Wanted: More Flavor

What's for Dinner? 5/26/2010

-Fettucine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce
-Steamed Broccoli

The other day I was trying to organize my cookbooks a little bit and I stumbled across Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave. I bought this cookbook on an impulse a couple years ago and haven't really used it much since. If you don't know much about Ellie Krieger, she is a registered dietitian who first caught my eye when she had a show on the Food Network.

I flipped through the cookbook and landed on this recipe for Fettucine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce and decided to give it a shot.


Unfortunately, it was a little bland but it had potential. When I was searching for an online version of the recipe to post to the blog, I started reading some of the reviews on FoodNetwork.com and apparently I'm not the only one who thought it was a bit bland.

I think next time I would add some fresh basil and red pepper flakes to the sauce to give it a little more zip! Although we didn't love it, I do think it's worthy of another try with a few minor adjustments.

Want the recipe?

Here it is. Let me know if you have any luck tweaking it!

You know what's awesome?

It's cherry season!!!


You know what's not awesome?

How stinkin' expensive fresh cherries are!!! Even in season and on sale, my jaw still dropped when the cashier rang 'em up.

Oh well....they're worth it. :-)

Outta the Park Pork

What's for Dinner? 5/24/2010

-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Orange & Red Onion Salsa
-Brown Rice & Black Beans


This dinner was A HOME RUN! There's really no other way to put it!

The pork tenderloin was juicy and flavorful, the orange salsa was fresh and tangy, and the black beans & rice were mild and a perfect compliment to the rest.

This whole dish was a perfect example of how healthy food doesn't have to be bland food. Gotta love that! The recipe hails from Cooking Light, a.k.a. my go-to recipe-finder these days. CL definitely didn't let me down this time!

I highly, highly recommend trying this recipe. If you've not tried a single recipe I've blogged about yet, start with this one. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

As a side note, can I also just say that I am now a BIG FAN of frozen steamer bag brown rice?!?! I hate, hate, hate cooking rice because it seems to always be such a hassle and it never turns out right for me. HATE IT. Well, frozen steamer bag rice is my new BFF! Sooo much easier and it turned out perfectly.



Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Orange and Red Onion Salsa
Source: Cooking Light

Preparation Time: 40 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and about 1/4 cup salsa)

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup coarsely chopped orange sections (about 2 oranges)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer pan to oven. Bake at 450° for 17 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 5 minutes; cut across grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

3. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, oranges, and remaining ingredients. Serve salsa with pork.

Rice and beans: Cook 1 (10-ounce) package frozen long-grain brown rice (such as Birds Eye SteamFresh) according to package directions. Combine cooked rice, 1 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon chili powder.


CALORIES 220 ; FAT 8.5g (sat 2g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.5g); CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 44mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.6g; SODIUM 342mg; PROTEIN 23.6g; FIBER 4g; IRON 1.5mg

Cooking Light, APRIL 2009

My Name is Ashley and I Have an Addiction

It looks like this:


And this:

Oh dear Wallflower, how I love thee and the way you keep my bathroom smelling pretty even after my husband takes a dump in it. :)

And when they go on sale at Bath & Body Works and I happen to have a 20% off coupon, things like this end up happening:

{Not all of these are B&BW candles, FYI}

And, even worse than that, this happens:

I stocked up BIG TIME today! I'm constantly burning candles and I have 3 wallflowers spread throughout the house so I go through these things fast. I refuse to buy them at full price since if you wait a little while they always end up going on sale, like right now.

Wallflowers are on sale for $6 and 4oz. candles are on sale 2 for $10.

Also, here's a 20% off coupon {online or in stores} if you're interested. Unfortunately, it ends today so hurry up and use it ASAP!

Free Chick-fil-A

If you have a Chick-fil-A in your area, they are offering free trials of their new Spicy Chicken Sandwich!

Just go to this link, fill in your city, click on the location you want, and then make a "reservation" for a time to stop by and get your free chicken sandwich. Easy as that!

I've decided to veer off my healthy eating plan just a tad in honor of a free chicken sandwich. Free stuff gets me every time! ;-)

My Go-To Breakfast

On this blog I talk a lot about what I eat for dinner, but I don't often talk about what I eat for breakfast. Well, if you're curious here ya go:


That would be a packet of instant plain oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter and a good squeeze of honey. I call it PB&H Oatmeal. It's sooooooo good and it keeps me full for hours and hours.

I used to be an oatmeal hater, until I started reading healthy living blogs and realized you could do a lot to spruce it up. I soon realized I didn't hate oatmeal, I just hated plain and boring oatmeal.

Add in the honey and peanut butter and I am ALL OVER it and practically licking the bowl clean. So even if you think you hate oatmeal, please give this a try. You can thank me later. :)

Healthier BLTAM's

What's for Dinner? 5/21/2010

-Healthier BLTAM's
-Sweet Potato Oven Fries

BLTAM's {Bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado & mayo} are one of our favorite go-to, easy dinners. There's just nothing better than combo of salty bacon, creamy avocado & mayo, and the freshness of tomato and lettuce. It's just so dang good and ALWAYS hits the spot!


We made a couple of changes to make these a bit more health conscious than the last time:

1. Whole wheat bread.
2. Center-cut bacon, which is significantly leaner than your average bacon.
3. Light mayo.

Sweet potato fries also made another appearance tonight. They were made the same way as described in this post.