Lunch today was tuna salad salad.
Double the salad, double the fun.
I made a batch of tuna salad and served it on top of a bed of shredded lettuce.
In addition to the moisture added to the salad by the tuna salad, I added a small Sabra Hummus Singles cup to the mix for some additional flavor.
I also sipped on a bottle of Hint strawberry kiwi water from the Fitness Magazine Meet & Tweet swag bag.
As a flavored water fanatic, this water was right up my alley. The water contains no sugar or artificial sweeteners and just a hint of fruity flavor. I’m a fan.
New Recipe Week
When I was wasting three hours at the airport as I awaited my flight back to Florida from Boston on Friday, I took some time to flip through several magazines (and eat a red velvet cupcake).
Recipe after recipe started calling to me from the pages of the magazines and I quickly realized I haven’t changed up my evening meals in quite a while. I’ll follow the occasional recipe, but I seem to default to making similar dinners week after week. (Broiled salmon. Every week.)
While I want the dinners I make to be fast, I don’t want to sacrifice flavor for time and flagged a handful of recipes that looked healthy, simple and made me feel excited! All too often, Ryan and I tackle dinner quickly and our meals have become rather routine and mundane.
I’d like to put a little more effort into getting excited about dinner and am declaring this week “New Recipe Week” in our household. Each night we’ll be making a new recipe we’ve never tried before to hopefully put a little pizazz back into our evening meals.
Our current lineup (in no particular order):
- Hummus “Cheesesteak” Hoagies
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese
- Greek Frittata
- Baked Goat Cheese and Strawberry Salad
I’m already excited for dinner and it’s not even 3 p.m.! I think that’s a good sign!
Question of the Afternoon
- How often do you try new recipes?
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I can’t wait to see how your recipes turn out! They all sound great. I often find myself getting into a rut with dinner too. I used to try new recipes all the time. Lately dealing with my stomach issues, I haven’t been able to as much. I still would like to incorporate new stomach friendly meals. For now, I’ll live through you 🙂
Haha I feel the same way! Excited to see what your recipes are 🙂
hold up, KEY LIME oikos greek yogurt. No way! Man I wish I had something other than a Walmart, I need to try that flavor. Anything key lime is so addicting to me!
it is SO good. it really does taste like dessert in a cup.
HAha I tend to get in a rut and eat practically all the same things for a few weeks, and then find something new and switch to that!
Bachelorette Live Tweeting? HAPPENING.
be there or be square. 😉
Oh yes! You KNOW I’m excited about this! Haha
hahaha – i want to “like” these comments!
I’m in!! I am counting down the hours to the premiere hahaha
new recipe everyday??? that is ambitious!! 🙂 🙂 i try a new recipe whenever a good one sparks my interest… most lately: your peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies! http://itzlinz.com/2012/05/14/gliding/
I’ve been trying one new recipe a week lately, and I have been loving it! I was completely stuck in a cooking rut, and now I feel so much more excited about dinner!
I literally make something new for at least one of my meals every day! Love making new things and experimenting in the kitchen.
my new fave recipe is to saute a ton of different veggies in some coconut oil, add two whole chicken sausage links with a can of diced tomatoes, some seasoning…and let it all cook together. then, slice the chicken sausage before serving. seriously so quick and SO yummy.
that sounds RIGHT up my alley!
I’m totally a blog stalker of yours. Coming out today. But I have no recipes.
welcome! 🙂 this made me laugh… and you should know that i stalk you right back. ha! i’ve had you in my reader for months and months. your “before” pics today are rockin’!
seriously?!?! You read lil’ old me? Day. Made.
Variety is the spice of life! I hope you find some tasty and quick recipes and post about them because I am going to have less time to cook this summer and need inspiration!
I actually try new recipes pretty frequently and wish I had more go-to dishes that are easy fixings when I don’t feel like being creative! Every week, I sit down and come up with a menu for the week’s dinners and then grocery shop based off that and I always forget to re-make the stand outs! Gotta work on that.
i want to be more like you! i wish i was more of a planner when it came to my meals. i think it would make me more excited about dinner and make it feel like less of a routine.
hah! if only we could combine, then we would be the perfect mix! 😀
for real!
Probably 2-3 times a week! We rarely repeat meals, and have quite the rotation. Some things that are just okay never get made again whereas our favs are made monthly.
I love trying out new recipes so I will usually make something new 2-3 times a week. I have a huge list of recipes I want to make and it’s constantly growing so I need to keep up!
