What Jeff made for dinner

I was suppose to make dinner tonight.  I was dilly dallying because I really don't like to cook and don't think I cook very well.  Well my super duper Jeff came to the rescue and said he would cook.  He whipped this beautiful meal up in 20 minutes.  One of the many reasons why I love this man.

Tri Tip with Lemon Pepper Brussels

We had a delicious and healthy meal last week thanks to Jeff's grilling skills and Pinterest. :)

Jeff and I have actually been trying to change our eating habits (like a lot) by excluding simple carbs (Jeff excludes all carbs), sweets, and dairy (except I get a pregnancy allowance of dairy).  We have been at this healthy eating for about 2 months now and it can be so difficult at times to come up with meal ideas, especially when all I know how to cook are pastas and rice dishes!  A meal just doesn't seem complete without bread, or pasta, or rice, but this meal left us satisfied and wanting nothing.  And that's saying a lot for a girl who had her first brussels sprout in her late 20s. 

I first saw this recipe on Pinterest for Lemon Parmesan Brussels Sprouts from Sugar and Grace.  I thought it looked delicious, but sadly I did not have any Parmesan (not to mention, its not on the no dairy diet) or actual garlic cloves.  So I tweaked the recipe a little by adding garlic salt and some dried garlic cloves,  I also added lemon pepper instead of regular pepper to give it a little kick. 

I thought they turned out great.  I even got Wesley to eat one. only one.

Jeff grilled up some Tri Tip using a dry rub to season it.  To find out how Jeff makes the perfect trip tip go HERE.

I added a little strawberry salad (aka, strawberries cut up), and dinner was served.

Now its your turn to share your favorite healthy meal with me!

Jeff made Smoked Brisket...Yum!

Jeff bought a smoker a while back and this weekend he tried his hand at some brisket.  It turned out delish and we had a nice backyard bbq...Texas style.

Yummy Salmon dinner

Last week Jeff went on a "once in a lifetime fishing trip."  He accompanied a coworker to Canada and spent the week fishing for Salmon.  This is Jeff's idea of Heaven.  Luckily for me he brought back over 40 pounds of fresh Salmon, and he's pretty good at cooking it for me too.

 

Here are just a couple pictures from his trip.

 

 

 

And here are some pictures of our super yummy dinner:

 

 

The filet of salmon was the thickest I had ever seen!

 

 

Jeff marinated the steak in a mixture of terryaki sauce and syrup (like the kind for pancakes) for about an hour.

 

 

Then he pan fired them on the stove.

 

 

He layed them over a bed of rice and add some roasted green beans (in the oven at 425 for 20-30 mins).

 

 

 

It was the best salmon (or any fish for that matter) that I had ever had.  It was cook perfectly and didn't have a hint of fishiness.  I can't wait for Jeff's next salmon creation!!!

Pinned It, Did It: Penne with Balsamic Butter

Pinned It, Did It: Penne with Balsamic Butter

 

 

I pinned this recipe tonight in search of something for dinner.  I have to say it turned out pretty good. I took advice from the comments and added just half a stick of butter and substituted green beans for the asparagus.  I also only had Romano cheese on hand, but I think Romano and Parmesan are pretty interchangeable.   

This was a super easy pasta recipe when you are looking for something a little different.  Wes liked it too :)

 

 

 

 

 

What Jeff Did Made for Dinner: Pretzel Bun BBQ Burgers

Just let your mouth water as you stare at these pictures of the most delicious little burger. Burger patties seasoned with garlic and onion powder, onions carmelized in soy sauce, gooey cheddar cheese and sweet BBQ sauce stacked between a soft pretzel bun. mmmmm mmmm so good.

A Little Bling for the Deck and How to Make the Perfect Tri-Tip

Meet Jeff's new girl...I mean grill.

But seriously, he is in love with his new grill.

He wont even use it though because he doesn't want to ruin the shiny newness.

Jeff got a great deal on this grill because it was the floor model. He has wanted a new grill for so long and he is in Heaven. 

To celebrate his new purchase, I want to share with you Jeff's recipe for the perfect tri-tip steak.  He makes a seriously good steak and if you've had it, you know. 

after you bring your trip-tip steak home....

