed over the years, but remains delicious!!! Who doesn't love pizza? This not only is better for you, but doesn't leave you feeling bloated and yucky when it's over. That's what sent my mom into the kitchen years ago....a little less gross and a lot more fresh. Enjoy

Ingredients are important with this recipe....they NEED to be fresh...you cant sub a fresh tomato with Prego, or Fresh basil with grated...it seriously will create a bad bad bad version (Tried the shortcut version a few years back)

1. FRESH basil

2. Roma Tomatoes

3. Fresh garlic...crushed

4. ground pepper

5. Olive Oil

6. Italian Seasoning (this can actually be the dry spice)

7. garlic salt (this is bottled too..)

8. Whole wheat (or whatever version you like) pitas

9. Parmesan cheese (here's where you make or break it...this is the simplest version but let me also recommend adding FRESH mozzarella...buy it in it's juices and slice strips to add....i chose not to just to minimize calories this time)....OH feta is great too to add on top

10. salt

First, prepare you pita strips. I start by cutting one round in half, then that in half again. you'll end up with pieces like this (there is a method to this madness I swear)

Next, Poke your fingers through the opening and gently separate the one triangle into 2. This is my way of taking one pita round and making it two pizzas rather than one. It's half the fat and makes it crispier anyways, which is nice:) you can attempt other ways, but this always worked the best without ripping the pitas.

One became two :)

Next I mix the base. Chopped garlic (as much as you like) with olive oil, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and a few shakes of garlic salt too. Stir it up and spread it over your pitas with a brush. Just a side note, for a delicious/fattier version, spread pesto sauce thinly. This is AMAZINGLY good with this recipe.

Now we build out pizza. I slice my tomato thin, and place on top. At this point I do one more light shake of garlic salt, and pepper. Next I add my cheese ( a little goes a long way) and top with fresh basil from my porch. You can then add chicken, asparagus, broccoli, whatever you like to the top. We kept it simple and cheesy this time. (to have a super amount of flavor in your cheese, yet still use less AND save on fat...go organic. Fresh Market has some freshly grated in the middle of the store ready to buy for about 4 bucks. You use so much less of it with all that extra flavor.

Finish it off with a light salad and some asparagus. I've had several people ask me to explain my version on asparagus since it's constantly paired with meals around the Jones house. I simply break the ends, place it in a dish, and pour a light amount (or brush on) olive oil. A few shakes of garlic salt, salt, and fresh ground pepper, then I pop it into the oven on broil. 15 minutes later Joey has a huge smile on his face over a vegetable. (lately the price has gone back up so we only get it once a week ... or less :( sad day)

Have a great week! Mine should be awfully/dreadfully long. I work extra hours and to extra work since my partner is out for the entire week of vacay. Should be rough.

X X X

2 to make up for the absence

So, I realize that i've been slacking in the blog department, but I recently realized that I was spreading my time a bit too thin. Work, home to cook dinner, exercise (if I can), followed by cleaning house, laundry, and now I'm working on something on the side so I'm even busier than ever. With the absence has come a few complaints/requests for new recipes, so I took some pics of what I made the past two nights to share some ideas.
Enjoy
xxx

SRIMP PANINI ~ A LA YUMMY

Remember the Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe? Well, this is a super easy spin on it if you're wanting that flavor with a lower fat content and less time in the kitchen.

Season your shrimp. Then sear on both sides on medium heat until pink. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Alfredo sauce and turn off heat. Coat the shrimp in the sauce and put to the side.

Get your fresh bread ready to the side while it sits in the seasoning, and go ahead and spray your panini maker (I'm thinking you'll need this or maybe a george foreman MAY work...) with some pam

gut some Roma tomatoes and lay them on a tray (this is my pampered chef thingie....yes, that's the proper term) and stick in the oven just to soften them up a bit

get two cloves of garlic (about this size) & put them to the side (store your garlic in the fridge and it lasts longer & peels much easier!)

