Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa (served with Jamaican Jerk Chicken)

Taken from Unsophisticook

Ingredients:
-2 cups diced pineapples (1 small pineapple - I estimated when dicing because I added it last, but didn't use whole pineapple)
-2 cups diced Roma tomatoes (I saw this as 2 tomatoes, but in recipe, it calls for 5 Romas)
-1 cup diced orange bell pepper (1 medium pepper)
-1/2 cup finely diced red onion (1/2 small red onion)
-1/2 cup finely diced jalapeno pepper (I used just 1 jalapeno with seeds and all)
-1/2 cup chopped cilantro
-1 large lime, zest and juice
-salt to taste

Directions:
1. Mix together

Notes:
I served with Jamaican jerk chicken, jasmine rice, and broccoli.  I used the jerk seasoning from the front aisle at HEB.  Probably got too much (2 spoonfuls).  Eric said it would be good as a bowl. Next time, cube the chicken, and cook in pan with jerk seasoning (marinating before, of course).

Don't need broccoli either - just serve with chicken and rice and salsa (maybe use 4 tomatoes instead of 2).

*Other

*Pineapple

*Mexican (at least the salsa part)

Slow Cooker Thai Basil Chicken Curry

Recipe taken from Closet Cooking.

Ingredients:
-1 lb chicken breast
-1 can coconut milk (I used whole milk)
-1 Tbsp curry powder
-1 Tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
-1 Tbsp lime juice (or rice vinegar - I used this)
-1 Tbsp coconut sugar (DOES NOT NEED, DO NOT ADD)
-1 onion, diced
-1 jalapeno, diced (seeds and all)
-4 cloves garlic, cuisinart-ed
-1 Tbsp ginger, cuisinart-ed
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-1/3 cup basil, chopped

Directions:
1. Place all in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours
2. Shred chicken
3. Add in cilantro and basil before serving

Notes:
-Was spicy with the whole jalapeno, but would keep it that way
-I think my slow cooker cooks fast or too high on low, so it was fully cooked in 4 hrs (maybe even less)
-Was too sweet, so would not add sugar next time

*Thai

Turkey meatloaf

Recipe taken from Super Healthy Kids

Ingredients:
-1 1/4 lb turkey (I only had 1 lb, could use 1 lbs if Jasmine staying with us)
-1/2 medium onion (I used 1 whole onion)
-1/2 medium red bell pepper (I used 1 whole pepper)
-1 clove garlic
-1 large egg
-1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
-1 TBSP Italian seasoning
-1/2 cup panko (used 1/4 cup)
-2 oz Swiss cheese (used grated fresh Parmesan)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a loaf pan
2. Mix all ingredients together. Use hands to mix, but do NOT over-mix!
3. Dump into loaf pan
4. Bake for 40 min

Note:
Original recipe called for sauteing onion, bell pepper, and garlic before adding to ground turkey, but I didn't do this.

-Eric liked it, so will make again.  Was like meatballs basically with less work, maybe?

*Italian

*American

Garlic hummus

Taken from Food for Fought

Ingredients:
-1 large head of garlic (I used 1.5 heads)
-3 TBSP olive oil
-1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
-1/3 cup tahini
-3 TBSP water - I used a lot more to thin it out
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper - had some good kick
-pinch of sea salt

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees Cut head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap in aluminum foil and heat for 40-45 min.
2. Add rest of ingredients to food processor + add cooled garlic
3. Add more water for consistency
4. Serve with more olive oil and dash of paprika

Michael Paul's recipe - that I didn't use, but want to use next time
(halved)
-1 can of chickpeas
-100 mg of tahini sauce
-3 lemons - 100 mL
-1.5 garlic heads
-2-4 TBSP olive oil
-1-2 TBSP apple vinegar
-1/2 tsp cumin
-30 mL hamod al hosrom

-Add chickpea water to make mixture smooth

*Snack

Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce

Used a couple of different websites for this one.  May need to look up more to continue to tweak it.
My Sugar Free Kitchen, Beauty from Burnt Toast, and JoCooks

Meatballs:
~1 cup of breadcrumbs (toasted 2 slices of bread and Cuisinart-ed)
1 inch ginger (2 inches was Cuisinart-ed to use in sauce, too)
3 garlic (3 + 2 were Cuisinart-ed to use in sauce, too)
1 jalapeno pepper (I chopped with glove and kept seeds/insides, could have been spicier)
1/4 cup chopped white onion (I forgot to do)
1 tsp chili paste (didn't have - next time use more red pepper flakes on top of jalapenos)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce (may try without in future bc it was salty)
1 Tbsp red curry paste
Pepper for taste
1 lb ground chicken or turkey
*Didn't add - Thai basil/Basil

