Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

It's Thursday! Only two more school days until spring break and my kiddos certainly are feeling it. Poor things have been stuck inside with indoor recess thanks to this absurdly cold spring weather. Cabin fever is on. So, here's a new recipe to hopefully brighten your day!

I really try not to post super similar recipes close to one another. However, perhaps you're not really a salad person and Thai Chicken Crunch Salad didn't sound like your cup of tea. Or perhaps you've got a man like John at home... John loved the salad, but wasn't feeling like "cow food" over the weekend. I suggested turning this into a wrap, and he suggested making it a lettuce wrap. The result was a huge hit! If lettuce wraps aren't your thing either, then try this with a regular tortilla. Mix it up and enjoy!

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is
Serves 4, depending on portions

Searching for Treasure

Happy Monday! In spite of this dreary, drizzly and cold weather, I have a little pep in my step, thanks to a restful weekend that included one of my favorite activities: searching for treasure at a local consignment shop!

John's grandmother introduced me to Consigning Women just after our wedding. We were in dire need of furniture, but on a tight budget. Mimi took us to this little gem, and I immediately fell in love. The store has beautiful and gently used furniture, decor items, artwork and even jewelry and bags.  We were able to get our dining room table here for a steal - $360 for the table, including a leaf extender and six chairs (as seen here and here)!

Ever since we snagged the table I've made a point of frequenting the shop once every couple weeks. A couple weeks ago I saw a beautiful jewelry armoire. I adored it immediately, as I'd been looking for a jewelry box for some time. I saw the original price, and decided I would stalk it, hoping it would still be around once the price went down. When a piece comes in, it has a set price. However, there are two additional prices on each piece. After one month the cost goes down, and after two months it goes down even further. It can be a gamble to walk away from a piece, as someone might snag it before the price drops.

First time seeing it!

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

This definitely goes on the best meals/salads EVER list. John and I could not get enough of this salad! It was filled with flavors and had a wonderful crunch to it. We gobbled it up immediately and then made even more the same week. Not to sound obsessive, but it's on the meal plan for this week...again. Jessica has certainly outdone herself again, and I cannot recommend this recipe enough!

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad
Recipe by How Sweet, via Jourdan Leigh in the Kitchen
Serves about 4

Weekend Update

Happy Monday!

I hope you've all had a wonderful day and even better weekends. I was beyond busy Saturday, but actually managed to REST and relax Sunday. Even better? I had Monday off, and not only did I catch up on laundry, but I cleaned the apartment and made John one of his favorite meals - Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Lasagna! After I finish this post I plan to enjoy the evening with my hubby and pup and watch The Bachelor finale - judge away!

Friday night John and I met up with his siblings, Lauren and JB, and enjoyed some steamed mussels, delicious fries and lots of laughter at Brugge Brasserie in Broadripple. We had a blast, and it was so nice to spend time together while JB was home from IU and Lauren is still an Indy resident!

JB is happy to cheese for the camera but John wasn't feeling it :)

Brothers and sisters!

Lightened-Up Mashed Potatoes

Here is a new and original recipe from...me! Can you believe it?! In February John and I did a "greatest hits", if you will, and made some old recipes we haven't enjoyed in awhile. As such, there were no new recipes to share with you. But, with March came a reminder that spring is almost here (yay!), and it's time to start playing around in the kitchen again.

Yesterday I teased about this recipe, and today I'm happy to tell you that the secret recipe is...cauliflower! I love experimenting with lightening-up dishes, and cauliflower is a starch-lovers best friend. While these pictures look a bit "runny", that's due to the sauce from Zesty Turkey Tenderloin, which I paired with this side. I promise it's thick and creamy and John had no idea half of it was cauliflower. Love it!

Lightened-Up Mashed Potatoes
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp
Serves 4-8, depending on portions

Zesty Turkey Tenderloin

A few weeks ago I was at Target and saw turkey tenderloins on sale for a great price. Never one to pass on a bargain, I quickly snagged a package and started googling recipes for turkey tenderloin. As I walked the aisles I came across this lovely gem, which required hardly any additional ingredients than those already in my kitchen.

I was super excited for this recipe, but found the results to be just a bit too tangy. So, after some modifications, I came to the recipe below. This definitely has some signature flavors - dijon and lemon, primarily - so feel free to adjust according to your preferences. While the cooking time for this is fairly long, the steps and work involved make this super, super easy.

I paired this with some broccoli and a new recipe coming your way this week - Lightened-Up Mashed Potatoes! (Spoiler alert: There's a secret ingredient that dramatically ups the nutrition value and lightens the calories!). Stay tuned and...enjoy! :)

Zesty Turkey Tenderloin
Recipe adapted from Linda Larson, via About.com Busy Cooks
Serves 4-6, depending on servings

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Those of you who faithfully follow my blog may know that my girlfriends and I love to get together for monthly dinner parties. Well, it had been quite some time since we last got together - a baby, an engagement, wedding to plan and big move, to name a few - have certainly kept us busy!

Jourdan remedied this by having us over last Saturday, and we were able to catch up, enjoy her fabulous cooking and play with sweet baby Reese! Jourdan made two pizzas, and both were to die for. I could not stop thinking about the chicken Alfredo pizza she made, and I vowed to recreate it at home. Enter this delicious dish and perfect weekend meal. A huge thanks to Jourdan for the inspiration (and perfect girls night!).

Note: I might make two of these. John devoured half of it Sunday night, and had finished the remaining piece by noon the next day. Needless to say it was a huge hit here - and worth the indulgence! :)

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Recipe inspired by Jourdan Leigh in the kitchen, Alfredo sauce by The Pioneer Woman
Yields 1 pizza

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Happy March! I don't know about you, but I definitely expect spring-like weather when we hit the month of March. John always reminds me that it's still winter, but a girl can hope, right? In spite of that, here is a great recipe for this interim weather. While the original calls for red bell peppers, the green peppers were cheaper so that made my decision quite easy!

I've made a few changes, but overall this recipe is pretty true to the original. It's light, low calories, and packed with flavors. We ate the leftovers within 12 hours, so that should speak volumes to this great dish. I'm off to type up and upload at least four more new recipes for the blog, so stay tuned for some good ones! :)

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste
Serves 3-6, depending on portions