Flank Steak Pinwheels and Cauliflower "pops"

No no, it's not what you're thinking.  I didn't have cauliflower lolly-pops, or Popsicle, or anything of the equivalent.  It's roasted cauliflower, and you roast it to the point it gets crispy, and brown. And THEN!! you season it with salt and pepper...and it's the most amazing thing.  I nearly ate half the batch waiting on my pinwheels to cook...I'm not lying.
The steak pinwheels are absolutely wonderful.  I prefer my steak medium, hence why you can still see pink.  I recommend cooking for longer than my recommended time in the event you do not like your steak cooked to this level of done-ness.
Enjoy, this meal is hard to not just wolf down.  I had to pace myself....now I want more...

Flank Steak Pinwheels
1.5lbs lean flank steak - pound out to 3/8" thickness....the thinner the better here actually.  Beat that puppy as thin as you can. I failed on getting this as thin as I wanted. I'll be better prepared next time.
5oz frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained.
1/4C fat free sour cream
1/4C reduced fat Parmesan cheese

After thinning out steak, mix together remaining 3 ingredients.  (I added onion powder and dried chopped onion) spread on steak.  Roll steak up, and secure with toothpicks.
Broil for 10 minutes on each side. (My broiler was set to 500* because I'm a weenie and afraid of setting my oven on fire...but this explains why it was on the broiler so long)

Cut into 8 servings.  ENJOY!

Cauliflower Pops
I totally snagged this recipe on Pinterest from: DelightedMama  Her instructions are impeccable - and the recipe itself is such a super low-carb alternative, and a GREAT way to sneak in servings of veggies on unsuspecting kiddos!! They do bear a strong resemblance to the taste of french fries (yes, I ate mine with ketcup.)

This was probably one of my favorite meals by far - and not to mention - since Jan. 1st, I have now lost 15lbs!!  YAY!  Healthy eating is the bomb!

Beef Stroganoff

I have started trying to cook recipes with as few ingredients in them as possible.  Mainly to see how it pans out on my budget.  Tonight's dish was a beef stroganoff paired with a simple garden salad.  Make sure you get the right kind of meat.  Lean round steak cooks up nice and tender, and you won't be stuck chewing forever....the cut makes ALL the difference!!

Beef Stroganoff
1.5lb lean round steak cut into strips (4"long)
1C fat free sour cream
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix (the one with the roasted potatoes on the front of the package)
1 package of fresh mushrooms, rinsed, dried.

Brown steak strips in skillet - keep skillet covered to retain all juices.
Once steak is browned, add onion soup mix and mushrooms, stir, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
Add 1 C sour cream, stir and reduce heat to lowest setting.
Serve over whole wheat egg noodles (1C=1serving) - the stroganoff itself makes 6 servings.  Garnish with freshly chopped green onion.

BBQ Biscuit Cups

These are another comfort food classic in my book.  Paired with some sweet potato fries (I prefer the spicy ones, but Alexia makes some great options including waffle cut - and best of all, they are baked - not fried!)
I could have made these healthier than they already are, but I was running on limited resources, so I made the best of what I had and they turned out GREAT!

BBQ Biscuit Cups
2 cans of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (the cheap 4 pack in the biscuit section)
1lb extra lean ground beef (I used 96%)
1/2-3/4C light BBQ sauce (Kraft makes a good sauce)
5oz reduced fat or fat free cheese. (for this batch I used 2% Velveeta)
typical favorite seasoning (pepper, garlic powder, etc.)

Press biscuits into UNGREASED muffin tin (regular cupcake size)  Press up the side walls of the muffin tin to form a "cup"
Brown ground beef, drain.  Mix in BBQ sauce and seasonings.  Divide evenly amongst the 12 biscuit cups.
Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake according to biscuit instructions. (mine were 400* for 8 min)
Voila! it's just that easy!

Broiled Dijon Porkchops

I am LOVING eating clean!!  I have lost 13lbs since the beginning of the year, and honestly, it's 100% due to changing my eating habits!!  I haven't felt bloated ONCE.  I haven't felt "uggghh" after eating ONCE.  This has been an incredible decision, and we are all benefiting from it!  My husbands pants are too big for him, and my son is just as healthy as can be (he eats what we eat.)  So, make these, and enjoy!

Broiled Dijon Porkchops
5- 4oz pork tenderloin chops (minimal fat, trim if necessary)
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
pepper to taste

Place pork chops on cookie sheet.  Brush with half of dijon mustard.  Sprinkle with half of thyme and season with pepper to taste.  Broil approx 6in from broiler for 10 min.
Flip porkchops, brush with remaining mustard and dust with remaining seasoning.
Broil for another 10 minutes. Remove, enjoy.

Red Rice

Red Rice is "oh so nice!"  This was a super easy crock pot meal and is WAY low in calories - I was amazed, especially for the hearty 1C serving size.  This is an awesome meal on a chilly, windy evening.  You can make it as "peppy" as you'd like.

Red Rice
5 pieces turkey bacon
1C diced ham
2 15-16oz cans of no salt added diced tomatoes
1C long grain brown rice
1 onion, diced
dried oregano
dried parsley
garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste

brown turkey bacon in skillet, set aside.
cook onion until translucent in same skillet (it has some remnants of the bacon (I had no grease) but it still added a super yummy flavor to the onion!)
crumble bacon - add bacon, onion, ham, tomatoes and rice to slow cooker.
add seasonings, stir.  Cook on low for 6-8 hrs.
NOW - **IMPORTANT** I had to add a cup of water around 4 hours into cooking because my rice was starting to stick and it needed more moisture.  Mine cooked in about 5 hours....with an additional cup - so keep an eye on it - and if you are going to be gone all day while it's cooking, I'd add 2 C of water just to be safe and set your crock pot to turn to "warm" setting after 5 hours.  Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

This salad was AWESOME!  It is sweet, it's tangy, it's spicy - it's an awesome combo and SUPER low calorie thanks to no oil in the dressing - I can't recommend this salad enough.  It's really filling too - but I had two bowls because it was SO SO good!

Speaking of awesome food - I have managed to cook a new meal nearly every night this entire year so far (spare the nights I was out of town.)  It has been an incredible experience so far, and I have managed to lose over 11lbs in the past 5 weeks!!  Eating healthy has been one of the best decisions we have made, and I don't see us ever looking back.  As long as I have cookbooks, and as long as I find meals we haven't cooked before - I will keep on cookin'!

Chinese Chicken Salad
Marinade
3 cloves of minced garlic
3 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce 
2 TBSP honey
1TBSP fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp or less of dried red pepper flakes (+/- depending on how spicy you like your meal.  We added 1tsp and it was quite spicy)
2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (you could probably lower this amt, it seemed to have a lot of chicken in it)
Combine all ingredients.  Place chicken breasts in crock pot and cover with marinade.  Cook on high for 3-4 hrs, or low for 6hrs (or as always, until internal temp. indicates it's "done")
Dressing
1/2C Rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1tsp fresh ginger, grated
1TBSP honey
Combine all ingredients and set aside or chill.  You will use this right before serving.
Salad
 I used one large bag of "hearts of romaine"
2 carrots julienned
1/4C cilantro, chopped
Can of "La Choy" brand rice noodles

Once chicken is cooked and "done"- remove from marinade and either shred or cut into bite sized pieces.
Add chicken, cilantro, carrots, and rice noodles to lettuce in large bowl, mix together.  Drizzle dressing over top of salad right before serving.
Next time I get around to making this, I'll add some mandarin oranges, drained for an added oomph of flavor!
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 4 hours, but it's crock pot, so it's not like you're really "cooking:"