dijon wine chicken

This is worth making for the smell alone. Great for using up random leftovers in your fridge. Serves 4.

• 1 cup white wine (whatever you have on hand, seriously)

• 1/3 cup heavy cream, half and half, or milk

• 3 tbs dijon mustard

• 4 cloves minced garlic

• 2 pounds chicken breasts - boneless, skinless

• 2 tbs thyme

• 1 tbs sage

• 2 tbs butter

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 1 handful baby spinach or kale

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

In the Crockpot, combine the wine, milk/cream, mustard, and garlic. Season each chicken breast with thyme, sage, and black pepper before adding to the Crockpot. Add the butter.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. When there is 30 minutes left, stir in the spinach, peas, and cheese.

Serve over mashed potatoes, quinoa, rice, or pasta.

honey soy pork chops

Let it be known I don’t like pork chops, but I ate these. Would be good with rice or steamed veggies. Serves 2 but can be doubled if your cast iron skillet is big enough.

• 2 boneless pork chops

• 1/2 cup flour for dredging, season with black pepper

• 3 tbs butter

• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tbs honey

• 4 cloves of minced garlic

Coat the pork chops in the flour/pepper. Add 1 tbs butter to a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add the pork, and cook for 3-4 minutes each side.

Meanwhile, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, honey, and garlic in a small bowl. Once the chops have been cooked on each side, add 2 tbs butter and the sauce to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the pork is white all the way through.

white chicken chili

Nothing better than throwing dinner in the Crockpot and having it be done by the time you get home from work. Makes 4 large servings.

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 24 ounces low sodium chicken broth

• 1 15-ounce can Northern beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles, whatever heat you like

• 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

• 1/2 tsp each black pepper, chili powder, cilantro

• 1 tsp each cumin, oregano

• salt to taste

• 2 tsp cornstarch

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup milk (or half and half; nondairy unsweetened works well too)

Add chicken and all spices to Crockpot. Top with onion, garlic, beans, chiles, corn, and chicken broth. Stir. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and return to Crockpot. Whisk the cornstarch into the milk and add milk and cream cheese to Crockpot. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Leave on warm until you are ready to serve.

breakfast smoothie

For when you need to fool yourself into eating a vegetable. Makes 2 smaller smoothies or 1 very large one.

• 1 banana

• 1 cup frozen fruit (I like mixed berries but anything will work here)

• 1 handful baby spinach

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

• Orange juice and/or water

Combine all ingredients in a blender/food processor/whatever you have. Add 1/4 cup of liquid to start. Blend, and add more liquid to your preference. Serve immediately or freeze overnight.

lazy day pasta bake

I totally made this recipe up and it didn’t suck, so here we go. Perfect for a snow day/sick day/comfort food day and very customizable. Makes 6-8 servings.

• 1 pound pasta of your choice (elbows, ziti, penne, etc. would work)

• 1 jar vodka sauce (or regular pasta sauce)

• 1 pound cooked/skinned sausage of your choice, cut into slices

• 2 handfuls baby spinach

• 1 cup ricotta cheese

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package. Drain. Preheat the oven to 400º.

In the original pasta pot, lightly brown the sausage pieces in olive oil. Stir in the spinach. Once wilted, add the sauce.

When the sauce is heated through, add the pasta and stir to combine.

In a large glass baking dish, add half the pasta. Spoon the ricotta cheese evenly over the pasta, and then add the rest of the pasta on top. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven or until the cheese has just melted.