Peanut sauce (had doubled from original):
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic (see above, already Cuisinart-ed)
1 inch ginger (see above, already Cuisinart-ed)
1 can of lite coconut milk
5 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter (1/4 cup = 4 Tbsp, so use a little more than 1/4 cup)
2 tsp honey
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp lime juice
2 Tbsp red curry paste
Lots of red pepper flakes (didn't have 1 Tbsp chili paste)

Directions for meatballs:
1. Make Jasmine rice
2. Cuisinart the toast - set aside to dry
3. Cuisinart the garlic - set aside half for the sauce - add to bowl
4. Cuisinart the ginger - set aside half for the sauce - add to bowl
5. Chop jalapeno - keep the insides - add to bowl
6. Chop the onion - add to bowl
7. Add the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, fish sauce, red curry paste, pepper
8. Whisk egg - add to bowl
9. Add the chicken or turkey
10. Add the bread crumbs - Mix with hand
11. Use Tbsp spoon to put onto pan - put in oven for 400 degrees for 15-20 min

Directions for peanut sauce
(Cook veggies while making peanut sauce?)
1. Mix honey, soy sauce, lime juice, red curry paste, and red pepper flakes in bowl
2. Sauté garlic and ginger with sesame oil
3. Add coconut milk and stir for 1 min
4. Add peanut butter and stir for 1 min
5. Add rest of ingredients
6. Keep warm on stove

Veggies:
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1 bag of snap peas
1 avocado on top

Notes: Original recipe called for 4 Tbsp peanut butter, but I added an extra while tasting it.  Tasted a bit watery.  Eric's recipe had 1 full cup of peanut butter.
It was a lot of work.  Eric mentioned just using chicken and peanut sauce without the meatball part.  Would try cooking one more time now that I know how to do the order of things.
There was a low level spice, but could have been spicier.

I like the ground chicken because HEB packaged more than 1 lb.  It was pretty mushy when using.

*Thai

*Asian

Balsalmic chicken

Recipe taken from Evolving Table

Ingredients:
-Chicken breast - used tenders
-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar - used a little less
-1/4 cup chicken broth - used a little more, but maybe that's why took longer to reduce
-2 tbsp. honey - use a little less next time
-2 cloves garlic crushed
-1/2 tsp salt to taste
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp rosemary fresh, finely chopped (used Cuisinart, but could have tried knife for better chop)
-1 Tbsp olive oil - accidentally added this to the marinade? try skipping?

Instructions:
1. Mix vinegar, broth, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary - Add 1/3 of mixture to ziplock bag to marinate chicken for 15-30 min
2. Bake chicken in oven - website state to cook 3-4 min in cast iron skillet
3. Add remaining balsamic marinade to small saucepan and bring to a boil, boil 1 min, then simmer for 10 min (more like 15 min) to form a glaze

Notes:

I served with mini potatoes and veggie medley (broccoli, bell peppers, onions).  Eric said glaze would be good with asparagus next time.

*American

Italian meatballs

Took some ideas from different websites - iamthatlady.com, bunsinmyoven.com, tasteandsee.com, and cleanfoodcrush.com

Ingredients
-1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)
-4 cloves of garlic (Cuisinart-ed)
-1 egg
-1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
-1/8 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (didn't measure out, but could have used more)
-1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
-1 tsp Italian seasoning
-1 tsp Oregano
-1 tsp basil (used fresh from the garden) - Cuisinart-ed
-1 tsp dried parsley
-salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tsp of each roughly)
-1 jar marinara sauce 
-zoodles

Instructions:
1. Mix all into bowl with the ground meat
2. Use spoon (my TBSP) to scoop meat onto tray
3. Cook 15-20 min in oven at 400 F
4. Mix zoodles with half a jar of marinara sauce (use other 1/2 for second night) - also add some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and generous amount of crushed red pepper
5. Serve zoodles, sauce, and meatballs

Notes:
-I also served with asparagus, one bell pepper, one onion that was cooked in the Air Fryer for more food.