Next, it's time to stack things up. Go ahead and turn your panini maker on, lay the bread flat, and top with shrimp evenly, followed by tomato, and light mozzerella cheese & a leaf of fresh basil. Add the top bread now to the sandwich and close that lovely panini maker

MOST IMPORTANT (YUMMY) STEP! :

My mom recently introduced me to something that I'm obsessed with. Take that garlic from earlier, and cut hotdog ways (I know) and rub it on the paninis when they come off the grill and are hot. The flavor spreads on like butter to the bread without any lumps! Great hit for garlic bread fresh out of the oven as well......

Now that you're done, add a nice light salad to the side and make your hubs smile :) This was our "before Bible study" meal bc we never have time for me to cook a detailed meal, and we were craving some cajun flavor.

Bon Appetite! xxx

PART II: Pan Fried Tilapia with garlic butter sauce...

toss your fillets with about 2 tablespoons of flour and some seafood seasoning (you can make your own like I showed you how to make the cajun kind, only leave out the cayenne pepper for this one). Add about a teaspoon of salt and 5 turns of fresh ground pepper and toss lightly.

While you sear these on both sides in some light olive oil, chop up a clove of garlic finely and (i like it better without and joey likes it with so this is an option) chop up some Roma tomatoes a place to the side. The tomatoes are an option. I thought they made the fish too acidic but joey liked that. This is your call :)

After the fish is seared, stick it in the oven on about 280-300 degrees just to keep it warm while you whip up your sauce. For the sauce just warm up 2 Tablespoons of butter (I use the "i cant believe its not..." kind) and allow that to melt in a small pan. Add garlic until soft (DONT BURN THIS keep your stove on very low). Once that is done, add fresh chopped parsley ( a few leaves), two huge squeezes of lemon juice, and set to the side. Pour on top of your fish and enjoy!

***if you used tomatoes, add those with the parsley and lemon juice, then pour that mixture onto the fish.

Happy Hump Day!

Potato Soup for the thighs...not the soul

Guilt-Free Comfort Food

Potato soup is one of my ultimate favorites! And I have a pretty awesome recipe that involves lots and lots of potatoes, with cream of chicken cans and a bit more lard in the mix to complete what makes quite an amazing dish......This, however, is not going to be in the mix for a bikini so in keeping with the theme, I figured I'd share a new low cal version that actually tastes pretty amazing! I got it from a site showing low cal versions of potato soup based on diets and this one went with weight watchers....2 points a cup. (minus the toppings) I would site it, but I cant remember the name and cant seem to relocate it for the life of me, but if you google it, there are hundreds of sites showing the recipe.

Serving size: 2 for dinner, leftovers for lunch...OR a family of four

Here's what you'll need:

1) Half a large bag of frozen hash browns

2) a packet of country style gravy mix

3) a chicken cube (I will not attempt to spell the word..although I say it quite nicely)

4)a tub of chicken broth (add more or less according to the consistency you're looking for)

5)cheddar cheese (2% milk)

6)Gwaltney bacon (green box 40% less fat) this isnt turkey bacon so it's still amazingly good

7) one clove of garlic finely chopped
Spray the bottom of your pan, and add the garlic on low to medium heat...careful to not burn it....until a golden shade.

Next you'll add a splash of your broth and all of your hash browns, keeping the heat on medium. Once the hash browns are soft, mush them a bit with a spoon, then add the remainder of your broth and simmer for about 15 minutes allowing the hash browns to soften a bit more. Mash again a little, then add the gravy seasoning and a chicken cube (or 2 depending on how thick your broth is). Add light salt, fresh pepper, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. (Those 2 yellow umps are my chicken cubes not quite melted....)
top with cooked crunchy bacon and some cheese. Serve with a yummy panini and enjoy your comfort food that you won't feel guilty about later on.

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend

xxx

Cajun Shrimp Pasta...AKA: GOODNESS on a plate

Well, after much deliberation I've decided to share one of my most secret recipes on one condition......NEVER claim that it looked better than mine! Deal?

