Broccoli-Potato Soup with Sharp Cheddar

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 68

Broccoli cheddar soup is fairly popular in our house and I've been dying to see how this recipe compares.

Broccoli-Potato Soup with Sharp Cheddar

Chicken and Green Chile Stew

Power Foods cookbook, page 109

I was at my weekly Weight Watchers meeting and had to find something to make for dinner. I cracked open the cookbooks they had for sale and found this little gem.

Chicken and Green Chile Stew

Maple-Almond Quinoa Muffins

Power Foods cookbook, page 206

I am not one who craves variety for breakfast, the resolution has sort of forced it on me. Now I'm always on the lookout for something yummy, but still worth the PointsPlus.

Maple-Almond Quinoa Muffins

Vegetable Stuffed Sole with Dill Butter

Power Foods Cookbook, page 154

I had picked up the ingredients for this recipe before I went on my trip, so this was a delicious and easy dinner to pick up and make (when all I really wanted to do was crash).

Vegetable Stuffed Sole with Dill Butter

Blueberry Dutch Baby

Power Foods cookbook, page 23

I wanted to make a fun, yet kid-friendly breakfast while I was visiting my family. I had never had, much less made, a dutch baby before. Since it's basically just a giant pancake, I thought the kids would enjoy it.

Blueberry Dutch Baby

Shredded Vegetable Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Power Foods cookbook, page 248

I bring to you the first guest kitchen blog post! I had to go home for some family business and decided to take the blog on the road. Hope you enjoy.

Shredded Vegetable Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Greek Chicken and Spinach Phyllo Pie

Power Foods cookbook, page 132

This is the main course I made in the first guest kitchen. This didn't quite match what I thought it would be when imagining how it would taste. It was still good, I just expected something more like the inside of a ravioli.

Greek Chicken and Spinach Phyllo Pie

Tomato-Topped Corn Puddings

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 218

I had very different expectations for this savory side dish. I have to apologize in advance for the photos. It's really just a bunch of different colored liquids.

Tomato-Topped Corn Pudding

Spicy Oven-Fried Drumsticks

Power Foods cookbook, page 125

If you like spicy things, be sure to give this a try. It really packs a punch! The boys kept going back for more. I used chicken breast strips instead of drumsticks.

Spicy Oven-Fried Drumsticks

Grilled Steak Soft Tacos

Power Foods Cookbook, page 61

Not much to say here except they're exactly what you'd imagine. This is a great meal to make when you're short on time.

Grilled Steak Soft Tacos

Lamb Chops with Mushroom-Thyme Orzo

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 149

I tend not to like lamb and I think I picked it because I saw "chops" and thought of pork. This is a really easy and quick meal with few ingredients.

Lamb Chops with Mushroom-Thyme Orzo

Baked Chicken Packets with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Power Foods Cookbook, page 108

This is a very easy meal to make and alter. Starting with chicken breast, add any vegetables and seasoning you want, then bake!

Baked Chicken Packets with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onion

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 202

This is probably one of the better macaroni and cheese recipes I've ever made. I love the caramelized onions, too! Very yummy!

Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onion

Fresh Cranberry Breakfast Scones

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 30

Yes, these are very obviously not cranberry. Truth is I don't like cranberries. Plus, blueberries were on sale. This just goes to show that you can swap out the berries pretty easily for whatever happens to be in season.

Fresh Blueberry Breakfast Scones

Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms and Peas

PointsPlus Cookbook, p. 157

I chose this recipe on a whim just because I needed something else this week. It turned out to be one of my all-time favorites!

Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms and Peas

Cappuccino Angel Food Cupcakes

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 280

These didn't quite turn out the way they were supposed to. You win some, you lose some.

Cappuccino Angel Food Cupcakes

Blueberry-Peach Yogurt Parfaits

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 28

I had a hankering for something like a yogurt parfait, so I definitely couldn't pass this up for my breakfasts this week.

Blueberry-Peach Yogurt Parfaits

Spinach, Shiitake, and Gruyere Crepes

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 44

This is a very PointsPlus-heavy recipe for me. I usually try to keep my meals around 8 PointsPlus or less. But, you know, I've got this resolution and I'm going to end up making it anyway. Might as well get it out of the way early!

Spinach, Shiitake, and Gruyere Crepes

Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 124

I'm afraid this is going to be one of the last few recipes the boys will eat. Pot roast and beef stew are also meals that are always welcome here. I really liked that this had different vegetables than I typically use.

Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables

Citrusy Carrot Salad with Green Olives

Power Foods Cookbook, page 249

I wanted something healthier than fries to go alongside the Southwest Turkey Burger. I admit I'm not the best at pairing flavors, this just sounded good to me.

Southwest Turkey Burgers

Power Foods Cookbook, page 137

This is another one of my boyfriend's picks. With two guys in the house, burgers are always welcome here. 

Quick Gaspacho

Power Foods Cookbook, page 245

I needed something to go with the Quick Chicken Carnitas that my boyfriend chose for dinner. The photo in the book has this very yummy looking mango salad, but my impatience got the better of me and I decided not to dig for the recipe. I thought this Quick Gaspacho would be a delicious and filling replacement.

I have to apologize in advance for the lack of photos. This recipe only has two sentences worth of instructions which can be whittled down to: mix everything together, let it chill for 4 hrs.

Quick Gaspacho

Quick Chicken Carnitas

Power Foods Cookbook, page 122

My boyfriend decided that he was going to start eating healthier this year as well (finally!). I asked him to look through my cookbooks and mark the recipes that sounded good to him. This is one of his choices.

Quick Chicken Carnitas

Potato Torta with Romesco Sauce

Power Foods Cookbook, page 16

There are a ton of egg recipes in these books! This is what I'm having for breakfast this week. Yum!

Potato Torta with Romesco Sauce

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

PointsPlus Cookbook, page 104

I love making soups and stews in the colder weather. To be fair, I consider most of the weather we have here to be "colder." No matter, this soup is perfect to warm me up!

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

So what's this all about?

I'm not sure what it is about the blogging world that keeps pulling me towards it. I've often struggled with finding a focus for my blog. Something that I'm interested in enough to write about fairly often and also interesting enough for you to keep reading. As you may have gathered, the blog title sums up this off-again, on-again relationship I have with blogging. Or at least the intent to do so.

So here I am. Once again. What makes this time so different? I've finally found something that I'm excited to talk to you about! Something that can even fill these posts for a whole year!