• at home pork that is so, so good

    I don’t know about you but one of the hardest things to eat out, when you are trying to eat good, is Chinese food.  It can be loaded with tons of sodium, hidden calories and fat all the while being bathed in delicious sauces that make you want to keep eating.  The Hubby loves chinese food so I have been on a mission to find some lighter options, that can be made quickly but still with all of his favorite flavors…trust me this has been a challenge for sure.  I have had some success in the past…I made this skinny stir fry that The Hubby loved but he kept asking me…

  • quick, easy and salmon

    I don’t know about you but my schedule is so crazy right now.  There are some days that I don’t get home until  super late and I am hungry and The Hubby is super hungry.  To be honest I just don’t want to take a ton of time to fix dinner and especially clean-up. On these nights a pan dinner is a perfect go to option. One pan and done I have done some one pan pasta dinners, one pan chicken dinners but this one pan salmon dinner is so good.  It is not only good it is easy and loaded with veggies.  This well rounded dinner is low in fat…

  • a mac-n-cheese treat for all ages…

    Comfort food is always a treat and when we were growing up mac-n-cheese & sausage was a a treat for sure.  Back then my dad was the master of mac-n-cheese.  He would make it on the stovetop with noodles, velveeta and cheese and we thought this was the best mac-n-cheese EVER.  We loved how creamy it was and how cheesy it was…even better my dad would grill up some link sausage and it was a perfect dinner.   As I have grown up my taste have changed some but mac-n-cheese is still a favorite for me…and when paired with sausage it is still a treat.  To make it a little more…

  • quick, skinny and oh so good fajitas

    I have a confession (one I have made several times before, but it probably needs to be made again) I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD!  I am not overly picky…I love tacos, burritos, enchiladas but I especially love fajitas! I love that you get all the yummies that Mexican food has to offer but without a lot of the calories and fat of some other options (such as tacos, burritos or enchiladas).   You can have fajitas made with beef, shrimp, chicken or just veggies…all of which are good but when I decided to do a quick one pan fajita skillet at home I knew I wanted to use chicken as it…

  • ham, ham, beans & more ham…

    Easter has come and gone, and if your refrigerator looks anything like mine it loaded with tons of leftovers.  I have some au gratin potatoes, green bean casserole, pistachio fluff and of course ham…tons & tons of ham…so why not add some beans to the mix?   It never fails, you think you buy a ham that is the perfect size for all the peeps you have coming, where most of it will be eaten and there won’t be half a ham in your fridge the next day…but it always seems to happen.  Every year I say I am going to buy a smaller ham (and I did this year)…

  • smothered burritos

    I just love the idea of anything smothered.  I mean I did grow up in the south where we have smothered pork chops, smothered beef tips, smothered chicken…really anything that will sit still we will smother if given the chance.  It just sounds so decadent and bad for you…but the beauty of these smothered burritos is that they are very decadent but skinny!!  Yes you read that right…they are super yummy and skinny all at the same time. For these burritos I used this slow cooker Mexican chicken that is so, so easy but full of flavor.  If you don’t have time to make the slow cooker chicken feel free to use a rotisserie…

  • Chicken with some Mexican flair

    Spring break has started here in my part of the world and I know everyone’s calendar is booked solid wth super fun activities with the kids, & making a super delicious slow cooker meal is a perfect option for this week (or any week)…plus check back tomorrow for a 2nd round recipe using this slow cooker chicken. It is no secret that I love the slow cooker as I am sure many of you do as well, but this mexican chicken is a new favorite for sure.  It is loaded with tons of flavor but it has just a few ingredients, many of which you probably have on hand.   To…

  • get up & smell the bacon

    Spring Break is here and that means it is time to relax, have fun and EAT…& I say lets eat some bacon!! There is just something so indulgent about bacon that makes you feel like your doing something a little naughty…and trust me this sweet & spicy version is a keeper for sure!!   In my house plain bacon is special… but this version takes it to a whole new level. The trick to this bacon is baking it…do you normally bake it?  I started baking mine a while ago…not only does it make perfectly crisp, but still tender & it is so much LESS messy.  There is no bacon grease spattering…

  • kicky shrimp on the grill

    I love shrimp!  There I admit it…I L.O.V.E those cute little things!  Since I was a little kid I have always been a fan.  One of my earliest memories involves this favorite treat.  There was a restaurant in Houston that I loved, JoJo’s.  It was a family type of place that we ate at quite often and I would always get their fried shrimp.  To my 6 year old self this was without a doubt the BEST dinner ever…I didn’t care that they were frozen, rubbery or over cooked (really over fried, but I don’t think that is a legitimate cooking term)…none of that mattered to me … I loved my…

  • Orzo in the making…

    Soup is a comfort food for The Hubby and I try to have it for him as often as possible…but in Half Baked Land it is already getting warm outside so I am not in much of a soup mood, until I remembered a recipe I have been waiting to make all winter…Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. When I first came across this recipe it was late summer/early fall so I decided to put it on the back burner until spring rolled back around and finally it is here…and it is finally time for this soup!!  It is a very hearty soup, while still being light with a perfect hint of lemon…