Pan Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

This is by far, one of the best salsas I've had. I have a soft spot for salsa verde because it's mild but packs a lot of flavor. Plus, the sweetness from the tomatillos is a little, added bonus. I've never made a salsa like this before and it's now one of my favorite things. I would be lying if I said I didn't eat a big spoonful every time I walked into the kitchen...

Cod Fillets with Blood Orange Citrus Sauce

I think I have a bias towards cod. It's just so mild and there is so much you can do with it! If you look at my fish recipes on here, about 99% are cod. Maybe I should broaden my seafood selections a bit...

Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Garlic

I originally planned for this tart to be a quick, plain tomato-style to use up some of my garden tomatoes. Instead, I just kept adding things and it turned into an awesome tart with zucchini and garlic. Those combinations are so amazing together!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This is another one of those spur of the moment recipes that happened by chance.

Tuscan Cauliflower, Tomato, and Bean Sauté

I've been working on this little at-home challenge where I'm trying to eat more vegetables every day. Some days I achieve my goal, some days I don't. But the good days outweigh the bad and I think I'll eventually hit the amount that I'm happy with each and every day. In an effort to help me succeed, I'm trying to whip up these awesome side dishes that serve more as the main entrée than the actual side.

Poached Cod with Shallot Butter Sauce

I love trying out new recipes for fish. And most of the time, that fish just happens to be cod. It's our favorite. And when I say our, I mean my son and I. My husband just won't touch it! Well, I guess I should say that he won't touch the kind I make. He only likes it fried. Why? Because then you don't taste fish, of course!

Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Avocado

I'm on a quinoa kick. And I'm always looking for new things to do with avocados, so why not combine the two! This one was inspired by a recipe a friend shared on Facebook. You can find it here: http://theleancleaneatingmachine.com/2014/01/17/quinoa-stuffed-avocados/

The original was more of a Mexican-flavored meal so I decided to change it up and bring on some completely different flavors. The only way to go, of course, was Mediterranean style!

Warm Chick Pea, Pea Pod, and Tomato Salad

When you have pork in the Crock Pot that's ready to be shredded for tacos, the only logical thing to do is come up with a great side dish that is different than your standard, plain beans. Not that there's anything wrong with beans (I love black beans just hanging out by themselves), but I wanted something new.

Naked Jalapeño Poppers

My husband and I are big fans of jalapeño poppers. It's been quite awhile since we had them though because the fried goodness just isn't good for you. Tasty? Oh yeah. But to eat a lot of them is just soooo not gonna happen around here.

Pureed Cauliflower Soup

We're totally on a cauliflower kick over here. My son absolutely loves it so I've been trying out some different things. I did the (suddenly so popular) cauliflower pizza crust but I need work on it some more. I think it could be much better so more on that later.

I've also done it steamed with carrots and then seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper. It's really good, but kind of boring. But, hey, if my kid will eat it then I love it.

Mediterranean Baked Cod

This one. This one is probably one of my favorites. And my son's favorites. You just have to love when your six year old's new favorite dinner is fish, right?

(Did I mention he's six now? When did this happen? He was just a tiny baby, wasn't he? Well, my little man just had a birthday and at least I can say that I'm handling this one better than I handled it when he turned five. Not sure why since six means he's officially a kid and not my baby anymore. How can he not be my baby anymore? How will I get through this?! Well, after I commented that he was getting so big, he proceeded to reassure me that no matter how old we both get, he'll be my baby forever. He knows just what to say to get to this momma's heart...)

Okay, mini meltdown over. Now I can get back to the recipe...

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

You may have thought that quinoa was just a trend, but it's here to stay. It's delicious, it's versatile, and it's really good for you.

It can get boring eating it plain though, so I like to add fun things to mine. This one is so great because it's not your traditional hot side dish. Because of the mild flavor additions, it's best served at room temperature. This allows all the flavors to meld together nicely and softly pronounce each one.

It goes with pretty much anything, but it's so good and filling that I could just make this a meal!

Chicken Breasts with Quick Wine Cherry Pan Sauce

We eat a lot of chicken over here. And because of that, I'm always looking for new ways to jazz it up.

Crock Pot Italian Sausage with Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers

I love my Crock Pot. But really, who doesn't? I'm a big fan of it for a lot of different reasons but the stand-out is giving me good food with little effort. And on a busy work day when there is soccer practice after school, nothing sounds better.

Better For You Broccoli Salad (Healthier!)

Yes, a healthier version of the classic. Yes, it is just as delicious.

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Mango

Have you ever had one of those days where you're just craving something veggie packed and fruity at the same time? I have. On many occasions actually.

Crock Pot Chicken Breasts with Potatoes, Onions and a Rosemary Herb Sauce

Man, I just love my crock pot. I don't love when I go to make something only to discover I have everything but one key ingredient. (We'll just call that a tiny bit of poor planning on my part.) That poor planning did lead to this impromptu chicken though. And since it was really tasty, I'm not too distraught over my initial meal not happening.

Zucchini Pineapple Muffins

These. Oh boy. These are some good muffins. It's almost like a little zucchini bread for one. But better. These muffins are good and good for you. You can be very happy while eating them.

We've really been focusing on the healthy lifestyle over here, but that doesn't mean we're not going to enjoy food. I mean, come on...food is delicious! Why would you deny yourself the good stuff? You just have to make sure the good stuff is good for you. And these muffins totally are. They're so moist and there's just enough sweetness to make you feel like you're getting a great little dessert. Or breakfast. Yeah...I think I may have one for breakfast...

**Update**
I have tweaked the recipe slightly by removing baking soda, lemon juice, and some of the sugar. I have also increased the baking powder by 1 tsp. The muffins have a better texture and taste just as good!

Chicken with Peapods and Carrots

According to my 5-year old, this is the best dinner he's ever had. Now, he does seem to say that a lot, but this time he said that it was not only better than pepperoni pizza or chicken noodle soup, but it was also better Panda Express Orange Chicken. It's a special treat type of thing, but he loves that damn orange chicken....

This diner gets an A+ from all of us. I'm so happy when I'm able to create something that everyone likes and that can actually make people smile. My husband - who is even pickier than the boy - loved it! Now that is a big deal because he just honestly couldn't care less about food. I just don't understand that but to each their own I guess.

Tortellini Primavera

Every once in awhile I buy fresh tortellini. And when I do it's only from Costco because #1 the price is amazing and #2 it's really good. There is a lot though so I end up freezing about two-thirds of it. I love to create new recipes using this tortellini because it's so easy to work with and it's cheese-filled so it goes with everything.

I also look for new ways to incorporate vegetables into our meals that aren't just sitting as a side dish. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just fun to have them involved with the main course sometimes. This pasta dish is great because you can use any vegetable you have in the fridge or the freezer. You can get really creative with this one so I encourage you to use your favorites to make this dish your own. We love broccoli and always have some in the freezer so this was the main vegetable in this version. I combined it with carrots and red pepper but you can easily use zucchini, peapods, other peppers, onions, tomatoes, or anything else you can think of! Serve it up with a salad or some crusty bread and you're good to go!