There are a few grammatical and spelling mistakes in the New Recipe Week section of this post! I’m the editing a-hole :)… Sorry!
Having said all that… I think single serving containers of hummus are the best! I would eat an entire big container if it was available to me.
feel free to correct away! i want my posts to be easy to read for everyone…
We try one new recipe every week! The rest of the week are always the same old meals and can definitely get boring…once a week is nice because it gives you something to look forward tooo!
I am trying these two new recipes this week. Hopefully they will be winners with the kids!
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-chicken-pot-pies/9a1006cf-5b40-4c87-acd8-9c3436210129
http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.com/2011/09/roasted-vegetable-strudel-and-farewell.html
We have the opposite problem in my house… I make new things all the time, to the point where my husband goes, “Um, Spaghetti is OK for dinner once in awhile, too!” HA. That’s what he gets for marrying someone who loves to cook! 🙂 Can’t wait to see how all your yummy treats turn out 🙂
I don’t actually try them that often, but I did try one last night! It was from the Canyon Ranch cookbook, and was their healthier take on Peppered Chicken in a pepper cream sauce. It was still only about 250 calories though, and really good!
Such a good idea!
I live by myself, so I only try new recipes every so often. Maybe I will start with one new recipe a week! That way, I can eat off of it for a few days 🙂
I try to make something new every week. I’ll be trying a lot of new recipes now that I learned I’m allergic to corn and wheat. I have to come up with a whole new food philosophy!
When Ryan and I first started dating, we had something we called “CANMN” (cook a new meal night) which was a way for us to make sure we spent quality time together at least one night during the work week and learn to cook something new, as we both love cooking. Within the first year we tried making lamb, baklava, a new veggie each month and all sorts of things! I blogged our adventures the entire year and it was a great way to capture not only the recipes so we had them on hand, but our blossoming relationship. We are now married and have a fantastic cookbook to browse through!
That sounds SO fun!
aw, i love this!
I’m a HUGE recipe/meal planning nerd. Every Sunday I spend an hour or so creating a meal plan (+ also post these on my blog if you ever wanna check them out!), which includes not only dinners, but breakfasts, snacks + lunches as well! From this, I make a grocery list and shop away 🙂 I REALLY enjoy having my meals all planned out for the week since I can’t stand coming home from work and having to think about what to make/what I have in the house! Obviously there is room for flexibility in case I end up going out with friends or are feeling really lazy or what not, but for the most part I know what I’m making every day and it seems much more stress-free that way! 🙂
I love all those recipes they sound delicious! And I need to know, do you like chobani or oikos? Because I’m a chobani girl and I tried oikos and loved it too… which is your preference?
Oh and I forgot to mention! All of this recipe/meal planning usually involves one new recipe a week! I used to do almost a new recipe every night, but then it got to be TOO much work. Plus, my bf would always complain that I’d make something he loves & then he’d never get to have it again! I now try to limit myself to one new recipe a week + then depending on how I like it, add it to the rotation!
i think that’s a great goal… nice and managable!
I LOVE trying new recipes. Honestly, sometimes I do it when I have a ton of homework due because it relaxes me. Just made a Tomato-Basil “cake” (from a recipe on carrot’n’cake) and did homework while it was baking. Calms me down, get some homework done, and get to eat an AWESOME meal. Win-win-win.
oh, and I usually end up cooking 2 or 3 new recipes a week and then taking a week or two off to make old favorite, or repeat those recent new ones, and then repeating that cycle the following weeks.
I am open to trying new recipes every time I make up my meal list before I go grocery shopping; especially if I have most of the items needed on hand! Nothing is worse for me than going to the store and spending half of my budget on ONE recipe.
I love new recipes and I’m always poring over cookbooks and foodie blogs looking for something new to try! I also get bored easily and need my food to be changed up frequently. Fortunately, almost everything I’ve made recently turns out well and my boyfriend is patient with trying all my new creations.
I hope when you eat that first recipe, you channel Pheope Buffay and yell, “Hummus! Hummus! I got the Hummus!!”
Do you ever try Pioneer Woman recipes? I use hers all the time, but I have to slightly alter them to make it healthier. Heavy cream = eeek!
