You can't afford not to...

Now that Mike and I are at home more often, we thought we would try cooking more. We would go on our weekly trip to the Calgary Farmer's Market and pick up lots of fresh produce, delicious local cheeses, and everything we thought we needed to feast on for a week. It always seemed though that we were getting bored with the meals we were preparing. You can only eat so much homemade spaghetti or grilled chicken dishes.

Mike was looking online for a solution to our boring eating routine and came across something that has already changed our lives -in just a few days.

This past week Mike and I have eaten exciting dinners at home (almost) every night. We made one exception on tuesday when we ate at JLYS- like we always do :)

So far we've been delighted to try:

Chicken Burrito's with Mango Salsa served with Black Beans with Cumin and Cilantro -(my favorite so far!)

Bacon Mozzarella Burgers served with Romaine and Pine Nut Salad



Slow Cooker Asian Shredded Pork served with (delicious!) Honey glazed Snow Peas and Carrots


I didn't take photo's of all our meals, so I will just leave you with those tasty images for now...

The website that we signed up to is called Relish! You pay $7 a month to join, and we think that it's totally worth it because they make it so simple.

Once you've signed up to Relish! You can browse through a bunch of recipes and decide what all of your meals will be for the week. You can sort the recipes by Quick to make, Vegetarian, Low Calories, etc, etc and make your choices accordingly. Once your selections are made you can then choose how many people you will be preparing for and they will give you an accurate shopping list (that you can print easily) along with recipes that are really easy to follow.

The first few shopping trips might be a bit more expensive if you don't have the basic spices in your cupboard, but we found that our trip cost less than our usual weekly trip. We bought only what we needed, and it looks like we won't have any rotting veggies in our fridge at the end of the month like we usually do! Lol.

I'm really excited about this new program, because Mike and I have been really bad at making good-for-you meals. We will often eat snacks to fill the boring meal-void whereas these recipes were actually exciting and totally filled us up! Haha...Mike and I have been spending a lot of good quality time working on these "projects" together too.

I know... I sound like a commercial, but honestly! I am not getting paid for this ;)

Here are two of the dinners that Mike and I have tried and love...so you should try them too!

Chicken Burritos with Mango Salsa
Prep time: 10 minutes Marinade time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
per serving: 462 calories; 35 grams protein; 10 grams total fat; 5 grams fiber;
4 grams saturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 75 mgs cholesterol; 538 mgs
sodium

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 10-inch flour tortillas
1 mango , peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 jalapeño pepper , seeded and minced
1 green onion , including tops, thinly sliced
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1/8 head Romaine lettuce, torn
1/8 cup sour cream

Heat grill to medium high.
[1] In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, lime juice, orange
juice, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Add chicken and
refrigerate for 30 minutes.
[2] Remove chicken and discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with
salt and pepper and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until cooked
through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
[3] Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas in foil and warm in the oven, or
spritz with water and heat in the microwave.
[4] To make the salsa: in a medium bowl, combine the mango,
jalapeno, green onions, cilantro and a dash of salt and pepper in
a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
[5] Cut each chicken breast into slices. Divide among tortillas, add
lettuce, a dollop of sour cream and the mango salsa.
HANDLING TIPS FOR HOT PEPPERS
Always wear thin rubber gloves for extra protection when cutting
peppers.

Black Beans with Cumin and Cilantro
Prep & cook time: 5 minutes
per serving: 157 calories; 6 grams protein; 8 grams total fat; 5 grams fiber; 1
gram saturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 0 mgs cholesterol; 452 mgs
sodium

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/8 cup prepared chunky salsa
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

[1] Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook garlic
and cumin, stirring well, just until fragrant, about a minute. Turn
the heat to low and add black beans, salsa, and salt and pepper
to taste. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Slow Cooker Asian Shredded Pork
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 8 hours
per serving: 347 calories; 52 grams protein; 6 grams total fat; 0 grams fiber; 2
grams saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 123 mgs cholesterol; 1535 mgs
sodium

1/8 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
1/8 cup hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 pound pork ribeye roast
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup long grain rice
[1] Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a
whisk.
[2] Place pork in a slow cooker and pour sauce over top. Cover
and cook on low for 8 hours.
[3] 20 minutes before pork is finished, cook rice according to
package directions and set aside.
[4] Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place
on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep
warm.
[5] Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for
20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve
with sauce and rice.

Honey Glazed Snow Peas and Carrots
Prep and cook time: 25 minutes
per serving: 156 calories; 2 grams protein; 9 grams total fat; 3 grams fiber; 6
grams saturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 23 mgs cholesterol; 42 mgs
sodium

2 carrots , peeled and sliced
3 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon honey

[1] Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add carrots
and cook until tender crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Add snow peas and
cook until tender crisp; drain and remove to a small bowl.
[2] Melt butter in the same pan and stir in cornstarch. Return
carrots and peas to pan and stir in honey. Cook over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Happy Cooking!