Grilled Salmon with Basil Sauce

When you love to cook, you kind of need people to cook for. Sounds about right...right? For the last few weeks, and a couple more to go, my husband has been out in the field. After the first few nights I realized how boring it is without him. Mind you we have no kids, so it's just me and our two year old dog. Well, since it's summer she gets tired after ten minutes of play, and sleeps for hours on end. Therefore, she is absolutely no help to my boredom. I keep finding recipes I want to make, but it serves a million people. I have made a few of those, and had lunch for work and dinner for the next night. Maybe it's just me though, but I can't stand eating the same thing for every meal, or more than two nights in a row. That just means leftovers go to waste when it's just me. Enough of my venting!

Thankfully, when I found this recipe my husband was still home so I was able to eat delectable flaky salmon. Now that the weather is ridiculously hot and I'm melting slowly, I need recipes that will not turn the oven on and make our house 20 degrees warmer. That is where the grill comes in. Then when you put salmon on that grill, it makes life perfect. This was such a simple dish, but full of flavor. Prepping the salmon couldn't be easier, and you get a great smoky flavor from the grill. Once you pour over the sauce, you have an inexpensive dish that doesn't taste cheap at all!

4th of July Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes

The 4th of July is a great time of year. Cold weather has finally moved away, and the sun shows it's face a little more. Grill parties are definitely a staple when the weather gets nice. The fresh ingredients that come out at this time of year are also why summer is great!

For some reason, the month of July has always put me in a good mood.  If we were back in Washington we would have been to at least two baseball games already. (Excuse me while I day dream about garlic fries and soft pretzels.) I love seeing the American pride everywhere too. That might be because we are a military family. Ever since my husband enlisted, holidays like the 4th of July and Memorial Day have a whole new meaning. I take pride knowing my husband is spending everyday doing what he does in part to work toward his dream, and sacrificing so much in order to do so.

You know, I may be feeling all "Let's go America" because of the World Cup going on right now. We are huge Seattle Sounders fans, and have been cheering on the players that have made it onto the USA team. Being able to watch the USA go as far as they did was awesome! Of course I wish they could have gone further. :(

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

In my last post I mentioned that I was back to calorie counting. It's been going okay so far. There have been no casualties or injuries. The people that know me well, know that when I get hungry, I am not the happiest/nicest person to be around. I'm finding that I need to always have snacks on me to curb those cravings. All that means is that I really have to be strategic about what I'm eating. Once you find the right snacks and meals for you though things get really easy. :)

With calorie counting, I have to be careful about desserts. I love desserts. My sweet tooth is bigger than my stomach that is for sure. So I went in search of low calorie, "healthier" desserts. That is when I stumbled across this beautiful recipe. Oh man, I can't even tell you how much I love cheesecake. If I could eat it everyday, and not gain an ounce, I would totally do it. So of course I was definitely going to make this and eat it all up. Well not all, that wouldn't help me at all in my counting.

Since this is made with plain Greek yogurt, it's not as sweet or rich as regular cheesecake. When you are trying to eating a little healthier sometimes you have to change up the things you love. Even though this wasn't the sweetest cheesecake I ever had, it was definitely one of the best. Knowing that one slice wasn't going to make me feel full and weighed downed made it even better. My husband even went back for seconds, and he doesn't like sweets as much as me. :)

Open Faced Enchilada Veggie Quesadillas

Well, I have decided to go back to calorie counting. When I lost weight a few years ago that was one of the ways I was able to stay on track. Ever since we have moved here to Colorado, I have been slacking on my eating and exercise habits. I will still exercise now and then, but a routine would never stick. So I have decided to try something I know helped me in the past. Honestly, even after a few days of counting I do feel loads better! There really isn't anything bad about calorie counting, but my big sweet tooth has to be tamed that is for sure. I have to find different ways to curb my sweet cravings. Small pieces of chocolate, a bite of a lemon bar, fruit...etc. If you are thinking about calorie counting it does take a lot of will power and a good workout routine. Start out with an easy daily goal and then work down from there. Then add in whatever workout you did for that day and you will be able to eat a little more too. 

Enough about my crazy self! On to delicious food!!

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

It's grilling weather!! Time to get outside and grill anything you can find. Okay maybe not anything, but I bet you could find something. :) If you don't have the ability to grill outside I will strongly suggest getting a cast iron grill pan. That pan as gotten so much action in my kitchen in the winter time when it was impossible to grill outside. The cast iron still gives it a little bit of a smokey flavor and always produces beautiful grill marks, you know if you are like me and like your food to look pretty.

Along with grilling it's also a great time for avocados. So many things to get out a do after being stuck in the house for months with freezing temperatures and snow. Now get outside and fire up that grill with this light and fast seafood meal. If you wanted to grill a different type of fish go for it, I have always preferred salmon. Plus salmon is a great fish that holds up to grilling.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

The best recipes for a hot day are light, refreshing dishes that don't weigh you down. An ethnic remix to a beloved classic is a great twist on any spring day. Chili Rellenos is one of those classic Mexican dishes you will find on any restaurant menu. What if you are craving that fantastic dish, but you are a little too lazy to go into all the work? Don't worry that happens to me every night. Dinner would never happen in my house if I didn't like cooking so much. :)

With a little hot sauce and fluffy eggs, this twist on a classic is a great way to add a little bit of Mexico into your home. On top of the flavor and ease, this recipe is also lightened up. Tasty and healthy? Why aren't you making this right now?! :) I would personally add more chilies if I make this again, but it was a hit with my husband either way!

Double Chocolate Souffle Torte with Raspberry Sauce

I like living here in Colorado, but there is one thing I would gladly move elsewhere for. Baking! So many times I crave to bake something, then I remember I live at high altitude and it will probably turn out hard as a rock. There are tons of articles and tips on how to alter a recipe to fit high altitude. Whenever I decide to take a recipe and alter it, I end up with many failed attempts and wasted ingredients. I hate wasting ingredients. I know baking is a lot like trial and error, but I can't help it!

A lot of times I forget I'm at high altitude. I start baking and when I pull whatever it is out of the oven it's dense and hard. That's when I get sad. I have even thrown out rock hard cupcakes before and just reverted to the high altitude alterations on a box. Yes shameful, but sometimes I just want to bake and I only have the patience to waste so many ingredients.