Hi, my name is Aileen and it’s great to see you here sharing my blog. I have been cooking since I was a teen. My Mom put a home cooked meal on the table every night and so do I (it’s a challenge when you work full time, but it is well worth it!). I love food – I love making it, I love eating it. I love how it brings people together. My most favorite thing to do is share a meal with family and friends. And we often end up talking about other food while we are eating this food.
There’s pretty much nothing I can’t make, though I really prefer cooking savory meals to baking. I have made it all from scratch at one time or another and still cook mainly this way. I have a discerning palate and a taste for spicing things just the right way. My recipes are definitely not bland and that helps when creating satisfying meals – your mouth knows it ate after it’s done with one of my meals
I am one of 5 Neon Pigs, a self named group of foodies. How did we get the name? We decided it was sooooo appropriate because everything right in the world exists in a BBQ joint with a neon pig hung in the window
I was blessed with a great metabolism and for years and years ate anything I wished without gaining an ounce. From 35 forward I gained a few pounds here and a few pounds there and then after age 40 my metabolism came to a screeching halt and I could just not get off the weight that had compounded with just plain exercise. A drastic plan was needed….so here I am, 40 something and trying to make my world right by creating recipes that satisfy yet still fall into a healthful lifestyle that I know I will have to now forever follow if I want to maintain a healthy body.
When I first had this in a Brazilian restaurant I came home and scoured the net to find a recipe that was similar to what I had just tasted. After much trial and error, this is the recipe that grew out of many test batches.
When this is paired with meats and fishes, it makes the meal super refreshing and turns the simplest of grilled meats into a flavor sensation – it is soooo good ! But beware – this does leave you with some pretty heavy duty garlic breath – this is not a good recipe for date nite !
Just a tablespoon or 2 served with grilled beef, chicken or fish is a taste treat you won’t soon forget !
My Salsa Verde
15 servings
39 calories per serving
(1 serving=1T)
7 cloves garlic
2 c fresh parsley
2 c fresh cilantro
10-12 T fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
¼ c olive oil
¼ – ½ c vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Place garlic in a good processor and mince finely. Add parsley and cilantro and mince finely – so fine that the mixture is more of a paste than chopped herbs. Place in a bowl and mix with all the other ingredients. Refrigerate 1 hour to overnight to let the flavors mingle.
I’ve been making this side salad for years. It is great alongside so many dishes ! Sometimes it’s even good as a lunch served with a few low fat crackers.
Spicy Black Bean Salad
10 servings
250 calories per serving
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can mandarin oranges, rinsed
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 c chunky salsa
¼ c lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t ground cumin
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
Take the whole frying hassle out of French toast preparation – and add some great apples and nuts along the way. This was a really easy way to prep a great breakfast. Add some extra maple syrup over the top to give it even more flavor !
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast
4 servings
280 calories per serving
½ c Egg Beaters
2 egg whites
¾ c skim milk
1 T Splenda
½ t vanilla extract
½ t cinnamon
8 slices cinnamon raisin bread (80 calories per slice) cut in half diagonally
1 t buttery spread
1 T maple syrup
2 apples sliced thinly
4 T sliced almonds
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with Pam. Whisk Egg Beaters, egg whites, milk, splenda, vanilla and cinnamon then pour into pan and top with the bread slices. Flip the bread over once to it gets a little coating on each side. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes then remove foil and bake another 8-10 minutes. Melt butter in skillet and add syrup, then apples. Cover and cook on low heat 10 minutes or until apples are soft then uncover and cook 1 minute to dry up the mix a little. Serve bread with the apple mixture over top and sprinkle with nuts.
Sometimes it’s hard to put together a meal. There are a lot of pieces to put together. You have to:
put together a balanced, nutritional meal picture different flavor combinations so you know how they will mix come in on target for your calorie allotment
Here I’ve put together some suggestions for you. The dinners come in under 400 calories and are balanced meals that taste good when all put together on the same plate.
The ranch dressing adds a nice kick of flavor to the chicken and then mellows out the creamy sauce in this primavera. I have lots of recipes gathered up for primavera and this is one of my favorites 🙂
Penne Chicken Primavera
4 servings
395 calories per serving
8 oz. uncooked FiberGourmet Penne pasta (without Fiber Gourmet, you have to add 80 calories per serving)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite sized pieces
1 oz. package dry ranch dressing mix
1 T buttery spread
1 garlic clove, minced
16 oz. frozen vegetable mix (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots)
1 c skim milk
¼ c low fat cream cheese
½ c shredded parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Place chicken and dressing mix in a zip loc bag and shake to coat it well. Melt spread and cook garlic one minute then add chicken and cook another 4 minutes to brown it some. Add veggies, cover and cook 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and stir in milk mix and cream cheese. Cook 2 minutes stirring constantly then add pasta and parmesan cheese.
This is best done in an oval 5 quart crock so the meat fits well. The meat becomes so, so tender, you can cut it with a fork. This is a great meal for busy weekdays – it takes on 10 minutes to prep and then you can be out all day and come home to a great hot meal. To make it a more complete meal, throw in some baby carrots to cook along with the potatoes and onions. Like many crock pot recipes, the potatoes can come out looking a bit rough – but let me tell you, they taste GREAT and they melt in your mouth !
8 servings
320 calories per serving
3 lb lean London broil
2 T flour
1 T mustard
1 T chili sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t cider vinegar
4 potatoes, sliced
2 onions, sliced
½ c water
Place meat in crock. Pour water around meat. Make a paste of the flour, mustard, chili sauce, Worcestershire and vinegar and rub over the meat. Add potatoes and onions. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours.
The filling for these wraps would be just as good as a dip served with tortilla chips.
Tex Mex Wraps
4 servings
270 calories per serving
15 oz. kidney beans, rinsed and drained
8 oz. can of corn, drained
¼ c chopped red bell pepper
¼ c thick salsa
1 T chopped cilantro
4 tortillas (80 calories Smart and Delicious)
½ c shredded light cheddar cheese
Mix beans, corn, pepper, salsa and cilantro and spread ¾ c in each tortilla and wrap. Here is a video showing you a good way to do this:
This dressing was a super change from the ordinary vinegar dressing – the Dijon gave just enough tang to make the dish interesting without overpowering the flavor of the tomatoes. I am looking forward to farmer’s market tomatoes !
Marinated Tomatoes
8 servings
60 calories per serving
Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chopped oregano
2 T oil
1 T Dijon mustard
½ t salt
½ t pepper
½ t onion powder
This was a perfect meal to serve for guests – tasty, elegant, refined. It was also so perfectly seasoned with the dressing, rosemary and sundried tomatoes. This is one of those recipes that will be made again and again !
Rosemary Chicken with White Beans
4 servings
380 calories per serving
1/3 c low fat Italian dressing
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 oz. each)
¼ c water
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
¼ c chopped drained sun dried tomatoes in oil
1 t rosemary leave flakes
19 oz. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Heat dressing in skillet and cook chicken 5 minutes per side or until browned. Reduce heat to medium low and add water, carrots, celery, tomatoes and rosemary then cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in beans and cover and cook 5 minutes or until beans are warm.