-Eric said to add some FENNEL next time

*Italian

Chimichurri sauce

Eric didn't like it, so not sure if I will make again, but I liked it.
Recipe taken from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:
-1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, tightly packed 
-1 cup fresh cilantro, tightly packed
-1/2 cup diced red onion
-3 Tbsp fresh oregano (I used 1 tsp of dried oregano)
-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (I used juice of one lime)
-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (thought this was too much)
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I sprinkled generously and could have used some more)
-1/2 cup of olive oil

Directions:
-Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food process, and pulse a few times until chopped.  Slowly stream in olive oil, while pulsing the mixture a few more times until combined.

Notes:
-more red pepper flakes
-too much red wine vinegar
-I served with chicken and asparagus

-I think I made this before and should try using with flank steak next time instead of chicken

----------------------------------------------

Tried a NEW recipe that was kind of combination of two recipes for cilantro-only chimichurri (Brazilian Kitchen) + roasted garlic (from WonkyWonderful), and STILL was NOT right.  

Used on roasted veggies - mini potatoes, bell peppers, and onions with a turkey burger.  

Eric said tasted good, but too "wet" as in he would have preferred this as a dip and veggies be crispy.  Maybe next time:

-no red wine vinegar.  Try lime juice again.  Less olive oil.  Try raw garlic again.  Try shallot instead of red onion. Do the olive oil stream?

Ingredients:

-2 bunches of fresh cilantro (about 2 cups, not packed though)

-2 heads roasted garlic

-3/4 cup olive oil (added less than this and still too much)

-1/4 small red onion

-1 tsp dried oregano (recipe called for 2 tsp)

-1 tsp red pepper flakes (recipe called for 2 tsp)

-1 tsp red wine vinegar (recipe called for 2 tsp) - STILL TOO MUCH

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

-Used a blender instead of food processor (so didn't do the olive oil stream)

Skinny Pineapple Chicken with Cashews

Recipe taken from Bowl of Delicious.
Felt like making Asian last night.  I doubled the sauce because I added veggies (bell pepper trio) and onions.

Ingredients:
-chicken breast, 1.5 lbs cubed
-salt and pepper to taste
-Your choice veggies: bell pepper trio, red onions
-1 cup fresh diced pineapple (reserve juices if any to add to sauce below)
-1/2 cup of cashews

Sauce:
-2 (4) garlic cloves
-1 (2) Tbsp ginger
-2 (4) Tbsp rice wine vinegar - tasted too vinegary! use less next time
-2 (4) Tbsp soy sauce
-2 (4) tsp Sriracha sauce - used maybe a little more, had some kick
-1/2 (1) tsp toasted sesame oil
-Sprinkled red pepper flakes for more spice
-leftover pineapple juice if any
-2 tsp corn starch + 1/4 cup of water 

Directions:
1. Combine ingredients to make sauce + cornstarch/water - set aside
2. Cook chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder - set aside
3. Cook veggies a little bit
4. Add sauce and stir
5. Add cornstarch/water mix - whisk with fork before adding
6. Stir until thickened
7. Add cashews and diced pineapple

Notes:
Served with rice.
As mentioned above, too vinegary, would add less than 4 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar.  Pineapple is already kind of acidic.

*Pineapple

*Asian

Avocado Pesto

Recipe taken from Eat Yourself Skinny

Ingredients:
-2 avocados
-1 cup fresh basil leaves
-3 cloves of garlic (used 4 and had some extra bite)
-1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted (no more than 1/4 bc can be too nutty)
-2 tbsp. lemon juice (used 1 whole lemon)
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-3 Tbsp olive oil
-cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Mix in large Cuisinart
2. Added a little water (1/8 cup) to thin it out a little

Notes:
-Served with veggies (red onion, bell peppers, broccoli) and chicken - seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder
-can do with zoodles as in the website recipe
-unfortunately, have to make separately each day because avocados can go bad - but could try pre-making and freezing afterwards.  I just pre-peeled garlic and set aside the toasted pine nuts for the next day's serving.

*Italian

*American

Barbeque sauce

Recipe taken from @cleanfoodcrush

Ingredients
-15 ounces organic tomato sauce
-1 Tbsp tomato paste
-2 tsp mustard (OMITTED FOR THE HUBS)
-1/3 cup raw honey (use a little less next time as it was pretty sweet)
-1/4 cup high quality balsamic vinegar
-1/2 cup of water
-2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or unsulphured molasses --> maybe try next time?)
-1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or coconut aminos --> maybe try next time?)
-1 tsp sea salt
-2 tsp smoked paprika
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp ground black pepper (ADD MORE)
-Did not measure, but added a lot of white pepper for a spicier taste

Directions.
1. Add all ingredients to a saucepan
2. Bring to a nice simmer over medium-high heat (at least a 7)
3. Lower heat to low (1) and simmer while occasionally whisking for about 30 min (did it for 28 as it was starting to smoke)
4. Allow to cool completely
5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week

Notes:
-Served with chicken strips (oven), cauliflower (oven), and mini-potatoes (air-fryer) that were all seasoned with the same spices as above + cayenne pepper for added heat.
-Would consider cooking the night before (Saturday) and then cooking it with the chicken the next day or in a slow cooker shredded chicken recipe

*American

Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer

Depends on how you cut the fries, but was really good thinly cut by my husband.