Here are a few recipes I’ve tried lately that I love:
Salmon Bugers with Cilantro Mayo
http://annies-eats.com/2010/01/28/salmon-burgers-with-cilantro-mayo/
Enchiladas
http://betterwithfreckles.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/make-these-enchiladas-immediately/
Mango Coconut Shrimp
http://betterwithfreckles.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/an-s-kind-of-weekend/
LOL! yes!
and i love the pioneer woman’s recipes – especially for the holidays. we made her mashed potatoes at thanksgiving and they were unreal!
i love new recipes so much. i have a hard time repeating!! lol. i spend far too much time menu planning. and i love that hint water. i had it in the airport last month. yum!
Yum, I want this plate! This recipe seems really good. It’s an interesting question, I have fetish recipes but i like to try new recipes on special occasions.
I cook 5-6 nights a week rotating 25 recipes and occasionally ill add a new recipe into the mix. Although in the summer, our meals usually consist of a grilled meat and some veggies.
New recipe week sounds like a fabulous one! My goal at the beginning of the year was to try a new recipe at least once every two weeks. That…has not happened. Haha. I got lazy around March. Maybe once I move to Chicago I’ll be more motivated to make new recipes…or something. Haha.
I can’t wait for the new recipes. I try new recipes every oncce in a while. It’s easier just to make quick and easy food that I know my family will eat! But sometimes I like to try something new!
I love Oikos greek yogurt, gotta try that key lime flavor! My favorite is still the vanilla flavor with fresh strawberries mixed in 🙂
We try new recipes all the time, I mostly get inspiration from food blogs or pinterest!
The roasted sweet potatoes look good! But is that just a side? I would need a chicken breast or some shrimp to round it out. I’m always trying new recipes. I have binders and folders filled with recipes I’d like to try, so if I’m looking for inspiration, I head there (or some of my favorite blogs 🙂
I definitely don’t try new recipes enough. A couple years ago I got in the habit of trying a new recipe at least once per week. I should get back into that because I have cook books that are just filled with easy and delicious meals that will help amp up my arsenal.
I wish I was more creative but I’m so boring!! I swear I spend so much time looking at blogs, recipes and thinking “mmm definitely making that!” and do I? NOPE! I need to start making new recipes asap!!
Wow, that tuna salad looks amazing. I never thought to use hummus as a base rather than mayo or olive oil. Thanks for the tip! Going to be trying this in the new future.
I try to make myself experiment with a new recipe once a week…I absolutely failed last week, so maybe that means I’ll have to do 2 this week? Not an awful punishment 😉
I plan 2 or 3 new recipes a month. I always choose recipes that have ingredients I already use so I’m not spending a fortune buying what I need.
I’m trying this one tonight for dessert 🙂
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/05/skinny-chunky-monkey-cookies-recipe.html
Did I mention it has PB in it? LOL!
I am actually making a point of a least one new entree-level recipe a week and the snack/desserts more than that – but they tend to be single serving or variations.
I have totally enjoyed it! It has really helped expand my eating options. I am someone who will eat the same thing literally every day. 🙂
Woo this sounds exciting! I often find that I fall into ruts with almost everything after a while. Whether it be with recipes, exercise, work etc…Although I am a creature of habit, I do get bored quick, and need change! I like to try new recipes as often as I can, but I do find that I stick to what is comfortable, easy and quick a lot of the time. Can’t wait to hear some of your new recipes!
My quick answer to how often do you try new recipes is: not nearly often enough.
Ooooh those sounds yummy! I need to have a better lineup again soon too 🙂
Thanks for the ideas!
Oh boy, those new recipes look delicious!
My mom makes dinner planning easy for her… bu enlisting US. We make it a game. Every weekend, my siblings and I (here are six of us!) each have to find an entree, salad, and dessert to try. We need to make lists and print out the recipes. We always try to pick out the best recipes. That way my mom has a week’s worth of recipes in her arsenal. Then we do the tasting and rate them. SO much fun!
I try one new recipe usually every week! 🙂 I like trying new things, and I get bored with the same old stuff!
I found this post on Yahoo today: http://shine.yahoo.com/food/whats-for-dinner/ with a whole week’s worth of great dinner recipes! They all sound fresh and summery which is what I’m craving right now. Can’t wait to hear about your new finds!
I try new recipes whenever you blog about one that looks delicious and easy to make! I teach and have little free time to peruse magazines (though that’s up there on the to-do for this summer!), so I basically depend on you for creative dinner awesomeness. 🙂 I’ve had lots of successes replicating your recipes so far. Keep ’em comin!