1.pat it dry with paper towels

2. Create a spice rub

Jeff uses: Montreal Steak Seasoning with garlic and onion powder

3. Rub your rub on the steak

4. Throw it on a hot grill on high heat

5. Sear each side on high heat until the rub blackens

6. Turn heat to low

7. Cook until medium rare.  Don't be afraid of the pink!

8. Remove from grill to a cutting board

9. Let rest for 10 minutes

10. Slice (an electric knife helps!) and serve

11. Enjoy!

BBQ Ranch Chicken Wrap

What Jeff made for dinner:

Yummy yummy in my tummy (ok, so we just started watching Yo Gabba Gabba and the party in my tummy song is constantly in my head!!! you other moms or dads get this?)!

Jeff turned some bland breaded chicken from the freezer section, into a yummy fresh dinner.

He mixed together the chicken, romaine lettuce, canned corn, avocado, crispy onions, ranch dressing, and BBQ sauce.  All wrapped up in a spinach tortilla.  It was pretty tasty.

Watermelon Mint Salad

Next time you are thinking about having watermelon with your meal, try changing it up a bit with this simple and easy recipe.  Jeff is great at coming up with unique flavor combinations and this Watermelon Mint Salad was no exception. All you have to do is add chopped mint and honey to bite size pieces of watermelon. No exact measurements needed just add the ingredients to taste. The result is an unexpected and refreshing side dish. Yum yum!

What Jeff Made for Dinner: BBQ Chicken & Avocado~Corn Salsa

Jeff got inspired by our warm weather today and grilled up some delicious barbecue chicken with an avocado~corn salsa.  It was finger lickin good!

Before he grilled the chicken breasts he covered it in this rub

And slathered it with this barbecue sauce.  This was my first time trying this sauce made from a local brewery in San Diego and I have to say, its gooooood stuff. You can buy it online here.

The chicken was good, super flavorful, juciy, and the bbq sauce...perfection.  But the real star of this dinner was the avocado~corn salsa.  Jeff got this easy recipe from our sister-in-law Jacqui last summer and it quickly became one of our favorites.  It goes with anything so Jeff always makes a ton! 

Here's what you need to make your own:

2 cans Black Beans, drained

2 cans Corn, drained

1/2 Large Red Onion, diced

4 Roma Tomatoes, diced

3 Hass Avocados, diced

Italian dressing to taste (Jeff used about 3/4 of a bottle)

Mix it all together and let sit for 10-15 mintues to let all the flavors combine. 

This recipe made a TON but it is so good for left overs.  Add it to quesadilas, burgers, with chips, whatever!

We ate dinner outside on the new deck on the new table.  We are so ready for Summer!

Deck Progress: What We Planted

The deck is pretty much done, yay!  Jeff is so excited.  We just need to put sand in the sandbox and build a cover for it.  Last week, Jeff planted some yummy plants in the deck planters.  Here is the run down:

And Jeff put the herbs he bought in this fun little table he built a while back.

Here is the {almost} finished deck

Planting crops

Last night we made a little family trip to Home Depot to pick up dirt and a few crops for our new raised garden planters.  The planters are so big that we ended up buying 20 bags of garden soil.  Before he filled them up, Jeff built a false bottom in the platers that was about 10 inches off the ground so that it would take less dirt to fill them.  He then lined the sides and bottom with 6mm all purpose plastic to protect the wood.

Here's 15 of the 20 bags.  Jeff had bought 5 earlier to see how much he would need.  I totally doubted that he could fit 15 bags on that cart.  Jeff is surprised that I still ever doubt him.

Here are the crops we got: carrot seeds, yellow bell pepper, zuchini squash, crockneck squash, watermelon, and some herbs: mint, cilantro, adn basil.  The watermelon and herbs arent actually going into these planters.  We have other plans for them that I'll share later.  We were at Lowes the other day and felt they had more variety, so we are going to check out their supply later and possible get some more veggies.

Wesley was a great helper.

Here are the planters all filled up with dirt.  See the plastic peeking through on the sides?

By the time Jeff finshed it was dark outside, so I will show pictures of the final reveal next week when we have the entire deck area completed.

Any suggestions on plants to get?  We are no experts in gardening so any tips you have for us would be great!