*EDIT - I tried a recipe that added 3 Tbsp cornstarch to the spices, and it tasted BAD!!! Also only did for 20 min because looking at a different recipe, not the one on my blog, and it was NOT crispy.  There is another recipe that I didn't use that uses cornstarch on Instagram, but it is a lot of steps parboiling sweet potatoes and using the oven, so not sure if it's even worth it.  I guess I'll just stick with frozen if you want sweet potato fries. 

Ingredients:
-olive oil or avocado oil
-whatever spices you want

Tonight, I used combination of:
-garlic powder
-jalapeno salt
-cumin
-paprika
-onion powder

Directions:
1. Toss oil and spices with fries
2. Cook in air fryer for 15 min on 400 degrees
3. Shake in basket
4. Cook in air fryer for 10 min on 400 degrees

Note:
-More thickly cut slices for 10 min + 10 min on 400 degrees was UNDERCOOKED
-2nd round with thinly cut slices was 15 min on 370 degrees and was TOO CRISPY?

*Sides

*American

Korean Ground Turkey

I used 2 recipes for Korean Beef Bowls from Damn Delicious and Skinnytaste.

Used to be made with zoodles, but complicated dish too much.  Also, zoodles are either expensive or a lot more work, so just use chopped zucchini now.

Ingredients

-1 pound ground turkey

-fresh ginger (2 inches), cuisinarted

-garlic, 3-6 cloves cuisinarted
-VEGGIES: zucchini, onions, bell peppers

-TOPPINGS: green onions, sesame seeds

SAUCE:

-1 tablespoon of light brown sugar (or sub honey)

-1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce

-2 tablespoons of water

-Crushed red pepper flakes

-1 tsp sesame oil

Directions

1. Mix sauce ingredients in bowl

2. Cuisinart the ginger and garlic

3. Cook ground turkey with ginger, garlic, and sauce
4. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds

*Asian

Mexican Turkey Burgers (with Smashed Avocado)

Recipe taken from Once A Month Meals and adjusted for 1 pound of ground meat

Ingredients:

-1 pound of ground turkey (or chicken)

-1 egg

-1/2 white onion, diced (could do a little less)

-2-4 cloves of garlic, cuisinarted

-1/2 jalapeno (with seeds), cuisinarted (could do a little more)

-1/4 cup cilantro, cuisinarted
-1/4 cup panko crumbs
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp red pepper flakes (omitted, but is needed as jalapeno not spicy enough)

Avocado smash (not quite guacamole)
-1 small avocado
-1 small key lime or 1/2 of a regular lime
-garlic powder
-cilantro

Directions:
1. Combine into 4 patties and grill
2. Combine avocado smash ingredients and place first on toasted bun
3. Toast bun with some olive oil spray and garlic powder and/or jalapeno salt

Other
-burger also served with sliced white onion, sliced tomatoes, and jalapenos (for the hubby)

-served tonight with sweet potato fries and corn on the cob

*Burger

*Mexican

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup in Air Fryer

Taken from from The Foodie Eats.
Eric really liked it!

Ingredients:
-1 bag of Brussels sprouts (not sure how many pounds it was, supposed to be 1 lb per the recipe)
-1/4 cup of olive oil
-1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
-1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
-1/2 tsp. sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper (I estimated all the amounts, but Eric said he wanted more pepper)
-4 bacon slices, cut

Directions:
1. Cut/halve Brussels sprouts
2. Mix olive oil, maple syrup, vinegar, salt, and pepper with sprouts
3. Air fry at 370 F for 10 min
4. Shake it up
5. Air fry at 400 F for 7 min

NOTE: Again, I estimated all the amounts.  I had bought 2 bags of Brussels sprouts, but had to split it up for the air fryer.  So ok to cut up the sprouts beforehand, but cook half one night and half the next night. 

*American

*Sides