Start off with these ingredients..This serves 3, or one wife plus a husband who skipped lunch (our case)

* 2 Tbs Cajun Seasoning (I make mine homemade, but you can buy some at the Grocery store..aka: blackening seasoning) just mix paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion salt, garlic salt, & some oregano.

*1 Tbs of italian seasoning

*Alfredo sauce (sorry, but this is one thing I refuse to attempt from scratch)

*Pasta (this brand has TONS of fiber making it a bit better than regular pasta, and actually the same as wheat while being WHITE) woop woop (smart taste/purple box)

*FRESH (I cannot stress this enough) LARGE uncooked shrimp (a little under a pound....or heck, as much as you want)

*parmesan cheese

*FRESH basil (I was out tonight and could tell it was missing :( ....)

*Olive Oil

Toss the shrimp in a container with the italian and cajun seasonings. Only add 1 Tbs of cajun seasoning if you are not into a little kick

sear on both sides in about a tablespoon of Olive Oil

Flip the shrimp to sear the other side, and allow it to begin to blacken a bit & cook through (about 3 minutes if heat is on medium)....meanwhile, be boiling that pasta. I recommend thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair rather than something thick. The thicker the noodle, the more Alfredo sauce you'll need, and the more alfredo, the more junk in your trunk....

once the shrimp is cooked, turn the stove down to low and add about 1/2 to 2/3 a cup of Alfredo sauce to the pan (this is your decision...this is the fattening part, so I always compare calories and fat grams bc there are HUGE differences between brands...trust me). I only added half a cup which was MORE than enough in my opinion

pour the mixture in a bowl and toss with pasta to fully cover the noodles. Serve with fresh parmesan and basil (lacking here) and I'd recommend some greens to go along with it. yummers

Skim the fat?

This recipe is honest to goodness NOT bad for you believe it or not IF you only have one plate, use the diet noodles (SUPER high in fiber) I recommended, and pick an alfredo with 7 grams of fat or under. I used diet cooking spray with a drop of oil rather than a full Tbs and skip the cheese for me. It's all about the corners you can cut when it comes to a meal like this....and I fill up on salad and asparagus before diving into the pasta! Shrimp is low in fat and calories so fill your plate with that and a small portion of the noodles....

Bon Appetite!

xxx

Chicken Parmesan (& it's not bad for you either!)

So I am constantly trying to turn fattening recipes into something a bit better for bikini season (and I LOVE pastas and cheese so that can be difficult @ times). Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite meals, but with all those noodles and fried-ness (my new word) it doesn't exactly keep the junk from the trunk. After searching through Cooking Light magazine, I found a recipe that only had about a BILLION grams of fat in it. Cooking LIGHT!!! Come on people!! Well, I took the "lighter" version and took it a step further to create one of our favorites since we got married.

Serving Size: 4 peeps, or two fat men

Get your favorite version of these things, and add 4 egg whites in a dish to the side.

1) 4 egg whites (2 whole eggs if you aren't watching your waste)

2) about a pound of boneless skinless chicken tenders

3) fresh basil (skip it if you only have the dry version ... yuck)

4) italian style bread crumbs (panko for more crunch & a few more calories)

5)

stick the chickens in the baby chickens.....i'm terrible at avoiding a drizzle of yoke :(

coat them in the bread crumbs top and bottom

then cook them in light cooking spray (or extra virgin olive oil) on medium to low heat to avoid burning the crumbs before the meat is cooked through. This is a grill pan from Williams Sonoma (AND I LOVE IT)

Once it looks golden brown, move your little chickens to a casserole dish coated lightly with spray

top with spaghetti sauce...don't get too happy with it though, Mozzerella cheese (2% milk for less fat), and fresh basil leaves on each tender

bake on 375 for 15 minutes then serve with some angel hair pasta with a bit of hot spaghetti sauce on it before placing the tenders on top. Since we left that part out for ours, we added some squash and okra instead. My dad's had the pasta though, and it looked GOOOOD

Goodnight! Just finished making my little container for my bedside table. It turned out pretty cute I think. I'll slap that on here tomorrow.
xxx