No matter where you go out to eat, home cooked meals are so much better. Why? They’re healthier, they’re cheaper, and they taste better. Last night, Nick and I made dinner. We never got to our Christmas puzzles because we had to go on a road trip to pick up dog food, but we can make up for that tonight. The darker nights are killin’ me.
I’m obsessed with cold macaroni in salads. I mixed salad dressing with the cold pasta and added it to a bowl of spinach. I added diced tomatoes, craisins, American cheese, and fried onion rings to the mix.
I haven’t made my sweet green beans in a while and so I whipped these up!
The chicken was my favorite part. I marinated chicken in italian dressing, teriyaki sauce, and chicken seasoning for about eight hours. Nick grilled them on a charcoal grill and they were perfectly cooked! Sometimes grilled chicken can get dry if you don’t marinate it or cook it right. He did well!
What is your favorite thing to cook for dinner? Share your recipes!
Linda @ TheFitty says
Home cooked food does. tste better, but sometimes doesn’t seem as appealing as outside food, you know? Maybe because you’re in a different environment or the very fact that someone else cooked the meal makes it appealing.:)
Taralynn McNitt says
very true!
Chelsea says
My favorite food (of the moment…changes all the time) to cook for dinner right now is crockpot sweet potatoes. Super easy, but the recipe I started with is here: http://wellnessmama.com/3272/slow-cooker-sweet-potatoes/ They are sooo much sweeter for some reason and so delicious.
The last I made them I served green beans and baked garlic tofu as well! I’m vegan so this was a nice complete meal for us 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
yum! thanks for sharing!
Heather says
Hi Chelsea!
Do you have a recipe for the baked garlic tofu as well? Sounds delicious! I will definitely try the sweet potatoes in the crockpot!
Chelsea says
Hi Heather! I don’t follow any particular recipe actually, just toss tofu cubes in olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic. I buy the little jar of minced garlic at the store because I’m lazy 🙂 I bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, then pan-fry until it turns crispy. I read about that little trick somewhere else so can’t credit myself for that!
EVA says
Actually, you can save an extra dish to wash and just broil the tofu cubes for about three minutes. I do it every time and it has yet to fail me!
Alena says
Ohhhh that whole meal looked fantastic! 2014 has been the year of learning in the kitchen for me! I like to make stuffed chicken (usually with spinach and a light cheese). I also like making a fiesta salad with shredded chicken, tomatoes, corn, beans, tortilla strips, and a home made taco ranch sauce
Taralynn McNitt says
Stuffed chicken sounds delicious, but I’m a sucker for anything fiesta!
Becky says
I’ve completely fallen in love with baked butternut squash this fall. I tried it for the first time and now I can’t stop eating it. I simply wash the whole squash, cut it in large pieces and bake them in the oven at 175C (350F) for 45-60 minutes (depending on the size and whether I want them more potato-like or more mushy). The squash starts caramelizing and sometimes the sweet and sticky juice oozes out 😀
I love to pair my squash with pulled chicken breast (discovered a super quick and easy method online! http://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-simple-shredded-chicken-and-another-recipe-collage/) that I toss in low sodium soy sauce which makes it juicy and salty. Then I usually add some greens – your sesame green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas, spinach…
One of my favorite dinner combos and super filling cause the squash actually fills you like potatoes while being a lot lower in calories (which means that I usually eat a ton :D)!
Jessica says
That chicken sounds delicious – I’ll have to try it out. I love marinading meats – they turn out so tender & juicy! I love trying new recipes and I recently came across one for Lemon Garlic Shrimp. I modified the recipe some and it was so quick & easy and delicious!
http://www.mymidwestexistence.com/lemon-garlic-shrimp