We've been experimenting with lighter, healthier, and less meaty meals lately. Our crab and zucchini rotini pasta was something different. It's just as hearty as a saucy pasta but light enough to avoid that heavy meal feeling and, with the versatility of being a really good meal hot or cold, this one is a winner for weekday dinners or work-time lunch.

When I think of fish tacos, I think of the ones that are deep fried with cheese and hot sauce dripping from one end! Until I made this recipe, I never thought to myself that light and healthy fish tacos can exist. Albeit, this recipe still has sauce dripping from the end of your taco. You won't care because the flavors are so good! (and good for you!)
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 small Yellow Onion, finely diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Jalapeno, seeded, membranes removed and finely diced
• 2 ripe Tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 lb Salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
• 8 Flour or Corn Tortillas (5-inch)
• 2 ripe Avocados, sliced
• Lime wedges and Cilantro for garnish

This has got to be one of the easiest dinners I will ever post! I bought a bottle of Jerk Chicken marinade on sale at the store, I cut up some chicken, skewered them, and marinated them for about 2 hours. An onion and a zucchini was also cut and skewered.

We grilled the veggies first, brushing them with olive oil, on my grill pan and I get so excited when I get perfect grill marks on my food. Makes me feel like a professional chef! ;D

I'd usually serve this meal with some sort of rice pilaf but we decided to try a lower-carb dinner with just the chicken and veggies. Delish!

Cold day means the craving for extra warm soup! But the usual chicken soups get tiring so we decided to create the ultimate loaded udon noodle soup. Udon noodle soups can be found in most Japanese restaurants and it is a clear broth soup with vegetables, meats, seafood, some form of egg cake, and thick white noodles.

Chhally wanted a pork dish to add some variety to our meat dishes this week so he stumbled upon this one and asked me to make it. I try to avoid cooking pork tenderloin because mine always comes out dry and chewy. I followed the recipe precisely and the meal turned out to be a hit. I think Chhally told me I was amazing more than 4 times. Any meal that gets me love is a keeper!


When I was mixing the spices together, I didn't think it would be good because the spices are each so strong. I also was concerned that the brown sugar would burn too easily but instead the combination of everything in this dry rub turned into a nice caramelized crust around the meat.

We made some brown rice pilaf (cooked without the butter) to round out the healthiness factor! It was the perfect pairing.

Meatball subs are my WEAKNESS! Well, Italian food in general is my weakness. I stumbled upon this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Iowa Girl Eats. Her secret to making these subs healthy is to use ground turkey for the meatballs and grated zucchini as a sneaky ingredient. I had my doubts and thought this too good to be true but the zucchini definitely works. It keeps the meatballs extra juicy.















Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• 1/4 onion, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• Hot dog buns or sub rolls
• Marinara Sauce
• Mozzarella
• Non-stick Spray

1. Grate the zucchini and onion. Then combine zucchini, onion, and minced garlic.
   
   
2. Add the ground turkey, egg white, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
   
   
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees then place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, and spray generously with non-stick spray. Shape turkey mixture into 15 meatballs, using ~2 Tablespoons of the mixture per meatball. Place onto the wire rack and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until no longer pink the center.
   
   
4. Turn the oven to broil, then open up the hotdog buns and place three cooked meatballs in the center. Spoon marinara sauce on top of the meatballs, then top with mozzarella cheese. Broil until the sauce is warm, and cheese is golden brown.
   
   
5. To freeze and reheat leftover meatballs: Cool cooked meatballs completely then place the baking sheet into the freezer until meatballs are frozen solid, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Place into a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. To reheat, microwave for 4-5 minutes, or place onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chhally had two subs and says that, "These are good. Like damn good."
His words exactly. I don't think I'll be going back to regular meatball subs anymore.

Happy Eating!