Several New Recipes

So far this year I have really tried to think before I eat. I'm trying to make better choices along with eating less. I am very early in my journey but I have lost five pounds so far this month. I am very very pleased with that but still have a long way to go. I also have concerns that the weight loss will slow down/stop and I will lose my motivation to try. Again. Before I eat I think, "would my great grandmother have eaten this?" If it didn't exist when she was alive I think twice about eating it. Right now I think about it more than I execute it but it's a start in the right direction. 

Thanks to Pinterest I have a never ending supply of new recipes to try. Some are healthier than others but all are better than some of the things I was preparing that used Cheese Whiz etc. The title of the new dish is a link to the original recipe.

Taco Chicken Bowl

I followed the chicken seasoning part of the recipe pretty closely. ( I used less chicken but that was not a big deal.) I did serve this over my spanish rice instead of just white rice. I made my own beans so there would be less sodium so they weren't in the crock pot the whole time. It was a great idea but we didn't like the jar salsa flavor on the chicken. We will make this again but I will use seasoned tomatoes along with the spices instead of the jar salsa. It is pretty similar in taste to the chicken chili I tried last month so I need to make sure those two meals are spaced out. 

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

This is my new most favorite recipe ever. Paul and I loved it! The kids, not so much. They didn't despise it but they didn't love it either. Their loss. We've already made this twice. 

I didn't use the optional Sriracha but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. I used natural peanut butter, one time it was smooth and one time I used crunchy. I preferred the smooth in this recipe but I'm all out of that and only have crunchy so that's what I'll use. It's fine, just...chunkier. Imagine that!

I served it over Jasmine rice with cilantro garnish. We also had roasted curry cauliflower with it. It was a really great meal. I may even make it again this coming week. Yum! 

Cauliflower Poppers

  

I did not follow the seasoning part of this recipe at all. I drizzled the pieces with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, curry powder and garlic powder. I baked/roasted as directed. The kids screamed when they saw this on the table, "YELLOW BROCCOLI?!?" Nope, just curry cauliflower. Paul and I really enjoyed this easy side dish. We've made it three times over the last couple of weeks. I can't wait to try it will all sorts of different seasonings. You could really make it to fit any meal.

Oatmeal Honey Whole Wheat Rolls

These were good but not pretty like the picture on the original recipe and they were a little heavy for my taste. Now, I did rush them and I think I added too much wheat flour. After mixing it in my Kitchen Aid I kneaded more flour in and I really don't think it needed it. They are TOTALLY worth working on. Next time I make them I will allow three hours, at least. I will let them rise longer and I will try rolling them out just a little and cutting them into rectangles. It may or may not work but these little pinch off and tuck into ball rolls were ugly! We had three leftover. I tried one the next day and it was almost better than it had been the first day. I ended up eating all three, one right after the other. Don't judge! They were really enjoyable. I froze half a dozen balls. I'll be curious to see how they do. If they don't come alive well after being frozen I will know that next time to bake them all since they are so good the next day! 

Oh So Good Chicken (Only it wasn't that good but I'll take the blame) 

The kids hated this and acted like we were trying to torture them. It was weird. I think our problem was toooo much sauce! It never really caramelized. I used way less chicken than the recipe called for so it was totally my fault. This was a recipe that I thought at first glance was pretty healthy but when I started making it I realized there was a ton of sugar in it. How did I miss that much sugar in the ingredients?!? I did version two, the fast version to avoid the frying so it would be healthier. Maybe that was an issue too? It was very peppery and really intensely flavored. Paul and I didn't mind it but I can understand why the kids didn't love it. I would eat it again if it was healthier but since it's not I doubt I will cook it again. We served this will the whole wheat rolls, baked potato and a green salad.